2009 Indy Lights

2009 Indy Lightsseason
2009Indy Lightsseason
Firestone Indy Lights
Season
Races	15
Start date	April 4
End date	October 9
Awards
Drivers' champion	J. R. Hildebrand
Teams' champion	Andretti Green-AFS Racing
Rookie of the Year	Sebastián Saavedra
	←2008 2010→

The2009Indy Racing League Firestone Indy Lightsseasonbegan April 4 inSt. Petersburg, Florida,where it ran a double-header weekend in support to the season-openingIndyCar Seriesevent. The schedule took place over 14 race weekends in support of the IndyCars, with 15 total races. Unlike the 2008 season, the St. Petersburg weekend will be the only double-header the series has announced.J. R. Hildebrandended the season as champion forAndretti Green-AFS Racing, winning the championship by nearly 100 points ahead ofVision Racing'sJames Davisonand his AGR-AFS Racing team-mateSebastián Saavedra.

Drivers and teams

All drivers compete inFirestone-shodDallaras.

Team	No	Drivers	Rounds
Team Moore Racing	2	Andrew Prendeville^[1]	All
Brian Stewart Racing	3	Sergey Mokshantsev^[2]	1–4, 6–9
Brian Stewart Racing	33	Pablo Donoso^[3]	1–4
Guthrie Meyer Racing^[4]	4	Sean Guthrie	1–4
	49	Jesse Mason	1–5
	59	Alistair Jackson^[5]	1–4
RLR/Andersen Racing^[6]	5	Mario Romancini^[7]	All
	6	Pablo Donoso	11
	6	Alistair Jackson^[8]	5, 8
	9	Alistair Jackson^[8]	9–13
		Jonathan Summerton^[9]	1–6
		Pablo Donoso	7–8
		Sean Guthrie	15
Sam Schmidt Motorsports	7	James Hinchcliffe^[10]	All
	11	Wade Cunningham^[11]	All
	20	Ana Beatriz	1-5, 7–14
	20	Logan Gomez	15
	44	Gustavo Yacamán^[12]	1–13, 15
HVM Racing	8	Juan Pablo Garcia	13
Panther Racing	15	Martin Plowman^[13]	All
Panther Racing	16	Pippa Mann^[14]	All
Winners Circle Group	18	Junior Strous^[15]	1–5
FIRST Motorsports Walker Racing	19	Stefan Wilson^[16]	1–3, 8–9, 12
Vision Racing	21	James Davison^[17]	All
Alliance Motorsports	24	Logan Gomez^[18]	1–2
Alliance Motorsports	24	Mike Potekhen^[19]	5, 7–8, 11–15
Andretti Green-AFS Racing	26	J. R. Hildebrand^[20]	All
Andretti Green-AFS Racing	27	Sebastián Saavedra	All
Bryan Herta Autosport	28	Daniel Herrington^[21]	All
Bryan Herta Autosport	29	Felipe Guimarães	8, 12–13
Davey Hamilton Racing	32	Brandon Wagner^[22]	1–2, 5, 7, 11, 14–15
Team PBIR^[23]	35	Charlie Kimball^[23]	All
	37	Jay Howard^[24]	1–5
		Pablo Donoso	6
		Richard Philippe^[25]^[26]	8–14
Genoa Racing^[27]	36	Richard Philippe^[25]^[26]	1–4
	36	Pablo Donoso^[28]	5
	63	Duncan Tappy^[29]	1–2
		Jonathan Bomarito^[30]	3
		Dillon Battistini^[31]	4
ELFF Racing	55	Rodrigo Barbosa	All

Schedule

The season consisted of fifteen races, including a mix of ovals, temporary street circuits and road courses.^[32]

Round	Date	Race Name	Track	Location
1	April 4	St. Pete 100 Race 1	Streets of St. Petersburg	St. Petersburg
2	April 5	St. Pete 100 Race 2	Streets of St. Petersburg	St. Petersburg
3	April 19	Long Beach 100	Streets of Long Beach	Long Beach
4	April 26	Kansas Lottery 100	Kansas Speedway	Kansas City
5	May 22	Firestone Freedom 100	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway
6	May 31	Husar's House of Fine Diamonds 100	The Milwaukee Mile	West Allis
7	June 20	Miller Lite 100	Iowa Speedway	Newton
8	July 4	Corning 100	Watkins Glen International	Watkins Glen
9	July 11	Toronto 100	Streets of Toronto	Toronto
10	July 25	Grand Prix of Edmonton	Edmonton City Centre Airport	Edmonton
11	August 1	Kentucky 100	Kentucky Speedway	Sparta
12	August 9	Mid-Ohio 100	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course	Lexington
13	August 23	Carneros 100	Infineon Raceway	Sonoma
14	August 29	Chicagoland 100	Chicagoland Speedway	Joliet
15	October 9	Homestead-Miami 100	Homestead-Miami Speedway	Homestead

