Sunday’s Indy Lights race at Road America will mark the midway point of the season. It’s the 7th race of 14 in 2022. It’s also back to a normal weekend in the sense they will compete just once and not a doubleheader like they’ve had for each of the last two race weekends.

In saying that, it could be a benefit for Linus Lundqvist too. The Swedish driver has jumped out to an 84 point advantage over his teammate Benjamin Pedersen in the standings. He’s won each of the last 3 races run and 4 of the last 5. He’s also scored the pole in the last 5 races run too.

However, he was only 4th and 5th respectively on this 4-mile track last year. Does that open the door?

Pedersen has 3 runner-up finishes on the season and was runner-up in Race 1 here a year ago. He’s never won a race in 26 Indy Lights starts though and despite 9 career podiums, he needs to start rattling off wins if he wants a shot at a title come September.

That may be hard to do against a driver in Lundqvist who’s led every lap in each of the last 3 events and 4 of the last 5. But never say never.

I’m also curious to what the Andretti Autosport guys do too. Matthew Brabham has 3 top 4 finishes on the season but sits 5th in points. He swept a pair of USF2000 races here a decade ago

Hunter McElrea has 3 top 6 finishes in his last 4 starts on the season including 2 of which being runner-ups. He was 1st and 3rd respectively here in USF2000 in 2019 but 15th, 15th, 7th and 6th respectively in 4 Indy Pro 2000 tries.

Christian Rasmussen is hoping to put a sour taste out of his mouth following a crash in the same turn on both days in Belle Isle. Ironically enough, Saturday’s occurred on Lap 17 and Sunday’s on Lap 18. He’s finished 11th or worse in 4 of the 6 races run this year but was also 4th and 2nd respectively on the Indy road course. In USF2000, he was 17th, 5th, 1st and 1st in 4 starts at Road America and 10th and 1st in Indy Pro 2000 competition here. That’s 3 wins in his last 4 starts.

Sting Ray Robb has 4 third place finishes in the last 5 races run this season and 8th and 9th respectively here a year ago in Lights competition too. He’s also made 8 starts in Indy Pro 2000 at Road America with finishes of 4th, 11th, 11th, 9th, 7th, 10th, 5th and 2nd respectively.

Since Indy Lights began coming to Road America in 1986, all 14 races have been won by a top 4 starter including 11 of the 14 from the front row.