Madison, IL – Jay Howard Driver Development secured their second double podium of the season in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires at World Wide Technology Raceway thanks to Salvador de Alba securing his second Road to Indy victory with Braden Eves finishing third.
After coming so close to victory here in 2021, the team came into the weekend with the goal of finishing on the top step. After Eves topped both testing sessions on Friday and Saturday morning’s practice session, de Alba continued the team’s momentum by going quickest in qualifying to take the first pole of his open-wheel racing career. Come race time, the Mexican driver led every lap in dominant fashion as he marched towards his second, and JHDD's third, victory of the season. Having lost a couple of positions at the start, Eves recovered brilliantly by charging through the pack, passing six cars to claim the final podium position.
Debutant Marcos Flack took the wheel for a weekend of firsts: his first race with JHDD, his first oval and his first race in America. He qualified and finished a very encouraging eighth, leaving his first race weekend with a top-10 finish and valuable seat time that he will look to build on in Portland.
“It was an amazing weekend for the team,” commented team owner Jay Howard. “We swept the weekend which was insane. Fastest in every practice, won the pole and led every lap. We had two drivers on the podium, a win and a third. Just amazing. I can’t thank the boys and the team enough for all their hard work this weekend. We’re going to try to finish the season strong at Portland and move on from there."
The Indy Pro 2000 Championship and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship seasons wrap up in a couple weeks' time at Portland International Raceway, September 1-4, with a triple stack of races for both series. Catch live streams on RoadToIndy.TV, the Road to Indy TV App, indypro2000.com, and usf2000.com. Find @followJHDD on social for news, updates, and highlights.
WHAT THE INDY PRO 2000 DRIVERS SAID:
#4 Braden Eves
Round 15 – P3
“It always helps to know that you could get a good result, but ultimately even when I went back to ninth or 10th place, I still thought it was pretty likely I could get back up to second. We came up just short, which is disappointing, but still to get to third place is good. I’ve been on the podium every time I’ve been here, so I’m really happy about that. Really happy to bounce back from a tough time in Toronto, and I’m looking forward to ending on a high note. Thanks to the team and congrats to my teammate Salvador on his first win of the year.”
#5 Marcos Flack
Round 15 – P8
“It’s totally different racing over here. It’s my first race in America, my first time on an oval, and it was my first time in the car. So it was definitely different, and I think I did quite well. I finished in the top 10, which isn’t too bad. Looking forward to getting back on a road course in a few weeks at Portland!”
#6 Salvador De Alba
Round 15 – P1
“It was a really great weekend. I got my first pole in an open-wheel car and my first win at this track, so it’s really satisfying. All my friends were here and cheering me on. The setup on the car was great and the team is really happy with the result. Having two cars on the podium was a really good result for us. We’re pretty much at the end of the season, so I’m building up more confidence and I’m happy with our results going into next year.”