With the eyes of the open-wheel racing world centered on Indianapolis during the month of May, the future stars of the NTT IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500 gain a spotlight of their own this week as the two junior levels of the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires head to Lucas Oil Raceway for the traditional Dave Steele Carb Night Classic – “The Race Before the 500” – and the Cooper Tires Freedom 90 and Freedom 75.

After joining their senior brethren from the NTT IndyCar Series during an exciting and well-attended Grand Prix of Indianapolis event on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course last weekend, competitors on the two lower rungs of the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel development ladder – the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship and the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires – today gained what for many was a first-ever taste of the nuances of oval-track action at the nearby Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Ind.

Rasmus Lindh enjoyed a perfect sweep of the Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix of Indianapolis, leading throughout this morning’s 25-lap race to finish just over two seconds clear of Juncos Racing teammate Sting Ray Robb

USF2000 Champion Kirkwood Surges From the Back of the Pack to Second

The famed “Brickyard” will host two races for each of the three levels on the acclaimed Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel development ladder – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship – providing the stars of the future with an opportunity to race alongside their heroes in the NTT IndyCar Series at the Racing Capital of the World.