Hunter McElrea’s Indy NXT title hopes are hanging on by a thread after he was taken out in a multi-car collision on the opening lap at Portland International Raceway. The Andretti Autosport driver started the weekend well by qualifying on the front row but was quickly eliminated from contention in the Turn 1 chaos.
Seven cars were involved in the incident, which was caused when Victor Franzoni ran into the back of Reece Gold in the pack, the latter collecting championship leader Christian Rasmussen, McElrea, Jacob Abel, who sat third in the standings entering the round, and Josh Pierson as a result of the contact. Franzoni was awarded a stop-go penalty for causing the collision.
McElrea was able to return to the lane but was put several laps down while his team replaced his front wing and worked on repairs, as was Gold. Rasmussen would rejoin proceedings, but Abel and Pierson were forced to retire from the race.
Danial Frost, who had started eighth, suddenly found himself in second by Turn 2, while Nolan Siegel jumped from seventh to third.
Toyota Formula Regional Oceania race winner Louis Foster would cruise to a flag-to-flag win for his second success of the season, topping Siegel by nearly six seconds. Frost rounded out the podium, dropping behind his teammate on the final lap to settle for third.
Rasmussen recovered to come home fifth and extend his championship lead over McElrea, who finished 15th, six laps off the pace. Only nine of the seventeen cars finished on the lead lap.
The 2023 Indy NXT season concludes with a double-header at Laguna Seca this weekend, with McElrea now needing to overturn a 65-point deficit to the championship leader.
Keep an eye out for Friday’s Motorsport Diary to see what timesMcElrea is in action and how you can follow.
Header Image: Foster and McElrea lead the start in Portland. Image: Penske Entertainment: James Black