Road Course or Street Circuit

Race summaries

St. Pete 100 Race 1

Saturday April 4, 2009
Streets of St. Petersburg,St. Petersburg, Florida
Race weather: 79 °F (26 °C), partly cloudy
Pole position winner: #26J. R. Hildebrand1:07.7704 sec, 95.617 mph (153.881 km/h)
Race Summary: The league instituted new qualifying rules for the road courses in 2009. First, the cars were broken into two groups due to the increase in the size of the field, the fastest driver in either session would start from the pole and the other drivers in his session would line up in the odd-numbered positions for the race in order of speed while the drivers from the slower session would line up in the even-numbered positions. In addition, the league abandoned its practice of using partially inverted finishing order from race 1 of a doubleheader to determine the grid for race 2. Instead a separate qualifying session was held for the second race (which actually occurred before the first race had been held).

J. R. Hildebrandopened up a lead as wide as 6 seconds during the first half of the race on his pursuers led by teammateSebastián SaavedraandJunior Strous.On lap 18, a caution came out caused byDuncan Tappyspinning off-track and dragging debris onto the racing surface. On the restart, Hildebrand was unable to bring his car to full power due to an electrical issue and Strous was able to make the pass in turns 1 and 2 while making slight contact with Hildebrand's car.Jonathan Summertonwas able to make his way past in a subsequent corner. However, Summerton was unable to challenge Strous for the victory, with Junior Strous capturing his first victory in his debut and the first major open wheel racing victory for team principalPaul Diatlovich(ofPDM Racing).

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	2	18	Junior Strous	Winners Circle Group	40	50:06.5703	18	50
2	6	9	Jonathan Summerton	RLR-Andersen Racing	40	+0.7205	0	40
3	1	26	J. R. Hildebrand	AGR-AFS Racing	40	+2.1571	22	38
4	7	20	Ana Beatriz	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	40	+2.7368	0	32
5	8	37	Jay Howard	Team PBIR	40	+10.1525	0	30
Race average speed: 86.211 mph (138.743 km/h)
Lead changes: 1 between 2 drivers
Cautions: 2 for 6 laps

St. Pete 100 Race 2

Sunday April 5, 2009
Streets of St. Petersburg,St. Petersburg, Florida
Race weather: 82 °F (28 °C), mostly cloudy
Pole position winner: #27Sebastián Saavedra1:07.2171 sec, 96.404 mph (155.147 km/h)
Race Summary:J. R. Hildebrandled the field through lap one but it was ordered that he had jumped the start and was sent back to third position and his teammate polesitterSebastián Saavedraassumed the lead. On lap 13 the most spectacular incident occurred whenAli JacksonandPippa Manntangled in turn 8 resulting in Jackson's car being wedged under Mann's and Mann's rear wheels sitting several feet in the air as she gunned the throttle attempting to get going. Both cars were ultimately able to continue but Mann soon suffered suspension failure and fell out of the race. On a lap 27 restart, J. R. Hildebrand who was running second suffered the same electrical issues he had the day before. He swung wide to letJunior Strousthrough on the inside into turn 1, butAna Beatrizwho was running behind Strous also dove for the open real estate and made contact with Hildebrand, taking both cars out. On the ensuing restart on lap 33, Strous was able to pass Hildebrand's teammate Saavedra going into turn 1 for the lead as Ali Jackson and teammateJesse Masoncrashed behind them bringing out another caution. Strous held off Saavedra on the restart on lap 37 and drove to his second victory of the weekend, becoming the third Indy Lights driver to sweep the St. Pete doubleheader afterRaphael Matos(2006) andAlex Lloyd(2007).

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	2	18	Junior Strous	Winners Circle Group	40	58:51.1100	8	50
2	1	27	Sebastián Saavedra	AGR-AFS Racing	40	+0.4428	32	43
3	7	7	James Hinchcliffe	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	40	+1.8116	0	35
4	16	9	Jonathan Summerton	RLR-Andersen Racing	40	+2.5569	0	32
5	11	28	Daniel Herrington	Bryan Herta Autosport	40	+3.1994	0	30
Race average speed: 73.405 mph (118.134 km/h)
Lead changes: 1 between 2 drivers
Cautions: 6 for 18 laps

Long Beach 100

Sunday April 19, 2009
Streets of Long Beach,Long Beach, California
Race weather: 84 °F (29 °C), sunny
Pole position winner: #26J. R. Hildebrand1:15.2695 sec, 94.126 mph (151.481 km/h)
Race Summary:

