MRTI: Pigot, Enerson dominate Barber weekend - MotorSportsTalk

Beyond the Verizon IndyCar Series, all three rungs of the Mazda Road to Indy were in action this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park.

The Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires recaps are linked here (Zach Veach won Race 1 with Gabby Chaves winning Race 2); meanwhile a quick wrap of the pair of Pro Mazda Presented by Cooper Tires and Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda races:

PRO MAZDA: PIGOT MAKES IT 4-FOR-4

It must be something about even-numbered years that brings out the best in Juncos Racing’s Spencer Pigot. Pigot swept the two Pro Mazda races at Barber, as he did at St. Petersburg in the season opener. He won eight USF2000 races in 2012 and he’s now four-for-four to kick off the Pro Mazda season, as he seeks to track down his longtime sparring partner Matthew Brabham’s mark of wins from 2013 (13 of 16 races).

Sunday’s Race 2 for Pigot required a move on Scott Hargrove, who ultimately finished second.

“I knew going in that as long as I had one wheel alongside Scott, I was going to go for it,” Pigot said post-race. “Luckily, I had a little more than that – I was alongside or even a little bit ahead. It was a bit closer than I would have liked but that’s what you get for starting second. You never know when you go side by side what’s going to happen on the exit. We were as close as we could get without touching; I’m actually surprised there isn’t some rubber on the side of the car. I went a little defensive into Turn 5 – I was trying to hold him up and then get a run but he didn’t slow down, he pulled alongside me. If it had been a left turn instead of a right turn at the end of the backstretch, he would have been by. It was some really good, close racing.”

Pigot now leads the standings by 41 points over both Hargrove and Kyle Kaiser, 130-89, heading into the month of May at Indianapolis.

RESULTS, Races 1 and 2

USF2000: ENERSON WINS A PAIR ON SATURDAY

Winterfest champion RC Enerson took both Saturday race wins in USF2000, the latter of two after holding back the challenge from Armsup Motorsports rookie Aaron Telitz.

“It was a great day. We won Race 1 and coming into Race 2, we had a good lead then a full course yellow came out. I was able to make a good restart and start pulling out a gap. I saw them fighting behind me and knew it was my chance to get away. I saw Aaron [Telitz] coming at the end and I was just trying to hold on.”

RESULTS, Races 1 and 2

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The NBC Sports IndyCar power rankings naturally were as jumbled as the action on the streets of St. Petersburg after a chaotic opener to the 2023 season.

Pato O’Ward, who finished second because of an engine blip that cost him the lead with a few laps remaining, moves into the top spot ahead of St. Pete winner Marcus Ericsson and Alexander Rossi, who finished fourth in his Arrow McLaren debut. Scott Dixon and St. Pete pole-sitter Romain Grosjean (who led 31 laps) rounded out the top five.

St. Pete pole-sitter Romain Grosjean (who started first at St. Pete after capturing his second career pole position) Callum Ilott (a career-best fifth) and Graham Rahal entered the power rankings entering the season’s second race.

Three drivers fell out of the preseason top 10 after the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – including previously top-ranked Josef Newgarden, who finished 17^th after qualifying 14^th.

Heading into Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, here’s NBC Sports’ assessment of the current top 10 drivers through the first of 17 races this year (with previous preseason rankings in parenthesis):

NBC Sports’ IndyCar Power Rankings

1. Pato O’Ward (5) – If not for the dreaded “plenum event” in the No. 5 Chevrolet, the Arrow McLaren driver is opening the season with a victory capping a strong race weekend.

2. Marcus Ericsson (7) – He might be the most opportunistic driver in IndyCar, but that’s because the 2022 Indy 500 winner has become one of the series’ fastest and most consistent stars.

3. Alexander Rossi (10) – He overcame a frustrating Friday and mediocre qualifying to open his Arrow McLaren career with the sort of hard-earned top five missing in his last years at Andretti.

4. Scott Dixon (3) – Put aside his opening-lap skirmish with former teammate Felix Rosenqvist, and it was a typically stealthily good result for the six-time champion.

5. Romain Grosjean (NR) – The St. Petersburg pole-sitter consistently was fastest on the streets of St. Petersburg over the course of the race weekend, which he couldn’t say once last year.

6. Scott McLaughlin (6) – Easily the best of the Team Penske drivers before his crash with Grosjean, McLaughlin drove like a legitimate 2023 championship contender.

7. Callum Ilott (NR) – A quietly impressive top five for the confident Brit in Juncos Hollinger Racing’s first race as a two-car team. Texas will be a big oval litmus test.

8. Graham Rahal (NR) – Sixth at St. Pete, Rahal still has the goods on street courses, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan remains headed in the right direction.

9. Alex Palou (4) – He seemed a step behind Ericsson and Dixon in the race after just missing the Fast Six in qualifying, but this was a solid start for Palou.

10. Will Power (2) – An uncharacteristic mistake that crashed Colton Herta put a blemish on the type of steady weekend that helped him win the 2022 title.

Falling out (last week): Josef Newgarden (1), Colton Herta (8), Christian Lundgaard (9)