BROWNSBURG, Ind. – Juncos Racing added two more podium finishes to their 2018 Pro Mazda Presented by Cooper Tires season this past weekend at Lucas Oil Raceway. Carlos Cunha claimed second, followed by Robert Megennis in third and Rinus VeeKay in fourth on the first oval of the year.
Two test sessions, followed by one practice and qualifying for the highly competitive Pro Mazda field on the .686-mile oval located just outside of Indianapolis, Indiana. Carlos Cunha driving the No. 1 CarlosCunha.com.br/Juncos Racing car earned the best qualifying position for the team qualifying second. Robert Megennis driving the No. 9 Paloalto Networks/Juncos Racing car qualified fourth and Rinus VeeKay in the No. 2 Jumbo/Juncos Racing car took the fifth starting position.
Juncos Racing ended the week at Lucas Oil Raceway with two podiums and one top-five finish in the 90-lap race. Cunha almost pulled off the win but would have to settle for second. Megennis, who has faced many challenges throughout the first half of the season, finished the day on the podium in third. VeeKay followed in fourth.
Team Owner Ricardo Juncos said, “We had a great week at the first oval of the season at Lucas Oil Raceway. Everyone put in a lot of effort and hard work to make sure the drivers had fast reliable cars for each session. All three drivers did a great job and the fact that we were able to earn two more podiums and a top-five finish was amazing. Carlos (Cunha) was so close at the end to fighting for the win. If he had a few more laps I am confident he could have walked away with the win. Robert (Megennis) has faced a lot of tough luck this season, so it was great to finally have him back on the podium. Rinus (VeeKay) had great as well and was close to a podium finish. We still are in the hunt for the championship with all three drivers so I am looking forward to getting back on track next month at Road America.”
Juncos Racing continues to lead the team championship standings after seven races.
Driver Quotes:
Carlos Cunha No. 1 CarlosCunha.com.br/Juncos Racing: “First of all I want to start out by saying thank you to the whole Juncos Racing crew. They did a great job, it is an incredible team and I am so happy to work with them. We did a good job on the setup of the car for this race although unfortunately we made a mistake on the arrow setup and that is why I was not able to overtake the leader, Parker Thompson. Road America is next but we still have nine rounds left. We are going for the win, of course, but the overall picture is the championship. Our goal is to win the championship. Almost every weekend we have been on the podium, which has helped a lot with points. Let’s go get it!”
Rinus VeeKay No. 2 Jumbo/Juncos Racing: “It was a good weekend, we were able to come away with some valuable points. I started the race fifth and we were able to finish P4. I gained a lot of experience on a very hard racing track. The high line at Lucas Oil Raceway is not what I prefer; it does not suit my driving style. We are now third in the championship just one point behind second place. Next is Road America, which is my favorite track. The racing is very close there so I know it will be a lot of fun.”
Robert Megennis No. 9 Palo Alto/Juncos Racing: “Overall it was a really good weekend. We were able to tune the car really well in the practice session. We also had a great qualifying session we ended up starting the race in fourth. During the start I was able to jump up to third and held it for the race of the race. I was able to hold off pressure from other drivers. I was really happy with the result. I cannot thank the team enough; I want to thank Juncos Racing and Palo Alto Networks for all of their support this weekend.”