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	1	26	J. R. Hildebrand	AGR-AFS Racing	45	1:03:01.5734	45	53
2	4	36	Richard Philippe	Genoa Racing	45	+1.8315	0	40
3	2	7	James Hinchcliffe	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	45	+2.6707	0	35
4	5	9	Jonathan Summerton	RLR-Andersen Racing	45	+18.3432	0	32
5	7	20	Ana Beatriz	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	45	+24.4684	0	30
Race average speed: 84.308 mph (135.681 km/h)
Lead changes: None
Cautions: 2 for 6 laps

Kansas Lottery 100

Sunday April 26, 2009
Kansas Speedway,Kansas City,Kansas
Race weather: 72 °F (22 °C), Cloudy and Windy
Pole position winner: #11Wade Cunningham,58.3812 sec, 187.458 mph (301.684 km/h) (2-lap)
Race Summary: Due to the prospect of bad weather in the area, the race was moved up 2 hours to 10 AM local time. Heavy storms had moved through the area the previous night, leaving a "green" racetrack and gusty winds. The challenging conditions led to a number of major incidents in the race. The first occurred on lap 3 whenJesse Masonspun and was hit byRichard Philippe,both were uninjured. On the lap 9 restartSebastián Saavedrawas able to pass polesitter Wade Cunningham for the lead. The scariest incident of the day occurred on lap 15 whenAli Jacksonhit the outside wall andSergey Mokshantsevwas unable to slow down due to a mechanical problem and ran into the back ofRodrigo Barbosa,flipping Mokshantsev's car upside down and into the wall. Despite the hard and unusual impact, Mokshantsev, as well as the other two drivers, was also uninjured. Saavedra was able to hold off the challenges of Cunningham until on lap 59,Dillon Battistinispun and collectedPippa Mann,who pierced Battistini's radiator, leaving a large amount of fluid on the track and resulting in the race ending under caution. Saavedra captured his first Indy Lights victory in his third start and his first on an oval.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	2	27	Sebastián Saavedra	AGR-AFS Racing	67	1:02:53.5296	58	52
2	1	11	Wade Cunningham	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	67	+0.2557	9	41
3	6	5	Mario Romancini	RLR-Andersen Racing	67	+0.8524	0	35
4	3	20	Ana Beatriz	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	67	+1.1454	0	32
5	9	15	Martin Plowman	Panther Racing	67	+2.0955	0	30
Race average speed: 97.157 mph (156.359 km/h)
Lead changes: 1 between 2 drivers
Cautions: 5 for 33 laps

Firestone Freedom 100

Friday May 22, 2009
Indianapolis Motor Speedway,Speedway, Indiana
Race weather: 83 °F (28 °C), Sunny
Pole position winner: #11Wade Cunningham,1:34.6485 sec, 190.177 mph (306.060 km/h) (2-lap)
Race Summary:

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	1	11	Wade Cunningham	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	40	50:42.2548	14	51
2	3	26	J. R. Hildebrand	AGR-AFS Racing	40	+0.1046	23	42
3	18	5	Mario Romancini	RLR-Andersen Racing	40	+0.2821	0	35
4	6	37	Jay Howard	Team PBIR	40	+1.9084	0	32
5	2	27	Sebastián Saavedra	AGR-AFS Racing	40	+3.4193	3	30
Race average speed: 118.333 mph (190.439 km/h)
Lead changes: 9 between 3 drivers
Cautions: 4 for 17 laps

Husar's House of Fine Diamonds 100

Sunday May 31, 2009
Milwaukee Mile,West Allis, Wisconsin
Race weather: 57 °F (14 °C), Partially cloudy
Pole position winner: #5Mario Romancini,49.4453 sec, 147.800 mph (237.861 km/h) (2-lap)
Race Summary: Mario Romancini led from the pole and was closely pursued by the AGR-AFS Racing cars ofJ. R. HildebrandandSebastián Saavedra.However, Saavedra got caught up in an incident whereJonathan Summertonspun and dropped to the back. He elected to save his tires during what ultimately became a long green-flag run. In the last few laps Saavedra was able to use his better handling car to work through the field and back up to third place. However, he was unable to pass his teammate or Romancini and Romancini captured his first Indy Lights victory leading every lap.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	1	5	Mario Romancini	RLR-Andersen Racing	100	53:26.8054	100	53
2	2	26	J. R. Hildebrand	AGR-AFS Racing	100	+1.0907	0	40
3	4	27	Sebastián Saavedra	AGR-AFS Racing	100	+4.0048	0	35
4	6	44	Gustavo Yacamán	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	100	+5.1809	0	32
5	7	21	James Davison	Vision Racing	100	+6.4283	0	30
Race average speed: 113.945 mph (183.377 km/h)
Lead changes: None
Cautions: 4 for 17 laps

