Andrew Steppat kicks off a great IndyCar mini-race series with a clutch win at the 1.5 mile oval at Homestead. The Age of Geek 120 took the green flag under blue skies and the action on the track was non-stop for 80 laps.
Qualifying went smoothly, with nine drivers posting lap times. Paul Maestri turned the fastest lap, a blistering 0:23.3 that would set the pace for the rest of the field. With the start of the race, Paul Maestri and brother Ethan Maestri immediately began swapping positions during the early laps of the event. Andrew Steppat, having suffered a lag-out during qualifying, was forced to start from the back of the field. This led to some exciting moments for the veteran driver as several drivers brushed the walls and spun early, creating some tense situations. However, by lap 30 he had caught the Maestri brothers and passed for the lead.
Pit stops would further separate the field as the race progressed. Ethan Maestri lost time getting into the pit lane on his first stop, which caused him to loose touch with Paul in second position. The top 3 looked like a solid lock, that is until Ethan made a second early-window pit stop and gained some time. A few laps later, Paul came in too hot to the pits and suffered a fueling penalty, forcing him to make a third stop, which dropped him into fourth position. Once the second round of pit stops cycled through, Ethan Maestri had the lead with 20 laps to go and a several second gap on Andrew.
Gabe Fast and Mikey Collins were battling for the 5th and 6th positions late in the race and caused Ethan to approach their battle gingerly. But tragedy struck as both drivers got into each other and piled hard into the outside wall in Turn 2. The resulting fallout of the wreck collected Travis Billingsley as well, ending a decent run for him for 3rd place.
As the laps counted down, Andrew Steppat inexorably closed on Ethan Maestri. With two laps to go, Andrew pulled alongside and passed the #3 Laws Whiskey Honda and secured the position for his first Indy win since 2018. Ethan's Honda began sputtering into Turn 1 on the final lap and he had to coast over the finish line, dead-stick, but still in second place, six seconds behind the leader. Paul avoided the 'Big One' and was able to reclaim Position 3, rounding out the podium.
Other mentions on the night, Tony Tyree drives a quiet and steady race, avoiding the biggest scuffles, and brought his #47 Chevy in at P4. Mikey Collins got the better of the battle between him and Gabe Fast, crossing the line in P5. Gabe would bring the #11 home P6. It ended up being a rough night for Drew Dilbeck as several hits to the wall resulted in multiple pit stops. He finished P7. Travis Billingsley finished P8 and Ghabe Stouffer closed out the race in P9.
The mini-series heads to Indiana for the month of May. The FRL host the DBtN Grand Prix on May 3rd, followed by the Big Event on the FRL's annual calendar, The FRL Indy 200 on May 17th!
Indy Championship Points
Andrew Steppat - 50
Ethan Maestri - 40
Paul Maestri - 36 (Pole awarded 1 additional point)
Tony Tyree - 32
Mikey Collins - 30
Gabe Fast - 28
Drew Dillbeck - 26
Travis Billingsley - 24
Ghabe Stouffer - 22
