Speedway, Indiana – After the positive energy was built up following Zack Meyer's fourth place finish in yesterday's Indy Lights Presented by

Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Indianapolis sprint race, the energy was promptly broken down during today's 60-minute feature race. After being battered and bruised on-track, Meyer was forced to accept a tenth place finish, a finishing position neither representative of his pace nor deserved after a weekend full of hard work.

 

The 21-year-old from Innisfil, Ont., started the race in the ninth position and made a dynamite start, overtaking several cars in the first complex of corners on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. However, as he passed Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver Juan Piedrahita in the Turn 5-6 chicane, Piedrahita made an ill-conceived placement of his car into Meyer's right rear corner, sending Meyer spinning into the grass. For his troubles, Piedrahita suffered a broken front left suspension that left him stranded on course, bringing out a fortuitous full course caution that would allow Meyer to regain the time lost whilst mowing the infield lawn with his #2 TMR/DAMIS PARTNERS III/Innisfil Indy Karting/Xtreme Coil Drilling car.

 

When the green flag resumed racing, Meyer utilized the restart to move past Lloyd Read and soon thereafter overtook Juan Pablo Garcia for eighth, although he only held the position briefly. The two had a minor coming together which allowed Garcia to regain eighth, while Meyer had to be content with ninth. From there, the damage to Meyer's car slowed his pace, and Meyer slipped back into the clutches of Lloyd Read. Meyer and Read, good friends off the track, engaged in a spirited battle over the final laps of the race. Read would eventually best Meyer, claiming ninth while Meyer would take the checkered flag in tenth.

 

After the race, the damage to Meyer's car was quite evident. Meyer himself was surprised at the damage sustained during the dust-up with Piedrahita. "I got out of the car and the team just told me they were surprised I even finished the race," Meyer explained post-race. "The suspension was bent, there were chunks missing out of the undertray, and the rear brake line was pinched. The brakes were getting worse and worse as the race went on, and I thought I could hold Lloyd off, but he got by me right there at the end. We had a tough, fair fight and it was a great battle. More than I can say about some of the other battles I had out there today."

 

If any consolation can be taken from today's race, it was Meyer's ability to overcome adversity. Despite a severely wounded car, at some points of the race Meyer was turning laps just as fast as eventual race winner Luiz Razia. Despite the worsening of his car's condition, Meyer turned his fastest lap of the race on the very last lap.

 

The television broadcast of the doubleheader weekend will air on NBC Sports Network on a tape-delayed basis on a to be announced date sometime during the week of May 19. Meyer returns to action on May 22-23 for the Freedom 100, the first oval race of the season taking place on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

 

You can learn more about Zack Meyer by visiting ZackMeyer.ca, and you can also follow Zack on Twitter @ZackMeyer66 and Instagram @ZackMeyer66. If you are interested in supporting an up-and-coming Canadian racer in the Mazda Road to Indy, you may directly contact Zack Meyer to discuss sponsorship opportunities.

 

About Zack Meyer:

A homegrown racer from Toronto, Ont., Meyer began his racing career in karting at Innisfil Indy Karting. Meyer's racing career blossomed under the tutelage of his driver coach and manager, Joe Launi. With both the support of his mother and Launi, Meyer went on to become one of the top karters for the ultra-competitive GP Racing Karts team, participating in and winning numerous KZ2 Shifter Kart events. Meyer claimed the championship for the Brian Stewart BSRKC-F125/ICC Shifter class in both 2009 and 2010, only to follow those up by claiming the championship in the KZ2 Class in the Florida Winter Tour in 2011 and 2012. Meyer made his debut in the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires in 2012 with JDC MotorSports before moving to the series full-time in 2013. Meyer posted a best finish of fourth in his home race, the Honda Indy Toronto, on his way to finishing the year as the highest-placed JDC MotorSports driver in the championship with sixth in the championship standings. For 2014, Meyer steps up to the top rung on the Mazda Road to Indy development ladder, Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, with race-winning Team Moore Racing.