Miller Lite 100

Saturday June 20, 2009
Iowa Speedway,Newton, Iowa
Race weather:
Pole position winner: #26J. R. Hildebrand,39.9348 sec, 161.183 mph (259.399 km/h) (2-lap)
Race Summary: After dueling early withJ. R. Hildebrand,Wade Cunninghamtook the lead on lap 4 and controlled the majority of the race. The car ofSergey Mokshantsevslowed on the track on lap 5, prompting a caution to tow the car into the pits.Pippa Mannspun on lap 53 ending a long green flag run, which was soon followed by an incident between the cars ofAndrew PrendevilleandBrandon Wagner.Hildebrand, running second, was forced to serve a drive through penalty for blockingDaniel Herrington,which dropped him to ninth before recovering to finish second. No car was able to challenge Cunningham through much of the race, with the lead pack primarily running single-file. While running second Herrington spun but did not come into contact with the wall or another car, conceding second place toAna Beatriz.Sebastián Saavedra,who had to pit at the start of the race due to a mechanical issue, ran with the lead pack despite being many laps down. His car got ahead of Cunningham's, but soon after began to impede Cunningham and cause him to lose much of his lead and Beatriz was able to overtake Cunningham. On the last lap of the race, a collision betweenJames Davisonand Pippa Mann sealed Beatriz's victory by bringing out the caution. Mann's car was overturned in the accident, but she was unhurt in the incident.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	6	20	Ana Beatriz	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	115	48:05.1062	9	50
2	2	11	Wade Cunningham	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	115	+6.7954	103	42
3	5	7	James Hinchcliffe	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	115	+6.8989	0	35
4	13	5	Mario Romancini	RLR-Andersen Racing	115	+8.6620	0	32
5	11	44	Gustavo Yacamán	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	115	+32.8424	0	30
Race average speed: 128.285 mph (206.455 km/h)
Lead changes: 2 between 3 drivers
Cautions: 4 for 24 laps

Corning 100

Saturday July 4, 2009
Watkins Glen International,Watkins Glen, New York
Race weather: 65 °F (18 °C), Partially cloudy
Pole position winner: #21James Davison,1:37.1780 sec, 124.843 mph (200.915 km/h)
Race Summary:James Davisonwas able to keepSebastián Saavedrawho started alongside him behind at the start. On lap 8,James Hinchcliffewho was running fourth spun in turn 6, causing light damage to the car. On the lap 10 restartJ. R. Hildebrandwas able to pass his teammate Saavedra for second and on lap 14 took the lead from Davison. On lap 27,Wade Cunninghamnosed into the tires at turn 13, leaving a one-lap shootout for the checkered flag. On the final lap,Felipe GuimarãesandCharlie Kimballwere able to pass Saavedra for 3rd and 4th respectively with Kimball and Saavedra banging wheels on the entrance to the "Bus Stop" chicane. Saavedra was penalized 30 seconds for the contact, dropping him from 5th to 18th in the race results.^[33]Hildebrand became the second driver to win two races in the season (afterJunior Strous) and extended his points lead to 58 points as virtually all of his closest pursuers had poor results.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	4	26	J. R. Hildebrand	AGR-AFS Racing	30	57:52.6759	17	52
2	1	21	James Davison	Vision Racing	30	+0.5499	13	41
3	6	29	Felipe Guimarães	Bryan Herta Autosport	30	+1.2289	0	35
4	5	35	Charlie Kimball	Team PBIR	30	+2.8635	0	32
5	9	37	Richard Philippe	Team PBIR	30	+3.4626	0	30
Race average speed: 104.807 mph (168.671 km/h)
Lead changes: 1 between 2 drivers
Cautions: 3 for 5 laps

