Indianapolis, Ind. – Will Owen came into the Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Indianapolis Presented by Cooper Tires with high expectations. As the winner of the Inaugural race there in the USF2000 Championship in 2014 and visiting the podium the following year in his rookie season of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, the 21 year-old could not deny that he had set the bar high for the weekend.
The spark was ignited during the first two practice sessions where Owen finished 5th and 2nd amongst his competitors on the time sheets. The momentum continued to build as the driver of the #23 Juncos Racing machine qualified in 3rd position, the best qualifying result thus far in the season.
Starting the race behind championship front-runners, Pato O’ward and Aaron Telitz, representing team Pelfrey, Owen had to stay sharp in order to gain any positions. Doing just that, Owen was able to pounce and take second as Telitz made a mistake early on in the race. From there, leader O’ward and Owen were able to open a large gap between them and the rest of the field. The 40-minute race concluded with Owen in second place, marking his first podium of the season and 25 more points to his championship standings.
The green flag waved for race two just before 10:30 am EST on what turned out to be a chilly day in Indianapolis. Starting the race again, from the 3rd spot on the grid, Owen knew the conditions would mean an entirely new track from what he saw the day before. Similar to the start of the previous race, with the exception of any mistakes by team Pelfrey’s Oward or Telitz, Owen was able to hold on to 3rd position for the majority of the race. With only a few battles amongst the cars behind him, Owen crossed the finish line with a new notch in history – two podiums during the Grand Prix of Indianapolis race weekend.
Next up is the first oval of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires at Lucas Oil Raceway. The race will be a part of the Indy 500 weekend action not too far from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Brownsburg, Ind., on the evening of Friday, May 27.
Will Owen - Driver
#23 Juncos Racing /Pro Mazda/Cooper Tires
“Finishing second and third this weekend was huge for our team to catch up in points to our competitor, Pelfrey. I’m super happy, the team is super happy, but we can’t rest now - we have to keep pushing.
I didn’t get the win here this weekend, so that’s something I’m still looking forward to in the future, but I’m third in the Pro Mazda Championship standings at the moment so that’s a huge accomplishment. Juncos has given me a great car and I’m excited to keep working, innovating, and discovering ways we can keep finding speed.”
About Will Owen:
Will Owen began karting in 2010 at the age of 15 and quickly developed a passion for racing. After completing his first year competing for local clubs, he moved up to regional and national races. He quickly gained speed and racing experience over the next couple of years, competing in the Rotax Challenge of the Americas, Florida Winter Tour, SKUSA Supernationals and many other series.
Continuing his racing career, Will began testing in a Formula Mazda and by August of 2013 had competed in five Formula Mazda events finishing 1st in three of the races. In 2014 Will completed a full season of USF2000, part of the Mazda Road to Indy series. He ended up achieving four top ten finishes, including one historic win at the Inaugural Indianapolis Grand Prix.
In 2015 he added to his MRTI resume moving up to the Pro Mazda Championship with series winning team, Juncos Racing. His rookie season brought him a rewarding six podiums and 14 top ten finishes.
Before starting his second season of the Pro Mazda Championship with Juncos Racing in 2016, Owen took on the challenge of his first international racing endeavor. The Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand, consisting of five straight weekends spanning the country with a total of 15 races.
Will is also a student at Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth, Texas where he is currently pursing his undergrad in Finance.