CARMEL, Ind. – The Cooper Tires Freedom 90 on Friday night at the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park closed out the Month of May for Miller Vinatieri Motorsports. Racing the only night event of the 2023 season, Jack William Miller took on the .686-mile oval just a short drive from the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500.
While the events of Carb Day are much anticipated by all guests in Indianapolis, Miller and Miller Vinatieri Motorsports had one goal in mind. On Thursday before Friday’s race day, Miller fought a hard and fast battle to secure pole position scoring the quickest two-lap average in qualifying. The qualifying format for the Freedom 90 is unlike others throughout the season as each driver gets the track to themselves and has the chance over the course of two full laps to set the fastest average. After Miller claimed the pole position, it was a long 24-hour wait before the Friday evening night race.
As Friday arrived and the 15-minute practice concluded, it was another three-hour wait to prepare for the Freedom 90. Stopping in for some interviews along the way, Jack made sure his intentions were clear.
“Throughout the event, I stayed positive and knew that we had the speed to compete,” said Miller. “We showed the speed in practice and carried that through to qualifying and am so happy that I will lead the field to green tomorrow night.”
The race started and although a single place was lost on the opening lap, Jack continued to push the #40 car to the limit. With the yellow flag flying early on for just a few short laps, it was time to restart, and Jack continued to fight as the laps slowly ran down. Heading into the final 10 circuits, another yellow flag waved due to an incident on track, and the race would eventually finish under yellow flag conditions without a chance for Jack to make a run for the win. Crossing the line in third and celebrating on the podium, Miller left the short oval with some positive momentum as he looks forward to the next event at Road America.
Miller continued, “While I wanted the win, I am happy to have secured another podium finish at an event loved by many in Indianapolis. Having so many supporters at a local event makes these moments even better. Thank you Patterson Dental and to all our partners at Miller Vinatieri Motorsports.”
This sets Jack off on a good foot heading into the rest of the season with the events at Road America up next on June 15-18, followed closely by Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course later on this month.