Mansfield, Ohio – Juncos Racing brought home two more wins this week in an action-packed tripleheader of the Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio Presented by Cooper Tires Honoring First Responders. Artem Petrov took home his second win of the year during the second race while Sting Ray Robb captured his first Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires win during the final race.
Robb now sits second in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship trailing the leader by one point, while Juncos Racing leads the team championship.
The second event week of the 2020 Indy Pro 2000 Championship season consisted of one practice, two qualifying sessions, and three races on the 2.258 mile, 13-turn road course at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Juncos Racing’s strong driver line-up of Petrov, Robb, and Nate Aranda battled among the 17-car field throughout the two-day event scoring one pole, one podium, and two wins.
One morning practice session kicked off the week followed by the first qualifying session that afternoon. Robb, driving the No. 2 Firehouse and Goodheart Animal Health Centers/Big Idaho Potato/Juncos Racing car qualified third. Petrov in the No. 42 Road To Success / Juncos Racing car qualified eighth, and Aranda, driving the No. 69 We Pursuit/CRAFT 1861/Juncos Racing car qualified 13th.
The Indy Pro 2000 Championship returned to the track later that day for the first round of the tripleheader. Petrov scored the highest finish for the team taking fifth, while Robb finished 10th, and Aranda in the 12thposition.
The next day began with qualifying for the second race of the weekend. Robb qualified for a front row starting in second, while Petrov qualified fourth, and Aranda in 12th.
Just a few short hours later the teams returned to the track for the second race of the week. Many battles among the highly competitive field took place throughout the 25-lap race. Petrov, who started fourth, to the Top-3 within the first few laps and after seven laps took control of the lead. Petrov was able to gain over a second lead in one lap before a yellow flag came out on lap-8. The field went green after two short caution laps and Petrov pulled away leading by over eight seconds when the checkered flag waved, giving him his second win of the season. Robb, who dropped back in the field, made many impressive passes to put him back into the Top-3, finishing on the podium in third. Aranda earned a Top-10, finishing 10th after many great battles and strong passes throughout the race.
The two-day event concluded later that afternoon with the final race of the tripleheader, with drivers positioned on the grid by their fastest race lap during the second race. Robb and Petrov started side by side in fifth and sixth while Aranda started 13th. Once the green flag waved, drivers throughout the field battled their way to the front, with many cars in the lead falling back during the first laps. Petrov was unfortunately forced to pit early in the race so the crew could fix a broke wing, but was able to return to the track without losing a lap to finish ninth. Robb charged his way to the front of the field, taking the lead on lap-4 and went on to lead the remaining 22 laps of the race, giving him his first win in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship. Aranda, who continued to show great momentum had a minor incident that forced him to pit to fix a front wing, putting him a lap down and finishing 14th.
Team Owner Ricardo Juncos said, “I am very pleased with our results this week at Mid-Ohio. All of our incredible drivers worked very hard and did a great job throughout all three races. As a team we continue to work hard to get better each time we go on track to not only put great set ups on our cars, but to give our drivers the confidence they need when they are out on track. Our engineering side is very strong, which has proven throughout the first five events with three wins. I want to congratulate Artem on a very strong win, his second win of the season. This was his first time ever running at Mid-Ohio, so we are very proud of what he was able to accomplish. I also want to congratulate Sting Ray on his first win in Road To Indy! He has been working very hard for this moment, and has been close so many times, so to see him reach the top of the podium is a very proud moment for all of us. Nate did a great job all week, working hard with the crew and his teammates, which showed with the great battles he had on track. We continued to stay focused over the next few days until we return to Mid-Ohio for two more races, and hope to gain more valuable points for this very competitive championship. I want to thank all of the crew for their continued hard work giving the drivers fast cars, my family for all of their help, and all of our fans who support us.”
Sting Ray Robb: “What a turn of events from yesterday here at the Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio,” said Robb. “It was an amazing ride that resulted in a P3 finish in Race 2 and the long awaited top of the podium P1 finish in Race 3! A huge thank you to Juncos Racing for rallying back and giving me a car that could fight the battles thrown at us today. I am very grateful for my amazing family, friends, fans, and financial supporters. There is no doubt that I wouldn’t be here today with each of you! All the glory goes to God! Back at Mid-Ohio next week for Rounds 6 and 7, so I hope everyone tunes in for some more great racing action!”
Artem Petrov: “I learned a lot this week as it was my first time running at Mid-Ohio. I felt comfortable during the practice session, but during the first qualifying it was just hard to put it all into one lap. However, the first race went pretty well as I was able to finish fifth. The next day qualifying for the second race went better as we were able to get a fourth starting position and then in the second race we were able to move to the front and take the lead and create a solid gap to claim the win. I am very happy we were able to take home the win in the second race, as this helped us gain valuable points for the championship. The final race did not go great for us at the beginning as I had to pit, but the guys were able to get me back on track without going a lap down and I was able to finish inside the Top-10. I am happy overall with our results, but look to improve them next week when we return for two more races. Thank you to everyone at Juncos Racing, my family, Road to Success, and all of the people who have helped us get back on track this season.”
Nate Aranda: “I’m so grateful for how much the team did for me this week, putting together a fantastic car,” said Aranda. “Even though these were not the results I was hoping for, I still had a great experience. All in all my results are good for the time that I have in the car at this point, but my drive is to be up in front soon. I will be working hard and staying focused in preparation for my next event and will be ready to give it my all. Huge congrats to my teammates Sting Ray and Artem for their wins! I can’t wait to see them at the next race and go for a 1,2,3 finish! I send my Love to all of my supporters and will see you soon back on track!”