Zack Meyer's Freedom 100 was a learning experience for the young Canadian.
Speedway, Indiana – Canadian Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires racer Zack Meyer entered this weekend's Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway having never before raced on a superspeedway. With his first superspeedway race now under his belt, Meyer leaves Indianapolis with a top-ten finish and a whole new appreciation for the skill necessary to master the nuances of oval racing. Meyer took his #2 TMR/DAMIS PARTNERS III/Innisfil Indy Karting/Xtreme Coil Drilling car to a solid tenth place finish at IMS after a challenging weekend.
The 21-year-old from Innisfil, Ont., qualified in eleventh place and felt like he had a car capable of racing its way further up the order come race day. "The car felt good, it was just about feeling comfortable on-track," Meyer relayed post-qualifying. "We trimmed it out a little bit more for qualifying and I just wasn't able to push it to the limit, which I regret. For the race, though, I think we can make up some spots and get some good points for the championship."
When the green flag fell for the 40-lap race, Meyer was able to hang with the field for the first few laps before maintaining contact with Scott Anderson, who was running in the tenth position. After Chase Austin's brutal crash on Lap 15 neutralized the field for a number of laps, Meyer took the opportunity to regroup and prepare to fight for a higher position. When the clean-up was complete and the green flag was displayed, though, Meyer struggled to maintain contact with the field and instead had to use Anderson has his benchmark. Meyer persevered, claimed tenth, and left with more oval knowledge and experience that will put to good use at Pocono Raceway, the next and final superspeedway event of the season.
"In the race, the car was honestly very good," said Meyer. "The plain and simple truth is, though, that I need more time on ovals. That being said, I honestly learned a lot this week. With more time on track and more experience, I feel like I really understand where and how I can improve on the ovals. We've got a few weeks until Pocono, so I can really study the data and go to 'The Tricky Triangle' and keep pushing towards the front."
Meyer, the sole Canadian racing in Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, now has a slight summer break before returning to action on July 5-6 for the Pocono 100 at Pocono Raceway.
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.