Title contender Sage Karam is definitely moving closer to the 2013 Indy Lights championship after dominating the event in the streets of Houston, his third win of the current season.
Not only did he capitalized on the title by leading the race from start-to-finish but he also distanced himself from his principals rivals who each had catastrophic afternoons.
One of them was Carlos Munoz, who came into the weekend just two points behind Karam, but saw his car stop with a mechanical problem midway through the race.
Same thing for Peter Dempsey, who also encountered mechanical issues with three laps remaining.
The need to remove his stricken Team Moore car from the circuit meant that the race finished under yellows, saving Karam the stress of a late restart.
Karam's Schmidt team-mate Gabby Chaves finished second while returnee Conor Daly completed the podium.
Race 1 results – Indy Lights (Texas, Houston)
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Sage Karam Schmidt 51m35.7969s
2. Gabby Chaves Schmidt +0.3805s
3. Conor Daly Moore +0.6016s
4. Jorge Goncalvez Belardi +1.0579s
5. Axcil Jefferies Herta +2.3354s
6. Jack Hawksworth Schmidt +3.5136s
7. Giancarlo Serenelli Belardi +5.6651s
8. Juan Pablo Garcia Belardi +2 laps
Retirements:
Peter Dempsey Moore 37 laps
Zach Veach Andretti 33 laps
Matthew di Leo MDL/Dragffy 33 laps
Carlos Munoz Andretti 24 laps
Not only did he capitalized on the title by leading the race from start-to-finish but he also distanced himself from his principals rivals who each had catastrophic afternoons.
One of them was Carlos Munoz, who came into the weekend just two points behind Karam, but saw his car stop with a mechanical problem midway through the race.
Same thing for Peter Dempsey, who also encountered mechanical issues with three laps remaining.
The need to remove his stricken Team Moore car from the circuit meant that the race finished under yellows, saving Karam the stress of a late restart.
Karam's Schmidt team-mate Gabby Chaves finished second while returnee Conor Daly completed the podium.
Race 1 results – Indy Lights (Texas, Houston)
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Sage Karam Schmidt 51m35.7969s
2. Gabby Chaves Schmidt +0.3805s
3. Conor Daly Moore +0.6016s
4. Jorge Goncalvez Belardi +1.0579s
5. Axcil Jefferies Herta +2.3354s
6. Jack Hawksworth Schmidt +3.5136s
7. Giancarlo Serenelli Belardi +5.6651s
8. Juan Pablo Garcia Belardi +2 laps
Retirements:
Peter Dempsey Moore 37 laps
Zach Veach Andretti 33 laps
Matthew di Leo MDL/Dragffy 33 laps
Carlos Munoz Andretti 24 laps