Shelby Blackstock finishes fifth and teammate Garett Grist sixcth - after starting from the pole - in the first leg of this weekend's Allied Building Products Grand Prix of Houston Presented by Marlin CNG Services in Houston.

Scott Hargrove claimed victory today in the strangest of fashions during the first leg of the Allied Building Products Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Houston Presented by Marlin CNG Services at MD Anderson Cancer Center Speedway at NRG Park. The Canadian’s third win of the season for Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing moved him into the lead of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires after nine of this season’s 14 races.

The Mazda Road to Indy – the most successful driver development program in the world – is now further engrained in the grassroots level of the sport following today’s announcement that Andersen Promotions has formed a partnership with MAXSpeed Group, the United States distributor of the Rotax MAX engine platform. The nationwide professional karting series – with 21 Rotax MAX Challenge (RMC) divisions throughout the country – will become an Official Partner of the Mazda Road to Indy effective immediately to foster the next wave of up-and-coming drivers.

Throughout this year’s season of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, JDC MotorSports has been focused on driver development with three very talented rookie competitors running their trademark black and blue race cars. Michael Johnson, Ryan Booth and Kyle Connery have carried the JDC banner proudly in the hard-fought championship and they have enjoyed significant development in both pace and competitiveness.

After a quick break between race weekends, all three Rising Star Racing drivers are looking forward to returning to action this weekend for the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston. The 1.7-mile temporary street circuit, set in the shadows of the NRG Arena facility, will play host to a double-header Verizon IndyCar Series race weekend.