Toronto 100

Saturday July 11, 2009
Streets of Toronto,Toronto,Ontario
Race weather: 70 °F (21 °C), damp, drying later
Pole position winner: #27Sebastián Saavedra,1:04.6068 sec, 97.792 mph (157.381 km/h)
Race Summary: Earlier in the day a heavy rainstorm passed through the area, drenching the track. However, by the start of the race the sun was coming out and the track began to dry. However, the league had declared the race a "wet race" and all cars were to start on rain tires. On the first lap,Mario Romanciniducked into the pits to switch to slick tires, a move that every car would eventually make, however most waited until laps 8 to 10 to make their stops. Indy Lights teams do not normally makepit stopsand the cars had to be jacked up by a manually powered "quick jack" one half at a time. In addition each wheel nut is held in place by a retaining pin that must be removed and replaced when changing a wheel. This, along with the fact that many teams were not prepared to make pit stops meant that most stops were over 1 minute long. However, AGR-AFS Racing's two cars,J. R. HildebrandandSebastián Saavedrawere able to pit much faster as, according to their team owner Gary Peterson, they do practice pit stops. Hildebrand left the pits with the lead however, Saavedra's car was much faster. Once a passing lane had dried enough to attempt a pass, Saavedra worked his way past on lap 18 and drove away for his second win of the season. The race had no caution flags or major incidents and only two cars retired from the race due to mechanical issues.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	1	27	Sebastián Saavedra	AGR-AFS Racing	50	58:06.7934	40	53
2	6	26	J. R. Hildebrand	AGR-AFS Racing	50	+5.8630	9	40
3	2	7	James Hinchcliffe	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	50	+21.2968	0	35
4	5	19	Stefan Wilson	Walker Racing	50	+37.1928	0	32
5	3	21	James Davison	Vision Racing	50	+42.8839	0	30
Race average speed: 90.599 mph (145.805 km/h)
Lead changes: 3 between 3 drivers
Cautions: None

Grand Prix of Edmonton

Saturday July 25, 2009
Rexall Speedway,Edmonton,Alberta
Race weather:
Pole position winner: #26J. R. Hildebrand,1:05.9065 sec, 107.771 mph (173.441 km/h)
Race Summary:

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	1	26	J. R. Hildebrand	AGR-AFS Racing	50	56:48.5498	50	53
2	2	37	Richard Philippe	Team PBIR	50	+14.0154	0	40
3	5	27	Sebastián Saavedra	AGR-AFS Racing	50	+21.0644	0	35
4	4	7	James Hinchcliffe	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	50	+22.8915	0	32
5	6	35	Charlie Kimball	Team PBIR	50	+44.1969	0	30
Race average speed: 104.191 mph (167.679 km/h)
Lead changes: None
Cautions: None

Kentucky 100

Saturday August 1, 2009
Kentucky Speedway,Sparta, Kentucky
Race weather: 79 °F (26 °C), partly cloudy
Pole position winner: #26J. R. Hildebrand(qualifying cancelled; field set by owner points)
Race Summary:

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	4	11	Wade Cunningham	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	67	36:42.1492	22	50
2	2	27	Sebastián Saavedra	AGR-AFS Racing	67	+0.1227*	23	42
3	10	20	Ana Beatriz	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	67	+0.1838	2	35
4	6	21	James Davison	Vision Racing	67	+0.5204	0	32
5	13	2	Andrew Prendeville	Team Moore Racing	67	+1.0364	0	30
Race average speed: 162.103 mph (260.879 km/h)
Lead changes: 6 between 4 drivers
Cautions: 2 for 9 laps

* Race finished under caution.

Mid-Ohio 100

Sunday August 9, 2009
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course,Lexington, Ohio
Race weather: 82 °F (28 °C), hazy
Pole position winner: #21James Davison,1:14.8673 sec, 108.576 mph (174.736 km/h)
Race Summary:

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	1	21	James Davison	Vision Racing	40	52:09.2142	40	53
2	2	7	James Hinchcliffe	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	40	+4.0420	0	40
3	3	26	J. R. Hildebrand	AGR-AFS Racing	40	+5.7449	0	35
4	9	29	Felipe Guimarães	Bryan Herta Autosport	40	+16.9736	0	32
5	8	15	Martin Plowman	Panther Racing	40	+17.5878	0	30
Race average speed: 103.909 mph (167.225 km/h)
Lead changes: None
Cautions: 2 for 4 laps

Carneros 100

Sunday August 23, 2009
Infineon Raceway,Sonoma, California
Race weather: 62 °F (17 °C), overcast
Pole position winner: #26J. R. Hildebrand,1:23.0361 sec, 99.846 mph (160.687 km/h)
Race Summary:

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	1	26	J. R. Hildebrand	AGR-AFS Racing	40	1:01:44.4612	40	53
2	3	29	Felipe Guimarães	Bryan Herta Autosport	40	+15.8918	0	40
3	5	21	James Davison	Vision Racing	40	+23.5403	0	35
4	6	37	Richard Philippe	Team PBIR	40	+37.1880	0	32
5	2	20	Ana Beatriz	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	40	+40.1798	0	30
Race average speed: 89.522 mph (144.072 km/h)
Lead changes: None
Cautions: 1 for 6 laps

