MUNDELEIN, Ill. – Turn 3 Motorsport delivered a landmark performance in Thursday night’s Carb Night Classic Presented by Marelli at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, as Michael Costello (#2) earned his first career USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire victory while teammate Leonardo Escorpioni (#4) finished second to secure the team’s first-ever 1-2 finish. Brady Golan (#44) added a fifth-place result to match his career-best finish as the team earned its first victory at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and first win in Indianapolis.

 

After rainy weather earlier in the week forced schedule changes and delays, clear skies on Thursday allowed the series to complete practice, qualifying and the race all in one day. Turn 3 Motorsport immediately unloaded with speed, locking out the front row as Escorpioni earned pole position and Costello qualified second, marking the team’s first pole position at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and first-ever front-row lockout on an oval.

 

The impressive qualifying performance extended throughout the lineup, with Golan, Tyke Durst (#3) and Sebastian Manson (#22) qualifying sixth, seventh and ninth, respectively, giving Turn 3 Motorsport all five entries inside the top nine starting positions.

 

Escorpioni’s pole position marked a remarkable turnaround for the No. 4 crew after the rookie suffered a massive crash just over one week earlier at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that completely destroyed the car. With only days between events, the Turn 3 Motorsport crew rebuilt the machine from the ground up, ultimately delivering Escorpioni a front-running car that he rewarded with his first pole position of the season despite entering the weekend with zero prior oval racing experience.

 

When the green flag waved, Escorpioni and Costello immediately worked together to clear ahead of the field, maintaining the top two positions through an early caution on Lap 3. Following the restart several laps later, Golan made an aggressive move around Thomas Schrage for fourth and spent much of the race pressuring current INDY NXT driver Tymek Kucharczyk for a podium position while the Turn 3 teammates continued to control the race at the front.

 

Costello eventually took over the lead from Escorpioni on Lap 18 and steadily built a commanding advantage over the field. By the halfway point, the No. 2 machine held more than a two-second advantage over Escorpioni and more than seven seconds over third place while navigating increasingly difficult lapped traffic.

 

A caution on Lap 56 erased Costello’s lead and set up a tense sprint to the finish, but the Turn 3 Motorsport drivers executed the restart flawlessly. Escorpioni mounted a late charge over the closing laps and closed rapidly on Costello, but the No. 2 held on to secure the victory while Escorpioni crossed the line second to complete the historic 1-2 finish.

 

Behind the leading duo, Golan secured fifth place to match his career-best finish, which he also earned at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park one season ago. The Texan spent much of the race locked in an intense battle with the TJ Speed entries of Tymek Kucharczyk and Thomas Schrage as he chased his first career podium, ultimately capping off an impressive and hard-fought drive with another top-five result.

 

Both Tyke Durst and Sebastian Manson displayed strong pace throughout the weekend, with each driver delivering competitive qualifying performances at the demanding 0.686-mile oval. While neither driver was ultimately able to convert that speed into the race results they had hoped for, both drivers ran to the finish and brought their Turn 3 Motorsport entries home damage-free, finishing 13th and 15th, respectively.

 

With oval events awarding points at 1.5 times the standard value, Costello and Escorpioni made significant gains in the championship standings, moving into second and third overall, while Golan maintained his position inside the top five. Costello also earned two additional points by securing the fastest lap of the race and leading the most laps en route to his first victory in Indianapolis.

“The Freedom 90 will definitely be a race I’ll never forget. We were strong right out of the gate, even after missing most of Tuesday and only getting the final session in. The car was incredible all night, and the team gave us everything we needed to compete for the win. I’m really excited heading into Road America after such a strong run in Indianapolis, and I think we’re in a great position to fight for more wins.”

“I can’t say enough about how this weekend went. Coming in with zero oval experience, I honestly didn’t know exactly what to expect — but the Turn 3 Motorsport team gave me a car capable of winning, and I felt more comfortable with every single lap. Getting pole was huge for my confidence, and in the race, I just kept pushing and trusting my instincts. Getting wheel-to-wheel with the leader at the end — I gave it everything I had. Second hurts a little, but I’m proud of what we accomplished, and I’m absolutely motivated heading to Road America. We’re going for the championship!”

“The first oval of the year in USF Pro 2000 is done. Honestly, with how fast we were from the beginning of the weekend, finishing fifth feels a little short of what we were capable of. The car was lightning fast all event long, and Turn 3 did an amazing job as always. Still, it was another strong points weekend for us, and I know our day is coming soon. I’m really excited for what’s ahead.”

“It was a bittersweet weekend to wrap up the month of May in Indianapolis. I think all of us drivers have to be really appreciative of the cars Turn 3 gave us because they were absolute rocket ships all weekend long and so much fun to drive. My crew and I worked really hard on our qualifying setup, and I was happy to start from the third row. We’re still reviewing the race and looking at what we can improve before Milwaukee, but we still accomplished our goal of finishing on the lead lap and qualifying well. I’m looking to build on this momentum going to Road America next.”

“We showed really strong pace throughout the weekend, especially in qualifying, and I think there were a lot of positives to build from. Unfortunately, we just weren’t able to put the full race together the way we wanted to, but the speed in the car was definitely there. Huge credit to the whole Turn 3 team for giving us such competitive cars all weekend long. I’m looking forward to carrying that speed into Road America.”

“It was a very successful weekend for us. I’m super proud of everyone in our group. Every individual has put their heart and soul into our little team. It was a huge amount of work to build a brand new car for Leo, and for us to show up and finish the car at the track and then grab a pole and P2 was a huge credit to Matthew (McComish) and Neil (O’Donovan) who put a ton of work in at the shop.

 

“I’m super happy for Michael to get his first win in the USF Pro 2000 series with Turn 3 Motorsport. He is working extremely hard at the moment and has full commitment to our program. Brady did another great job. His consistency this year has been incredible and a huge improvement from 2025. Tyke had his best ever oval race, so that’s another positive for him. I know Sebastian will be strong at Road America, so we will be fully focused on our next challenge there.”

With the Month of May now complete, Turn 3 Motorsport leaves Indianapolis with its first-ever 1-2 finish, first victory at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, and first Indianapolis win in team history. The team will now shift its focus to Road America taking place June 18-21.