Arie Luyendyk Jr. races teammate Raphael Matos. (LAT photo) ยป More Photos
Raphael Matos could breathe easier in the second half of the SunRichGourmet.com 100. He officially was the Firestone Indy Lights champion.
"I told (the crew) not to drink the champagne before we finished the race," said Matos, who turned a four-point advantage heading into the race on the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway oval into a 32-point final margin over Richard Antinucci.
But Matos' day wasn't complete. He still wanted to win the season finale. That appeared to be wrapped up until a caution flag with four laps remaining opened the door for AFS Racing/AGR Racing teammate Arie Luyendyk Jr.
Of course, Luyendyk couldn't allow the opportunity to pass him by - not after going winless in 61 previous races. As the green/white flag dropped, Luyendyk sized up the front-runner in the No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers Inc. car and moved underneath to complete the pass. It might have been the longest mile on a racetrack in his career on the way to a 0.0817-second victory.
"This is a dream scenario - me winning the race and Rafa winning the championship," said Luyendyk, who started on the inside of Row 2 in the No. 26 Targus/Automatic Fire Sprinklers Inc. car. "It's more than words can describe. Green, white, checkered is always nerve-racking. We got a good restart, thank God, and Rafa and I worked beautifully today.
"Ana (Beatriz) was definitely a tough competitor. She was the one I was worried about. My Firestone tires held up beautifully, it was amazing. The car was so consistent from lap one to the end. It was just a beautiful weekend."
Matos' title victory was sealed when the No. 7 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car driven by Antinucci was involved in a Lap 26 accident with the No. 4 Car Crafters Guthrie Racing entry driven by Sean Guthrie.
"It was the best third-place finish of my life," Matos said. "We had a plan today for me to win the championship and Arie to win the race. He really deserved to win a race this year, and it worked perfectly for us. I'm very happy for him and I'm really happy for the AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing team. They deserve this championship as much as I do."
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Beatriz, driving the No. 20 Healthy Choice/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car finished second. Bobby Wilson, competing in his first race for Panther Racing in the No. 15 National Guard Delphi car, advanced eight positions to finish fourth. James Davison finished fifth in the No. 11 Lifelock/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car.
"It was really hard to pass the AFS guys, they were really, really fast," said Beatriz, who won in mid-July at Nashville Superspeedway. "They were working together, which was really tough. I tried to stay behind them. When Arie made his move, I was able to stay with him and get that second position. It was very good, finishing on the podium in second place. I am very grateful to Healthy Choice and all of the people who have helped me throughout the season."
Antinucci, who started ninth, was on the high side of a three-wide pack entering Turn 2, and Guthrie's car began to slide up the track. The right-front tire of the No. 4 car touched Antinucci's left-rear tire, bouncing the car into the SAFER Barrier.
"It's a bitter pill to swallow, losing it at the last round," said Antinucci, who recorded two victories and 11 top-10 finishes in the 16 races. "But 'ifs' and 'buts' don't take you anywhere. We managed to finish second. I had a great year overall.
"I have to thank my Lucas Oil LifeLock Sam Schmidt Motorsports group tremendously because they helped me. We had a chance. We led most of the year, but not when it counted unfortunately.
"Still, though, I had a great experience and I hope I've created some awareness for my name and myself. Sam (Schmidt) has always helped me out during the year and given maximum effort. So has all my 7 crew. I also want to congratulate the 27 AGR/AFS group. They made it really tough and exciting this year. Rafa, too. We raced very cleanly most of the year throughout. He's a great competitor and it was an honor for me to go head-to-head with him into this last round."
Jonathan Klein moved up two positions to finish sixth in the No. 2 TMR-Extreme Coil Drilling car, and Robbie Pecorari advanced seven spots for seventh in the No. 44 SAI Hydraulics Guthrie Racing car.
