Hargrove sweeps a pair on Indy road course

By Mazda Road to Indy | Published: May 10, 2014

Scott Hargrove

In one weekend, Scott Hargrove has closed a 41-point Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires championship deficit to five by sweeping the Allied Building Products Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

Hargrove, 19, from Vancouver, B.C., is second to Spencer Pigot in the standings (157-152) heading into the first oval race of the season at the .686-mile Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Ind., on May 24. A test is scheduled for all competitors May 13.

Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing teammate Neil Alberico finished second in Race 2 on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Jose Gutierrez of Juncos Racing completed the podium.

“The team did an awesome job," said Hargrove, the 2013 USF2000 champion. "We took a gamble and went completely different from (Race 1) and it paid off. Now we’ve learned what works and we are going to apply this from here on. I am thrilled. The race was chaotic. I had a huge lead and I didn’t think anyone was going to catch me and then the yellow came out so that made it interesting. The car was just so fast. I don’t think anyone had anything for us. This is the weekend we needed, absolutely."

Jason Rabe finished ninth to win the Expert Class (for drivers over the age of 30) for M1 Racing – a strong effort in his first race weekend of the season. Contingency awards included the Quarter Master Hard Charger Award for most positions gained to Rabe for a gain of 10 positions from 19th to ninth; the PFC Award and customized Race Energy charger - the official battery of the ladder series - to Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing; and the Staubli Award to Gutierrez.

In Race 1, Shelby Blackstock of Andretti Autosport placed second to earn his best finish of the season and Alberico finished third after leading for much of the race.

Contingency awards included the Quarter Master Hard Charger Award for most positions gained to local Indianapolis resident Brandon Newey, who advanced from 14th to fifth; the PFC Award and customized Race Energy charger - the official battery of the ladder series - to Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing; and the Staubli Award to Alberico.