The Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires schedule has been altered slightly with late news out Tuesday that its scheduled race at Iowa Speedway has been canceled due to low car count.
A third race on the season finale weekend of Sept. 9-11 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey will be added in Iowa’s place.
At what was the only oval event of the season for Pro Mazda last month at Lucas Oil Raceway outside Indianapolis, just eight cars took the green flag. Since that point, both Garett Grist (advanced into Indy Lights) and Jake Eidson (withdrew prior to Road America) are no longer on the grid and only TJ Fischer - as a replacement for Weiron Tan - has been added to the field.
It means each of the seven remaining races for Pro Mazda, which has primarily witnessed a battle between Team Pelfrey teammates Pato O’Ward and Aaron Telitz, will be held on road and street courses. O’Ward won at Lucas Oil Raceway earlier this year; the young Mexican opened his season with six wins in the first seven races before Telitz fought back with a doubleheader sweep at Road America last weekend.
The Iowa Speedway schedule would figure to be adjusted as a result. Pro Mazda had been due to share the weekend with the Verizon IndyCar Series and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, as well as ARCA.
Due to limited car count, the race @iowaspeedway has been moved to the season finale @MazdaRaceway #MRTI #TeamCooperTire
— USF Pro 2000 (@USFPro2000) June 28, 2016