Tanner finishes 11th in Indy Elite Series debut at Homestead
In a hard-fought Indy Elite Series season opener, Watkins Motorsports Group driver Tanner Watkins finished 11th in his maiden race.
The first round in a 17-race championship, 29 drivers descended on the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway attempting to get their season off to a strong start. After making contact with the turn four wall on his second qualifying lap, Tanner would start the race 17th in his No. 24 Avery Huffman Defeat DIPG Foundation Chevrolet Indy car.
After a rousing start that saw TW rise to 14th after the first ten laps, the hot track temperatures wreaked havoc on the car’s tires and the rookie driver would have to drop back to 20th to keep the car under him.
Continuing through the first half of the event, Watkins had moved up from his running position early on to hover around 15th. Methodically making up ground, Tanner was sitting in 8th place with just over 20 laps remaining in the race.
A late race restart would put pressure on the WMG driver and the California native would settle for 11th place with the tires limping to the finish.
“Before the race I was hoping for a little bit better than 11th, but with all things considered I think it is an acceptable finish for our Indy Elite Series debut,” said Watkins after the race. “We were really put behind by the ill-timed moment with the wall on our second qualifying lap, and I knew it would be a challenge to work forwards with the difficult passing conditions at Homestead.
“We made the most out of our day and were trying to hang on to a top-ten there at the end, but the tires were toasted and I ran out of talent a little bit, so I am happy with 11th.”
The first league race in a technical alliance with Absolute Zero and Powerslide Motorsports, Watkins was more than happy to debut with his new teammates.
“This was the first race I got to be a part of the crew, and so I just sat back for the most part and absorbed the interaction and communication,” Watkins replied. “It was a blast working with everyone and even though the conditions made for a difficult race, I am really happy with the work that went into making a great set which was evident by the way Austin, Christian and the rest of my teammates ran.
“It is a great bunch to work with and I am very thankful to be a part of the crew moving forward.”
With round one in the books, the series moves north to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Loudon 150 on Sunday, March 4.
Race Set-Up Round Two of the Indy Elite Series Loudon 150 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sunday, March 4 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Live On-Board Camera courtesy of WMG Live
Video broadcast courtesy of RaceSpotTV.
Comentarios