MILLVILLE, N.J. – Russian Artem Petrov and New Zealander Hunter McElrea each claimed a victory today as the Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix Presented by The Andersen Companies concluded at New Jersey Motorsports Park. No one came close to challenging Exclusive Autosport’s Petrov during the opening race, held in tricky wet conditions, and once the track dried in time for the final race of the weekend, McElrea claimed an equally authoritative victory for Pabst Racing.

McElrea also finished second in the opener, chased home by Braden Eves (Exclusive Autosport), from New Albany, Ohio, while Eves moved up to finish second in the nightcap ahead of teammate Petrov.

McElrea began the day in perfect style by securing the Cooper Tires Pole Award during a damp qualifying session this morning. Conditions gradually deteriorated as the morning progressed, such that the 2.5-mile track was fully wet by the time the competitors lined up on the grid for the first of two 25-lap races.

After an exploratory lap behind the Pace Car, Petrov drove imperiously past McElrea at the first corner and simply romped away into the distance. He completed the first racing lap with an advantage of almost two seconds, which he extended to almost half a minute by the time the checkered flag flew. It was one of the most dominant performances in recent memory.

Petrov’s effort earned Exclusive Autosport team principal Michael Duncalfe another PFC Award as the winning car owner.

McElrea was similarly unchallenged in second place, although Eves had to work a little harder to fend off yesterday’s winner Reece Gold (Juncos Hollinger Racing), from Miami, Fla.

Jacob Abel (Abel Motorsports), from Louisville, Ky., capped a solid run to fifth place by snaring The Ticket Clinic Fastest Lap Award on the very last lap.

Wyatt Brichacek (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Johnstown, Colo., finished a lap down in sixth but still did enough to claim the Tilton Hard Charger Award after starting 10th.

The track had dried out in time for the final race of the weekend, which saw McElrea take full advantage of another Cooper Tires Pole Award by immediately pulling clear of Eves and Petrov. McElrea extended his lead to over 12 seconds by the finish to extend his current podium streak to five races, book-ended by a pair of wins. He also secured a third PFC Award for team owner Augie Pabst.

After challenging for position during the first few laps, Petrov settled into third, mindful of teammate Eves’ championship aspirations, as the pair finished well clear of Abel who subsequently received a penalty for avoidable contact which dropped him to seventh.

A couple of incidents on the opening lap put paid to the hopes of both Gold, who tangled with Petrov in Turn One, and title aspirant Christian Rasmussen (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Copenhagen, Denmark, who damaged his car’s rear suspension in an incident with Irishman James Roe (Turn 3 Motorsport) at Turn Three.

Rasmussen gained some consolation by securing The Ticket Clinic Fastest Lap Award – along with what could be another valuable championship point – following suspension repairs, while Roe survived the early skirmish to earn the Tilton Hard Charger Award having progressed from 10th on the grid to fourth. Brichacek rounded out the top five.

A pair of podium finishes for Eves, combined with a dismal day for Rasmussen, who finished a lap down in the earlier race followed by more contact on the opening lap, will see the contenders separated by just 18 points heading into the championship deciding double-header at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on October 2/3.

Provisional championship points after 16 of 18 rounds:

1. Christian Rasmussen, 392

2. Braden Eves, 374

3. Hunter McElrea, 347

4. Reece Gold, 337

5. Artem Petrov, 329

6. Jacob Abel, 259

7. Kyffin Simpson, 231

8. Manuel Sulaiman, 214

9. James Roe, 202

10. Wyatt Brichacek, 189

Artem Petrov (#42 Road To Success/Bell/226ers-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus PM-18): “I’m super happy to score two podiums after a huge crash last weekend and some unlucky moments this season. I was starting to think I was cursed, between the crash and the team having to rebuild a new car, and a gearbox issue yesterday. I’m so thankful to them for their hard work; I think my curse is finally over. I was just screaming over the radio after the race this morning, which is not something I usually do, but I was so happy with the win. I’m happy as well for the team and for Braden, to score two double podiums today, and he can still fight for the championship. I need to do a good job in Mid-Ohio as well to finish third in the championship.”

Hunter McElrea (#18 Giltrap Group/Doric NZ/Miles Advisory Partners/Bell-Pabst Racing Tatuus PM-18): “I knew I had to win this weekend and I knew I was fast, but when you can win by 12.5 seconds, that’s awesome. That was the best race ever. I knew I had to get the start – I was pretty angry at myself that I let Artem by in the rain earlier today; that wasn’t going to happen again. To check out was great, even though I had to deal with a lapped car for a bit mid-race. When you’re leading, it’s so frustrating to deal with dirty air. I was having so much fun, I didn’t want it to end. The car was so hooked up, I was just having fun. To dominate like that, that’s what we live for, especially after the race earlier today when I didn’t have enough for Artem in the full wet conditions. P3 in the championship, so some good points this weekend. I’ll be smiling for a bit after this.”

Braden Eves (#91 Cambridge/CCFI/Huston Insurance/MDRN Livery-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus PM-18): “Today did not start out well but we salvaged everything we could. Finally, for what seems like the first time this season, something that should have gone our way did go our way! It comes back around, and I’m so thankful to have such a good weekend. It was super slippery at the start of the race earlier today, and Artem did a stellar job. Super happy for the team, Michael Duncalfe is really going after that team championship and these points really help. We’re only 18 points back in the championship now and we’re still in the fight. This is what I fight for all season, to maximize everything we can, even though it seems like we’ve been all over the place in results. The series is so competitive, I’m so grateful to get some big points this weekend.”