Chicagoland 100

Saturday August 29, 2009
Chicagoland Speedway,Joliet, Illinois
Race weather: 69 °F (21 °C), mostly cloudy
Pole position winner: #32Brandon Wagner,57.6140 sec, 189.954 mph (305.701 km/h) (2-lap)
Race Summary: With his fifth-place finish,J. R. Hildebrandbecame the first American champion since 2002, whenA. J. Foyt IVtook the honours in the inaugural Infiniti Pro Series.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	9	28	Daniel Herrington	Bryan Herta Autosport	67	44:07.3016	26	50
2	6	21	James Davison	Vision Racing	67	+0.0613	1	40
3	14	2	Andrew Prendeville	Team Moore Racing	67	+0.2322	0	35
4	3	11	Wade Cunningham	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	67	+0.2976	39	34
5	13	26	J. R. Hildebrand	AGR-AFS Racing	67	+0.4186	0	30
Race average speed: 138.490 mph (222.878 km/h)
Lead changes: 5 between 4 drivers
Cautions: 2 for 14 laps

Homestead-Miami 100

Friday October 9, 2009
Homestead-Miami Speedway,Homestead, Florida
Race weather: 87 °F (31 °C), partially cloudy
Pole position winner: #21James Davison,57.6245 sec, 185.546 mph (298.607 km/h) (2-lap)
Race Summary:

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	10	5	Mario Romancini	RLR-Andersen Racing	67	43:26.4173	1	50
2	7	26	J. R. Hildebrand	AGR-AFS Racing	67	+0.0057	32	42
3	16	27	Sebastián Saavedra	AGR-AFS Racing	67	+0.4034	0	35
4	6	24	Mike Potekhen	Alliance Motorsports	67	+0.4906	0	32
5	1	21	James Davison	Vision Racing	67	+1.6866	30	31
Race average speed: 137.423 mph (221.161 km/h)
Lead changes: 11 between 4 drivers
Cautions: 3 for 16 laps

Driver standings

Pos	Driver	STP		LBH	KAN	INDY	MIL	IOW	WGL	TOR	EDM	KTY	MDO	SNM	CHI	HMS	Points
1	J. R. Hildebrand	3*	21	1*	14	2*	2	6	1*	2	1*	17¹	3	1*	5	2*	545
2	James Davison	8	17	7	8	6	5	10	2	5	10	4	1*	3	2	5	447
3	Sebastián SaavedraRY	26	2*	8	1*	5	3	15	18	1*	3	2*	18	7	6	3	446
4	Wade Cunningham	16	11	20	2	1	6	2*	19	7	6	1	14	12	4*	6	416
5	James HinchcliffeR	6	3	3	12	16	7	3	21	3	4	7	2	6	12	14	395
6	Mario RomanciniR	9	6	24	3	3	1*	4	20	6	8	10	17	9	16	1	392
7	Daniel HerringtonR	7	5	10	6	7	14	9	6	9	9	6	6	11	1	12	383
8	Ana Beatriz	4	23	5	4	17		1	9	13	12	3	12	5	14		320
9	Andrew Prendeville	17	15	16	9	15	8	11	13	10	7	5	7	13	3	10	313
10	Charlie KimballR	10	7	19	13	13	10	7	4	15	5	18	13	8	7	13	310
11	Martin PlowmanR	15	16	15	5	22	15	8	10	12	13	9	5	10	8	7	298
12	Gustavo YacamánR	12	9	9	17	18	4	5	7	8	16	19	10	19		16	269
13	Richard PhilippeR	19	10	2	24				5	14	2	12	9	4	11		254
14	Pippa MannR	18	24	14	16	21	9	13	14	16	11	15	15	14	9	8	237
15	Rodrigo BarbosaR	23	13	25	21	20	12	DNS	17	17	14	13	19	17	10	15	190
16	Alistair JacksonR	11	20	6	20	19			15	11	15	14	16	15			172
17	Jonathan SummertonR	2	4	4	7	12	16										162
18	Mike Potekhen					14		14	11			8	11	16	13	4	157
19	Pablo Donoso	14	26	11	19	9	11	12	8			16					147
20	Junior StrousR	1	1	23	11	10											146
21	Jay Howard	5	8	13	10	4											123
22	Stefan WilsonR	13	22	17					12	4			8				112
23	Felipe GuimarãesR								3				4	2			107
24	Brandon WagnerR	20	18			11		16				11			15	17	103
25	Sergey MokshantsevR	27	14	21	22		13	17	16	18							92
26	Jesse Mason	21	19	12	23	8											69
27	Sean Guthrie	22	12	22	18											11	65
28	Logan Gomez	24	25													9	33
29	Dillon Battistini				15												15
30	Jonathan BomaritoR			18													12
31	Juan Pablo GarciaR													18			12
32	Duncan TappyR	25	27														8
Pos	Driver	STP		LBH	KAN	IND	MIL	IOW	WAT	TOR	EDM	KEN	MID	SON	CHI	HOM	Points

Color	Result
Gold	Winner
Silver	2nd place
Bronze	3rd place
Green	4th & 5th place
Light Blue	6th–10th place
Dark Blue	Finished (Outside Top 10)
Purple	Did not finish
Red	Did not qualify (DNQ)
Brown	Withdrawn (Wth)
Black	Disqualified (DSQ)
White	Did not start (DNS)
Blank	Did not participate (DNP)
Blank	Not competing

In-line notation
Bold	Pole position (1 point)
Italics	Ran fastest race lap
*	Led most race laps (2 points)
¹	Qualifying cancelled no bonus point awarded
Rookie of the Year
Rookie

Position	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33
Points	50	40	35	32	30	28	26	24	22	20	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3

Ties in points broken by number of wins, or best finishes.

