Logan Gomez Captures Chicagoland Championship

Eighteen year-old Rookie Wins in Closest Finish Ever

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Logan Gomez. Photo: JimHainesIRL

Sam Schmidt Motorsports' Logan Gomez won the closest Indy Pro Series, or any series, finish ever at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday (September 9th) to take the final race of the season from teammate Alex Lloyd.

Gomez and Lloyd charged down the final quarter of a mile off turn four of the 1.5 mile oval in a certain dead-heat until the cameras revealed Gomez had the advantage by an incredible five ten thousandths of a second margin.

"I could tell by my spotter's voice (Davey Hamilton) that I won," he admitted afterwards. "He kept saying 'Go! Go! Go!' and I knew I'd won."

"I just kept looking at my right front wheel and lining it up with (Alex's) left front," he continued. "Alex Lloyd did a great job. I couldn't have asked for a better teammate or cleaner racing."

"Everything seemed in slow motion from corner four to the finish. It was a matter of who could straighten the wheel the quickest, and who got the better run. It's nice to go out (of the season) with a podium in first place."

Lloyd's own victory came three weeks ago when he clinched the 2007 Indy Pro Series championship at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.

"The racing was as close as it's ever been on this track," he said. "It always produces great racing."

Team KMA's Robbie Pecorari backed up his victory at Nashville with a hard-won third, outdueling Brian Stewart Racing's Bobby Wilson (fourth) and Apex Racing's Mike Potekhen (fifth) for the position.

"It was good, close racing," Pecorari said. "Three-wide, definitely great for the fans, and it was a fun race."

SWE Racing Puts Both Cars Into Top Ten in Season-Ending Contest

Closest Finish Ever. Photo: JimHainesIRL

Playa Del Racing's Sean Guthrie came home sixth in the number twelve car, followed by Michael Crawford's PJ Abbott (seventh) and SWE Racing's Jon Brownson (eighth). The top-ten was completed by Potekhen teammate Ken Losch and newcomer Jimmy Kite driving Brownson's sister car.

SSM's Leilani Munter overcame a second-lap spin on the backstretch of the speedway to finish thirteenth, ten laps down. Her car required replacement of the rear wing assembly in the pits, robbing her of precious track position.

AFS Racing's Wade Cunningham, who started on the front row alongside Lloyd, finished seventeenth.

He was involved in a collision with Chip Ganassi Racing's Chris Festa on lap 14 and required replacement of the front wing prior to resuming. Finally on lap 44 he was involved in contact with Travis Gregg in turn three and his day was ended.

Andrew Prendeville of RLR Andersen Racing finished in twenty-first position after an engine failure put him on the sidelines with only four laps under his belt.

Wild Series of Mishaps Caps Finale

The race was run under a total of thirty-three laps of yellow flag.

Munter's spin brought out the caution for four laps, and when racing resumed on lap six it was a familiar duo at the front: Alex Lloyd and Wade Cunningham.

When Chris Festa spun on lap fourteen, Cunningham was immediately behind the Ganassi Racing Dallara. He made first contact and pushed the red and white CareCentric No. 9 car into the wall, where Jaime Camara also collided with Festa.

After Cunningham's quick repair, the race resumed on lap twenty-four. Within a lap Ben Petter was spinning on the backstretch bringing five more laps of yellow for track cleanup.

The restart saw Lloyd and Logan Gomez at the top of the scoring pylon with Robbie Pecorari running third. Pecorari made a run at the two leaders but got low on the track and wiggled slightly, losing momentum.

From there Bobby Wilson and Mike Potekhen came three-wide with Pecorari around the track and fought for the last podium position until a final yellow flag on lap forty-four for contact in turn three between Cunningham and Travis Gregg.

Wade Cunningham inspects his wrecked car. Photo: JimHainesIRL

The impact sent Cunningham airborne and completely inverted the car on landing. The wreckage slid down the track onto the apron upside down.

Miraculously, Cunningham crawled from under the chassis, hopped to his feet, and walked away.

When racing resumed Gomez held the lead, and he (with Lloyd) drew away from the pursuing field. On the last lap, exiting turn four, Alex Lloyd drew even with Gomez for the exciting run to the checkered flag.

The official result showed Gomez's margin at the finish an incredible 0.0005 seconds.

Travis Gregg set fastest race lap at a speed of 192.855 miles per hour on lap eleven.

The average speed of the race was 108.764, diminished significantly from the racing speeds due to the extreme number of laps under the yellow flag.

Indy Pro Series Season Ends With a Flourish

The five ten thousandths of a second victory for Logan Gomez was easily the closest of finishes on a track famous for them.

It bested the previous closest Indy Pro Series finish on this racetrack of 0.0170 seconds in 2003 when Mark Taylor nipped Ed Carpenter for the win.

The end was the close of a chapter in the life of Alex Lloyd, who seems destined for stardom in the IndyCar Series, most likely with the Chip Ganassi Racing Team.

Team owner Chip Ganassi was quoted in the Indianapolis Star on Sunday (September 9th) as saying he wants to partner IndyCar teammates Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon with a third driver for the 2008 season, pending completion of a sponsorship agreement.

"It's been a great pleasure to be in this series," said Lloyd. "(The Pro Series) is why I want to go into the IndyCar series and be a part of the Indy Racing League for a long time to come."

Donuts for Logan Gomez. Photo: ShawnPayneIRL

For Gomez, it opens a new chapter: one full of promise for the eighteen year old rookie driver from close-by Crown Point, Indiana.

"A win definitely helps my confidence going into the off-season," he said. "We can build on the momentum and have a real head of steam going into (2008's season-opener at) Homestead."

For the record, Gomez finished the season in seventh place in the final championship points standings, well behind Lloyd and runner-up Hideki Mutoh (who advances to the IndyCar Series later today).

Wade Cunningham will go into the record books as third for the 2007 season with Bobby Wilson fourth and Mike Potekhen fifth.

Jaime Camara finished sixth, Robbie Pecorari eighth, Stephen Simpson ninth, and Chris Festa ended the year in tenth.

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Indy Pro Series Chicagoland 100 Results

Indy Pro Series 2007 Cumulative Results