LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Zach Veach had a solid qualifying last April on the Long Beach street circuit (third) and Gabby Chaves had a better finish (second). The drivers, who are 1-2 in the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires championship after one round, return to the 1.968-mile, 11-turn course this weekend for the 45-lap race.
Veach, driving for Andretti Autosport, won the season opener March 30 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Chaves, the pole sitter, finished second.
"Long Beach has always been one of my favorite weekends," said Veach, 19, of Ohio. "Going into the race as the winner from St. Pete and with the early championship lead, I feel we have a good amount of momentum and confidence. The track here is unlike any other; it's a very fast-paced street course that constantly keeps you on your toes, and who doesn't love the hairpin? We qualified third for the race last year, so I think we'll have a good chance to be in the fight to repeat St. Pete. This year it's all about being consistent, finishing every lap of every race and concentrating on keeping the points lead."
Added Chaves: 'We started the championship on the right foot with a pole and podium, now we need to focus our efforts to learn from mistakes and improve one position to take our first win of this season at Long Beach."
Indy Lights makes its 19th appearance on the course. Fifty percent of previous winners have gone on to claim the season championship: Paul Tracy (1990), Eric Bachelart ('91), Steve Robertson ('94), Greg Moore ('95), David Empringham ('96), Cristiano da Matta ('98), Scott Dixon (2000), Townsend Bell ('01) and JR Hildebrand (2009).
Competitors will have two practice sessions -- 12:15-1 p.m. (PDT) April 11 and 7:45-8:15 a.m. April 12, with Sunoco Pole Award qualifying at 11 a.m. The green flag flies at 10:15 a.m. April 13. All sessions and the race will be broadcast in conjunction with Timing & Scoring on www.indycar.com and www.indylights.com. NBCSN will telecast the race at 11:30 a.m. (PDT).
