MADISON, ILL. –20-year-old Italian-Canadian Devlin DeFrancesco dominated at World Wide Technology Raceway to take his first win in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and extend his points lead.

The Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport racer scored his first oval pole position yesterday and again showed that speed in the race when he took the lead on the green and led every one of the 55 laps in today’s race.

DeFrancesco crossed the line to win by 0.7651 of a second to continue his amazing run of consistency in the 2020 championship. He made his oval debut last week in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Raceway and drove a smart race – looking after his tires – and pounced in the final five laps to move up to fourth position.

On today’s 1.25 mile World Wide Technology Raceway, the only passing he was forced to do was negotiating his way through lapped traffic to take the Indy Pro 2000 Oval Challenge of St Louis Presented by Cooper Tires victory.

The win and pole position gave DeFrancesco another 47 points in the championship battle. He now leads on 183 points – extending his lead from seven points before this weekend to 25.

DeFrancesco’s Indy Pro 2000 campaign is supported by Kimoa - the fashion, clothing, and accessories brand founded by Fernando Alonso; world-class racing simulator manufacturer Allinsports; Apple’s largest premium retail partner, Simply Mac; Engine Media; Pure Kana and One Plant Merchandise.

DeFrancesco and the Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport crew will now head to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course next week, where the Indy Pro 2000 championship contenders will do battle over three races on September 3 and 4.

DEVLIN DEFRANCESCO
"I knew from the first practice that we had a really good car. The whole Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport crew did an amazing job, and they have really helped me get up to speed quickly on ovals, and I’ve really enjoyed it.

"I had never raced on an oval before these past two weekends, and now I’ve extended the championship lead and have come away with my first win.

"I was confident we’d have two good weekends, but I knew I had a very steep learning curve. So to be in the position we are in now is a massive bonus.

"Winning from green to checker is an incredible thrill. The car was just awesome, and I have been learning with every lap. You have to be patient with the lapped traffic and not get too rattled when the pack closes the gap.

"We’re back on road courses now for the rest of the season, and my plan is to continue what we’ve been doing and focus on being consistent.

"This is a massive moment for me. I’ve spent many years racing over in Europe, but I’m loving racing here at home and being close to the family.

"Getting that first win today is another milestone, but this is just another step in our goal in bringing home the championship for Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport and helping me climb the ‘Road to Indy’ ladder."