Kyle Kirkwood storms from the back to IP2000 victory at Gateway

Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Kyle Kirkwood stormed from last on the grid to take his sixth Indy Pro 2000 win of the season at Gateway Motorsport Park.

The RP Motorsport driver managed to move through the field from 12th, having failed to set a time in qualifying, to take the lead just seven laps into the 55-lap race, and held position until a caution period with 15 laps to go.

However, when the race was restarted eight laps before the finish, Kirkwood was able to stay out in front to take his fourth win in a row, and closing the gap to championship leader Rasmus Lindh with four races to go.

Juncos Racing’s Lindh started from pole but lost out at the beginning of the race, then ran mostly in fourth thereon. After the caution he was able to take third, then pipped DEForce Racing’s Kory Enders to second place at the chequered flag.

Danial Frost – who won the first oval race of the 2019 season in May for Exclusive Autosport – came home fourth from seventh on the grid, while Sting Ray Robb (Juncos) and Parker Thompson (Abel Motorsports) were both not too far behind in fifth and sixth places.

Artem Petrov ended his IP2000 debut with RP Motorsport in seventh, having also raced in FIA Formula 3 Championship and Euroformula Open this year.

Nikita Lastochkin (Exclusive) and Antoine Comeau (Turn 3 Motorsports) were the last of the drivers to finish on the lead lap in eighth and ninth.

Race results (55 laps)