Andretti Autosport, 2012 Mazda Road to Indy Pre-Race Previews

Firestone Indy Lights
Race Preview: Sukup 100, Iowa Speedway

 

Sebastian Saavedra, Team AFS Racing / Andretti Autosport, No. 27

Saavedra last ran Firestone Indy Lights at Iowa Speedway in 2010, where he started on the pole and led every lap to win the race. He also raced at the short oval last year as part of the IZOD IndyCar Series, but was involved in a crash and did not complete the race.

“After having a good weekend in Milwaukee and shortening the points gap to the leader, I come with a lot of expectations to this race in Iowa. I’ve had good runs around this short oval as well as a win in 2010 and I think it is an important race to start the second half of the season. At this point, it is the guy who makes the least amount of mistakes that will make it happen at the end of the year and capture the championship.”

 

Carlos Muñoz, Team Dialy-Ser, No. 26

Munoz will race at Iowa Speedway for the first time. He is coming off of a fifth-place finish at Milwaukee, which moved him from sixth to fifth in the Firestone Indy Lights championship points standings.

“This will be my first time racing in Iowa, so I am looking forward to getting to the track. The first practice we have on Friday will be important and will allow me to learn a lot. I know that we’ll be competitive because we have done very well the last couple races. We have a strong Andretti Autosport team and good car to get the job done. I hope to continue scoring points and finish at the top.”

Star Mazda Championship Powered by Goodyear
Race Preview: Iowa Speedway Foundation 100, Iowa Speedway

Sage Karam, Team Comfort Revolution, No. 88

Karam was last year’s Star Mazda winner at Iowa Speedway, after starting from the pole and leading every lap. He is currently sixth in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear point standings, after placing second at Lucas Oil Raceway in May.

“It’s exciting to be a part of Andretti Autosport on so many levels, for so many reasons. Congratulations to Michael (Andretti) on promoting the highly successful Milwaukee event and of course on Ryan’s (Hunter-Reay) win. Heading into Iowa, the whole team has momentum and confidence on its side. I know that in USF2000 (2010) and Star Mazda last year, I won at Iowa, but, I also know that those wins don’t give me any advantages this weekend. Last year was awesome with Marco and I winning on the same day, but last year is gone and all that matters to me is what happens this year. The new style rocker component (suspension) makes it a clean sheet for everybody. There is no doubt that the Andretti Autosport/Comfort Revolution No. 88 will be ready for me to ‘stand on it’ right from the start. Iowa Speedway fits my driving style of flat-out fast racing and hopefully we can leave Iowa with some great championship points!”

Zach Veach, Team K12, No. 77

This will be Veach’s first time racing at Iowa Speedway as part of the Star Mazda Series. He raced there for the first time in 2010 with USF2000, where he finished fifth. He is coming off of a third-place finish at Lucas Oil Raceway in May.

“I am really excited to be back in the K12 Star Mazda car, especially going to a track like Iowa. We are going to be full throttle the whole way around, so it’s going to be like a super speedway for our cars. Coming off of a successful ‘Night Before The 500′ race, I feel it’s going to carry a lot of momentum into this weekend. We’ve made new changes with the car and I’ve been working hard off of the track. I know the Andretti Autosport guys have been working extremely hard as well. If things cometogether right, I feel we can give the K12 team their first win!”

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SpeedwayMedia.com

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