Nikita Johnson dribla a confusão dos líderes e vence no Barber.

 

 Nikita Johnson dribla a confusão dos líderes e vence no Barber.

Johnson, que venceu a corrida de abertura da temporada em sua cidade natal, São Petersburgo, lidera a classificação com 28 pontos de vantagem sobre Kucharczyk, o segundo colocado. A segunda corrida do fim de semana, com 30 voltas, está marcada para as 11h (horário do leste dos EUA) de domingo (FS1, FOX One, aplicativo FOX Sports, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

De Tullio largou na pole position e manteve uma vantagem constante de cerca de sete a oito décimos de segundo sobre Taylor, que largou em segundo. Em seguida, a dupla começou a se deparar com os companheiros de equipe da Chip Ganassi Racing, James Roe e Carson Etter, que disputavam posição no final da volta do líder, a menos de 10 voltas do fim no circuito misto de 17 curvas e 3,7 quilômetros.

A disputa à sua frente diminuiu a velocidade de De Tullio na volta 27, permitindo que Taylor se aproximasse rapidamente. De Tullio mergulhou por dentro na curva 9, com seu carro perdendo velocidade quando as rodas do lado direito tocaram a terra dentro da pista, com Roe e Etter logo à sua frente.

Taylor aproveitou a oportunidade, assumindo a liderança com uma ultrapassagem por fora e dando uma volta em Etter. Então, de Tullio reagiu na mesma volta, recuperando a liderança na curva 12, na seção de curvas em "S" do circuito.

O momento mais crítico da corrida aconteceu apenas quatro curvas depois. Taylor tentou ultrapassar de Tullio por dentro na curva 16, mas sua roda dianteira esquerda tocou na roda traseira direita de de Tullio. Ambos os pilotos rodaram, e Johnson – que estava 1,8 segundos atrás de de Tullio na última passagem pela linha de chegada – aproveitou a oportunidade para assumir a liderança, que não perderia mais.

“Quando vi aqueles carros retardatários, pensei: 'É, a coisa vai ficar feia'”, disse Johnson. “Então, apenas mantive meus pneus em bom estado, deixando uma boa distância entre eles e garantindo que pudesse evitar qualquer problema.”

De Tullio ficou preso na caixa de brita, enquanto Taylor conseguiu sair da brita e continuou na corrida. De Tullio terminou em 20º com o carro nº 14 da AJ Foyt Racing, uma volta atrás do líder. Taylor foi penalizado por um contato evitável e terminou em 19º com o carro nº 28 da Susan G. Komen, da Andretti Global.

Houve um pequeno momento de suspense para Johnson a caminho da bandeirada. O incidente entre de Tullio e Taylor provocou a segunda e última bandeira amarela da corrida, reagrupando o pelotão para uma relargada na volta 30.

Mas Johnson abriu vantagem na relargada e não foi ameaçado até o final.

A corrida contou com 96 ultrapassagens na pista, incluindo 83 por posição – ambos recordes da pista para a competição INDY NXT.

Nikita Johnson Dodges Leaders’ Mayhem To Win at Barber

Nikita Johnson had a hunch opportunity might present itself late in the first race of the Grand Prix of Alabama doubleheader, and his accurate instincts helped him earn a dramatic victory Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park.

Johnson earned his second victory of the season and took the lead in the INDYCAR development series in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR entry after race leader and pole sitter Alessandro de Tullio and second-place Max Taylor tangled and spun with eight laps remaining in the 35-lap race.

SEE: Race Results

“I kind of expected it,” Johnson said of the incident that vaulted him to the lead. “I knew who was up front; I know those two guys battle really hard. I’ve raced them forever, so I knew something was going to happen.”

Johnson, 17, won by .7687 of a second over fellow series rookie Enzo Fittipaldi in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports car. Fittipaldi’s teammate Tymek Kucharczyk finished third in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports machine.

Max Garcia placed fourth in the No. 12 ABEL Motorsports car, as series rookies took the top four spots at the finish. Myles Rowe rounded out the top five in the No. 99 Abel Motorsports with Force Indy machine as the top veteran finisher.

Johnson, who won the season opener in his native St. Petersburg, leads second-place Kucharczyk by 28 points in the standings. The second race of the weekend, a 30-lap event, is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET Sunday (FS1, FOX One, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

De Tullio pulled away from pole at the start and maintained a steady gap of around seven- to eight-tenths of a second on Taylor, who started second. Then that pair started to encounter Chip Ganassi Racing teammates James Roe and Carson Etter, who were dueling for position at the tail end of the lead lap with less than 10 laps to go on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile road course.

That joust ahead of him slowed de Tullio on Lap 27, allowing Taylor to close quickly. De Tullio dove inside in Turn 9, with his car slowing when his right-side wheels touched the dirt inside the racing surface, with Roe and Etter right ahead of him.

Taylor pounced, taking the lead with an outside move and lapping Etter. Then de Tullio fought back on the same lap, regaining the lead in Turn 12 through the esses section of the circuit.

The race’s biggest flashpoint occurred just four turns later. Taylor looked inside de Tullio in Turn 16, but his left front wheel touched the right rear wheel of de Tullio. Both drivers spun, and Johnson – who trailed de Tullio by 1.8 seconds the previous time past the flag stand – squeezed through to take a lead he would not relinquish.

“When I saw those lapped cars, I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s about to get messy,’ Johnson said. “So, I just maintained my tires, left them a good gap and made sure I could avoid any trouble.”

De Tullio was beached in the gravel trap, while Taylor drove out of the gravel and continued. De Tullio eventually finished 20th in the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing entry, one lap down. Taylor was penalized for avoidable contact and ended up 19th in the No. 28 Susan G. Komen machine of Andretti Global.

There was one small moment of suspense for Johnson en route to the checkered flag. The incident between de Tullio and Taylor triggered the second and final caution period of the race, bunching the field for a restart on Lap 30.

But Johnson pulled away on the restart and never was threatened to the finish.

The race featured 96 on-track passes, including 83 for position – both track records for INDY NXT competition.

Por: Indycar/Indynxt

Tradução: Autoral