References

^"Finding their man".indycar.com. 2008-11-17.Retrieved2008-11-17.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^"From Russia... to Indy".indycar.com. 2009-02-18. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-02-28.Retrieved2009-02-18.
^"Donoso returns with BSR".crash.net. 2009-03-18.Retrieved2009-03-18.
^"New opportunity".indycar.com. 2008-10-16.Retrieved2008-11-17.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^"Action Jackson".indycar.com. 2009-01-12.Retrieved2009-01-12.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^"Rahal Letterman Racing Partnership".RLR/Andersen Racing. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-02-24.Retrieved2009-03-05.
^"RLR/Andersen confirms Romancini".crash.net. 2009-03-04.Retrieved2009-03-05.
^"Jackson Joins RLR/Andersen Racing For Remainder of 2009 Firestone Indy Lights Season".Andersen Racing. 2009-05-04. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-07-06.Retrieved2009-05-04.
^"Summerton secures Lights seat".crash.net. 2009-03-21.Archivedfrom the original on 2009-03-24.Retrieved2009-03-21.
^"Hinch lands Schmidt seat".crash.net. 2009-03-10.Archivedfrom the original on 2009-07-07.Retrieved2009-03-10.
^"Schmidt expands to accommodate Cunningham".crash.net. 2009-03-31.Archivedfrom the original on 2009-07-17.Retrieved2009-03-31.
^"YACAMÁN SIGNED FOR 2009 FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS CAMPAIGN".samschmidtmotorsports.com. 2008-12-30.Retrieved2008-12-30.
^"Panther's new cat".indycar.com. 2008-09-17.Retrieved2008-11-17.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^"Crossing over".indycar.com. 2008-09-26.Retrieved2008-11-17.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^"Cape's Indy Lights team signs Dutch driver".news-press.com. 2009-01-13.Retrieved2009-01-13.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^"FIRST-time effort".indycar.com. 2009-02-27. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-02-28.Retrieved2009-02-27.
^"Feb. 17: Vision fielding two cars (sort of)".indystar.com. 2009-02-17. Archived fromthe originalon February 19, 2009.Retrieved2009-02-18.
^"Hoosier Alliance".indycar.com. 2009-03-26.Retrieved2009-03-26.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^"Alliance finally fuses with Potekhen".crash.net. 2009-05-19.Archivedfrom the original on 2009-05-26.Retrieved2009-05-20.
^"Reloading for '09".indycar.com. 2008-11-13.Retrieved2008-11-17.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^"Start-up Venture".indycar.com. 2009-01-29.Retrieved2009-01-29.
^"Robin Miller's Open Wheel Notebook".speedtv.com. 2009-02-01. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-02-04.Retrieved2009-02-01.
^^a ^b"Californian Kimball joins Team PBIR effort".indycar.com. 2009-03-24. Archived fromthe originalon 2024-05-24.Retrieved2009-03-24.
^"Jay Howard to pilot no. 37 Team PBIR".flagworld.com. 2009-04-03. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-07-07.Retrieved2009-05-20.
^"Philippe joins Team PBIR".indycar.com. 2009-06-29.Retrieved2009-06-29.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^"French flavor".indycar.com. 2009-03-30.Retrieved2009-03-30.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^"Returning to the fold".indycar.com. 2008-10-03.Retrieved2008-11-17.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^"Pablo Donoso To Drive Genoa's No. 36 Indy Lights Car In Freedom 100".paddocktalk.com. 2009-05-20.Archivedfrom the original on 2011-07-19.Retrieved2009-05-20.
^"Genoa secures English standout Duncan Tappy for St. Pete start-up".indycar.com. 2009-03-27.Retrieved2009-03-27.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^"Jonathan Bomarito Joins Genoa Indy Lights Team For Long Beach".paddocktalk.com. 2009-04-17.Archivedfrom the original on 2011-07-19.Retrieved2009-04-17.
^"Battistini joins Genoa merry-go-round".crash.net. 2009-04-25.Retrieved2009-04-25.
^ "2009 Printable Firestone Indy Lights Schedule".indycar.com.IndyCar Series;Firestone Indy Lights.2008-11-17. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-01-26.Retrieved2008-11-17.
^Lap Report – Final,IndyCar.com, July 4, 2009

External links

Indy Lights Series website

[1] "Finding their man".indycar.com. 2008-11-17.Retrieved2008-11-17.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[2] "From Russia... to Indy".indycar.com. 2009-02-18. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-02-28.Retrieved2009-02-18.

