HOUSTON, TEXAS – A dramatic weekend at the MD Anderson Cancer Center Speedway at NRG Park ended with another dominant victory this afternoon for Spencer Pigot and Juncos Racing and an extended lead in the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires.
The result represented a sensational turnaround for the 20-year-old American and his Indianapolis-based team after struggling to find a suitable setup for the bumpy 1.7-mile temporary circuit during practice on Friday. Pigot and his engineers worked hard to improve matters on Saturday, resulting in a strong qualifying session and second place on the starting grid for the first of two 40-minute races which would comprise the Allied Building Products Grand Prix of Houston Presented by Marlin CNG Services.
An excellent standing start followed by an incisive move at the Turn Two chicane saw Pigot immediately into the lead, where he remained for most of the race. Unfortunately, a series of full-course cautions, two brief but heavy rain showers and a radio communication problem all conspired to spell bad news for Pigot, who wound up at the back of the pack after being the last to change onto wet weather Cooper tires. Frustrated but undeterred, Pigot fought hard in the final four-lap dash to the checkered flag, rising from 14th to eighth, but that wasn’t enough to allow him to retain the championship points lead over Canadian rival Scott Hargrove, who claimed a fortuitous victory.
Pigot started second again on Sunday and once more quickly made his way to the front. After experiencing a sequence of misfortune in recent races, this time Lady Luck was on his side when an incident at Turn Three on the opening lap saw main title rival Hargrove’s airborne car clip the rear wing of Pigot’s #7 Doug Mockett & Company/Rising Star Racing/Vitamin-DPro App/California Scents/OMP car. Miraculously, while the wing was damaged, it didn’t cause any undue difficulty as Pigot held off a strong challenge from fellow American Neil Alberico, then pulled away in the closing stages to take the checkered flag almost four seconds clear of the field.
The result was more than enough to overturn the points swing of the previous day, leaving Pigot with an extended 17-point margin as the series heads next to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for two more races on August 2/3.
“Overall it has been a good weekend here in Houston,” related Pigot. “We didn't start off as competitive as we usually do but the team never gave up and we worked really hard to find the missing speed. The first race was going well. I led a lot of it but we had some radio problems and pitted at the wrong time for wets. We recovered to win Race Two so that's all you can ask for.
“Again I have to thank everyone at Juncos Racing for their hard work and never giving up. Also my supporters Doug Mockett & Company, Vitamin-DPro App, Rising Star Racing, California Scents, The Stutz, OMP America and RaceLite Protection. We extended our points lead which we hope to build on at Mid-Ohio in August.”
ABOUT SPENCER PIGOT:
Spencer Pigot, 20, won numerous state and national karting championships before moving to cars in 2009. He won the 2010 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Powered by Mazda, earning a MAZDASPEED Driver Development scholarship to contest the 2011 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. After dominating the Cooper Tires Winterfest, winning five of six races, Pigot finished second in the “regular season” with three wins and four poles to his name. He also finished second in 2012, winning eight of the 14 races. Pigot was awarded Team USA Scholarships both in 2010 and 2011, and this year has been invited to join the new Rising Star Racing program, also designed to help fund deserving young drivers. His goal is to compete in the Verizon IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500. Follow Spencer at www.spencerpigot.com or on Facebook (Spencer Pigot Racing) and Twitter (@spencerpigot).