Nikita Lastochkin

No. 80 Russkaya Mekhanika Team Pelfrey Mazda

Race 1: Qualified 5^th / Finished 6^th 

• The 27-year-old Russian had a consistent drive throughout the 54-lap event as he slotted behind teammates Carlos Cunha and TJ Fischer for most of the feature, before being overtaken by Jeff Green in the closing stages resulting in a sixth-place result.
• Lastochkin marked his tenth top-ten finish at Gateway Motorsports Park.

“Overall, I was happy with experience that I learned and gained a lot of confidence of running on an oval. We had perhaps a bit too much drag compared to the other teams running upfront, but I was happy with what I learned this weekend.” 

TJ Fischer

No. 82 Project 02 Team Pelfrey Mazda

Race 1: Qualified 3^rd / Finished 4^th 

• Despite being last to qualify, TJ Fischer had a two-lap average of 135.798 mph placing himself on the inside of Row 2 alongside teammate Carlos Cunha for the first, and only, Pro Mazda oval race of the 2017 season.
• Fischer continued to show pace as he progressed throughout the weekend collecting a fourth-place finish. 

“Our first oval experience in the #82 Project O2/#Race2TheRescue Team Pelfrey machine was awesome. Gateway Motorsports Park put on an awesome show and made a butter smooth track that was super fast. After a 14-year hiatus, the St. Louis fans jam packed the house which was awesome to see such a great fan base after so long! We had good pace in my first ever oval qualifying experience with P3 and the race we brought home a solid P4. All in all, very happy with learning ovals and now we rock it to the end of the season at the Glen. Thanks to Team Pelfrey, Propeller Health and the rest of my partners that helped me along our journey so far.” 

Carlos Cunha

No. 81 Team Pelfrey Mazda

Race 1: Qualified 4^th / Finished 3^rd  

• The 17-year-old Brazilian showed a strong performance on his first career oval race as he passed teammate TJ Fischer on the opening lap, ultimately putting himself in Victor Franzoni’s rearview mirror for the remainder of the 54-lap contest.
• Carlos Cunha rounded out the podium, collecting his fourth podium finish of his debut Mazda Road to Indy season. 

“It was a really good weekend, I learned a lot and enjoyed racing on an oval. It was my first time and it was really cool and even scary sometimes! We were strong since we had a test here a few weeks ago and we kept improving. I made a small mistake in qualifying by not reading the changing track correctly, but then I reset my mindset for the race and got stronger every lap. On ovals, we need to be respectful with the limits and I drove the car on the limit the whole time, we had a third-place car and that's what I brought home. A solid podium in my first ever oval race was not bad. Team Pelfrey did an incredible job again and I just need to say thanks to all my guys there. Now it's maximum focus for the last round, I think I will adapt well to Watkins Glen. As a team, we are improving non-stop and we want to finish the season strong!”