[3] "Donoso returns with BSR".crash.net. 2009-03-18.Retrieved2009-03-18.

[4] "New opportunity".indycar.com. 2008-10-16.Retrieved2008-11-17.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[5] "Action Jackson".indycar.com. 2009-01-12.Retrieved2009-01-12.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[6] "Rahal Letterman Racing Partnership".RLR/Andersen Racing. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-02-24.Retrieved2009-03-05.

[7] "RLR/Andersen confirms Romancini".crash.net. 2009-03-04.Retrieved2009-03-05.

[8] "Jackson Joins RLR/Andersen Racing For Remainder of 2009 Firestone Indy Lights Season".Andersen Racing. 2009-05-04. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-07-06.Retrieved2009-05-04.

[9] "Summerton secures Lights seat".crash.net. 2009-03-21.Archivedfrom the original on 2009-03-24.Retrieved2009-03-21.

[10] "Hinch lands Schmidt seat".crash.net. 2009-03-10.Archivedfrom the original on 2009-07-07.Retrieved2009-03-10.

[11] "Schmidt expands to accommodate Cunningham".crash.net. 2009-03-31.Archivedfrom the original on 2009-07-17.Retrieved2009-03-31.

[12] "YACAMÁN SIGNED FOR 2009 FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS CAMPAIGN".samschmidtmotorsports.com. 2008-12-30.Retrieved2008-12-30.

[13] "Panther's new cat".indycar.com. 2008-09-17.Retrieved2008-11-17.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[14] "Crossing over".indycar.com. 2008-09-26.Retrieved2008-11-17.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[15] "Cape's Indy Lights team signs Dutch driver".news-press.com. 2009-01-13.Retrieved2009-01-13.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[16] "FIRST-time effort".indycar.com. 2009-02-27. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-02-28.Retrieved2009-02-27.

[17] "Feb. 17: Vision fielding two cars (sort of)".indystar.com. 2009-02-17. Archived fromthe originalon February 19, 2009.Retrieved2009-02-18.

[18] "Hoosier Alliance".indycar.com. 2009-03-26.Retrieved2009-03-26.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[19] "Alliance finally fuses with Potekhen".crash.net. 2009-05-19.Archivedfrom the original on 2009-05-26.Retrieved2009-05-20.

[20] "Reloading for '09".indycar.com. 2008-11-13.Retrieved2008-11-17.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[21] "Start-up Venture".indycar.com. 2009-01-29.Retrieved2009-01-29.

[DHR-22] "Robin Miller's Open Wheel Notebook".speedtv.com. 2009-02-01. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-02-04.Retrieved2009-02-01.

[Kimball-23] "Californian Kimball joins Team PBIR effort".indycar.com. 2009-03-24. Archived fromthe originalon 2024-05-24.Retrieved2009-03-24.

[24] "Jay Howard to pilot no. 37 Team PBIR".flagworld.com. 2009-04-03. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-07-07.Retrieved2009-05-20.

[25] "Philippe joins Team PBIR".indycar.com. 2009-06-29.Retrieved2009-06-29.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[26] "French flavor".indycar.com. 2009-03-30.Retrieved2009-03-30.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[27] "Returning to the fold".indycar.com. 2008-10-03.Retrieved2008-11-17.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[28] "Pablo Donoso To Drive Genoa's No. 36 Indy Lights Car In Freedom 100".paddocktalk.com. 2009-05-20.Archivedfrom the original on 2011-07-19.Retrieved2009-05-20.

[29] "Genoa secures English standout Duncan Tappy for St. Pete start-up".indycar.com. 2009-03-27.Retrieved2009-03-27.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[30] "Jonathan Bomarito Joins Genoa Indy Lights Team For Long Beach".paddocktalk.com. 2009-04-17.Archivedfrom the original on 2011-07-19.Retrieved2009-04-17.

[31] "Battistini joins Genoa merry-go-round".crash.net. 2009-04-25.Retrieved2009-04-25.

[TV_guide-32] "2009 Printable Firestone Indy Lights Schedule".indycar.com.IndyCar Series;Firestone Indy Lights.2008-11-17. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-01-26.Retrieved2008-11-17.

[33] Lap Report – Final,IndyCar.com, July 4, 2009

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