BROWNSBURG, Ind. –Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires points leader Devlin DeFrancesco extended his championship lead with a charging run to fourth place for Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport in the Cooper Tires Freedom 90 at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis.

After qualifying fifth for his first oval race, DeFrancesco lost a spot at the start and ran in sixth place for much of the 90-lap journey.

The Italian-Canadian racer kept the leading pack in touch for much of the race and preserved his tires as he “went to school” learning how to deal with traffic under race conditions on an oval.

After drawing on the advice of his fellow Allinsports Simulator racers - Indianapolis 500 champions Tony Kanaan and Juan Pablo Montoya – DeFrancesco was able to attack in the final five laps, making two passes to move up to fourth place at the checkered flag.

The top-four result was DeFrancesco’s fifth top-four finish from six races so far this season in the Indy Pro 2000 championship. The race has now extended his lead to seven points in the championship.

Fresh from his oval debut tonight, DeFrancesco will again race on an oval next week in St. Louis when the championship races at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

DeFrancesco’s Indy Pro 2000 campaign is supported by leading motorsport media brand WTF1, world-class racing simulator manufacturer Allinsports, Apple’s largest premium retail partner, Simply Mac, Torque Esports, Pure Kana and One Plant Merchandise.

DEVLIN DEFRANCESCO
“Those 90 laps seemed to fly by but I really enjoyed my first race on an oval. It took me a while to learn how to deal with the traffic but I was able to keep in touch with most of the guys in front of me.

“My Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport car was still really strong at the finish and I was able to attack to move up a couple of positions.

“Leaning on the advice I got from TK and Juan Pablo, I tried to be patient early and worked on making sure I had plenty of tire under the car at the finish.

“Three race weekends in and we’ve extended the points lead. I’m thrilled with that but there are a lot of races to go. I’ve got to hand a lot of credit for that to my entire team.

“They have given me a super fast car every week and I can’t wait to get back in it next week in St. Louis for my second oval race.”