JCR HEADS TO IMS FOR THE INDYCAR GP WEEKEND

In the traveling road show that is racing, it is very rare for a driver or a team to have the luxury of playing a “home game”.

But that’s what will be in order for many this weekend, as the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda series reconvenes Thursday morning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for rounds 5 & 6 of the 2017 championship campaign.

With most of the USF2000 teams and many of the drivers based in and around Indianapolis, the chance to race without the travel is always a welcome break. That includes John Cummiskey Racing, whose shop sits just a few miles west of the track.

“Between racing and testing we probably spend about 50 days a year on the road,” owner John Cummiskey said. “The weekend at IMS is nice since it’s just a quick trip from our shop and at the end of the day we get to go home and sleep in our own beds.”

Along with the short commute, IMS of course also offers the opportunity to race at one of the most history and tradition-steeped venues in motorsports. Cummiskey is part of that history, having been part of five Indianapolis 500-winning teams with Penske Racing, and JCR has posted some solid results in the two years the team has competed at IMS, earning a podium in 2015 and a total of five Top 10 finishes.

“Our drivers have always done a good job here,” Cummiskey said. “It would be a nice boost to the team if we can repeat past performance this weekend.”

Colin Kaminsky, driver of the No. 27 SlickLocks/Kaminsky Racing entry, is especially looking forward to the opportunity to compete on the 2.439, 14-turn road course. Unlike St. Pete and Barber, where the 17-year-old from Homer Glen, Ill. was having to learn the nuances of each track on the fly, he has a solid experience base at IMS, having participated in the Chris Griffis Test last October.

Overall he completed 111 laps over the course of the two days and was among the Top 10 on speed in a couple of the sessions.

“It’ll be nice to be able to start the weekend on more of an equal footing with the rest of the cars in the field,” Kaminsky said. “We had a great test back in October and I really like the road course, which hopefully means we could be quick right from the start.”

Kris Wright will be the pilot of the other JCR entry this weekend in the No. 34 Wright Automotive/MasterTech/PPG car. The Pittsburgh native was unable to participate in the Griffis test due to a family commitment, but as the primary JCR test driver his experience in the Tatuus USF-17 should make adapting to the circuit a little easier.

“I was really disappointed to have missed the test last fall, but I’m looking forward to turning my first laps at IMS,” Wright said. “With two pretty long straights it’s a much different track than what we have seen so far this season and I think that’s to our advantage because our cars do have a lot of speed.

“It will be an exciting weekend, getting to compete at a place like IMS is why we race and I’m looking forward to getting out there.”

The USF2000 cars will first see the track Thursday with a pair of two, one-hour promoter test sessions, followed by a late afternoon practice. Friday will feature both qualifying sessions and Race 1, with Race 2 completing the weekend on Saturday morning.