MONTEREY, Calif. - Three Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires drivers had their first day in an IndyCar on Thursday, at Sonoma Raceway, to continue to the run on Indy Lights drivers getting to test at the top level of North American open-wheel racing.
Zach Veach tested in Josef Newgarden’s usual No. 21 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing, while Andre Negrao took over the No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda of James Hinchcliffe and Santiago Urrutia stepped aboard Mikhail Aleshin’s No. 7 SMP Racing Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda.
That brought the number of 2016 Indy Lights drivers who’ve tested in IndyCar to 10 of the 19 drivers this year.
The three drivers tested and then made it down to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend for the Soul Red Finale, where the champions will be decided in all three rungs of the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires ladder.
Veach, 21, was seemingly over the moon with his maiden test in Newgarden’s car. The Stockdale, Ohio native is one of the most experienced drivers in the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires, having competed full-time every year since 2010 (except 2015 owing to injury) between the three series.
Veach noted to NBC Sports how hard the car is to drive, but also said this was the culmination of nine years of work to attempt to get to this level. It’s doubtful he’d be back for a potential fourth season in Indy Lights, but he’s used the IndyCar test as a way to reveal himself and his ability to the paddock at large.
The mistake he made after completing his last Indy Lights season in 2014, he said, was targeting IndyCar and only IndyCar for 2015. Knowing if he can’t advance into IndyCar - much as he’d like to - he’s now smart enough and keen to explore other series as well for 2017.
The Schmidt Peterson teammates, meanwhile, have very different approaches to IndyCar next year.
Urrutia is hoping to graduate into IndyCar next year if he can win this year’s Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires championship. The champion gets a guaranteed three races, including the 101st Indianapolis 500.
He had a tough day with a mechanical issue limiting his running, but it was still cool for the Uruguayan to get to work in an IndyCar.
“The test at Sonoma Raceway was good and it was a great opportunity for me for sure,” Urrutia said. “The IndyCar was great and I could definitely feel a big difference between the Indy Lights car and the IndyCar. I’ve never driven a car with that kind of downforce. I think the biggest difference is in the brakes on the fast corners. With the downforce an Indy car has, you can carry a lot more speed through those corners.
“It was a great day and it’s a dream come true. I really enjoyed it. I was waiting for this day and finally it came. I hope one day I can get more than just the morning session to run in the car but now we just focus on the Indy Lights championship at Mazda Raceway.”
Negrao, meanwhile, would be considered a title contender in 2017 in Indy Lights if he returns for a second season.
“First of all, I want to say thank you to my entire SPM team for today. I really enjoyed every second in the Indy car and it makes me want to come back and do it again as soon as possible,” he said.
“I think the team worked well together for today’s test and we accomplished a lot of the goals that we set for ourselves. Thank you especially to Sam [Schmidt], Ric [Peterson] and Piers [Phillips] for working with me to make this opportunity happen. I am focused now on driving more in this car in a few years!”