By: Andretti Autosport
September 8 2016
Indianapolis, Indiana – Twenty-three year old Dalton Kellett will change his Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires ‘Rookie’ status to ‘Veteran’ after signing an extension to remain in the No. 28 K-LINE Insulators USA, Inc. Mazda at Andretti Autosport for the team's 2017 campaign. The re-signing of the Canadian marks the third consecutive year driving for the Andretti stable and second season running in the Indy Lights championship.
Kellett, who participated in a Verizon IndyCar Series test in early August, plans to use the next year to continue to grow and focus on his ultimate goal of driving an Indy car.
“Returning to Andretti Autosport for the 2017 Indy Lights season is a great opportunity, ” said Kellett. “This will mark my third season with Andretti and I am happy to continue that relationship. Thanks to the expertise and wealth of knowledge of the team, I have grown greatly as a driver over the last two years and look forward to continuing that progression. Working with Michael [Andretti] and the rest of the team is very enjoyable and I know their drive and commitment to success will enable us to field a competitive program. Returning to Indy Lights for a second season, I will have the advantage of the experience from my rookie season. I look forward to coming back to some familiar venues and using that experience to my benefit.”
Michael Andretti, CEO and team owner of Andretti Autosport, is excited to keep Kellett in his Mazda Road to Indy roster.
“Dalton has showed a tremendous amount of work ethic and growth over the past year competing in our Indy Lights program.” Andretti said, “he has worked well along side his teammates to help evolve the team's three-car effort and we are very pleased to continue working with him for the 2017 season. It is our goal to help develop our drivers and we are optimistic about the growth we will continue to see over the next year.”
The driver of the No. 28 K-LINE Insulators USA, Inc. Mazda finished third at this year’s Freedom 100 held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and currently sits 11th in championship standings. The Toronto-native has competed at all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy Program, beginning his American open-wheel career in 2012 driving in the USF2000 championship. Prior to his time in the Mazda Road to Indy Program, Kellett began his resume competing in the Ontario Formula Ford Championship as well as multiple karting championships.
The Mazda Road to Indy program consists of three ladder series leading to the Verizon IndyCar Series. The Indy Lights series champion is award a scholarship to participate in three events on the subsequent year's IndyCar schedule. The final two races of 2016 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires competition will be held this weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Northern California.