2021 Indy Lights Explained

The 2021 Indy Lights season was the 35th season of the Indy Lights open wheel motor racing series and the 19th sanctioned by IndyCar, acting as the primary support series for the IndyCar Series. After going into a hiatus in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the season started on April 17 at Barber Motorsports Park and was held over 20 races spanning ten meetings.^[1]

Series news

On October 7, 2020, Indy Lights announced a series of changes for the 2021 season. The champion's scholarship increased to $1,250,000. The top-three finishers in the championship each earned an IndyCar Series test and all cars were now equipped with a titanium halo to increase driver safety.^[2]

Team and driver chart

The following drivers and teams competed in the series.

Team		Drivers	Round(s)
Andretti Autosport	27	Robert Megennis^[3]	All
	28	Kyle Kirkwood^[4]	All
	68	Danial Frost^[5]	All
Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport	17	Devlin DeFrancesco^[6]	All
Carlin^[7] ^[8]	5	Alex Peroni^[9]	1–14
Carlin^[7] ^[8]	7	Christian Bogle^[10]	All
Global Racing Group with HMD Motorsports^[11] ^[12] ^[13]	24	nowrap	Benjamin Pedersen^[14]	All
Global Racing Group with HMD Motorsports^[11] ^[12] ^[13]	26	Linus Lundqvist^[15]	All
HMD Motorsports^[16]	59	Nikita Lastochkin^[17]	1–12
	59	Manuel Sulaimán^[18]	15–20
	79	David Malukas^[19]	All
Juncos Racing^[20] Juncos Hollinger Racing¹^[21]	2	Sting Ray Robb^[22]	All
	51	Toby Sowery^[23]	1–14
	51	Rasmus Lindh^[24]	15–20
Pserra Racing/AS Promotions	11	Antonio Serravalle^[25]	1–14, 19–20

¹Juncos Racing were rebranded as Juncos Hollinger Racing in August 2021

Schedule

The provisional 2021 race calendar was announced on October 21, 2020, with the final round to be announced at a later date.^[26] This last round was later confirmed to be at Barber Motorsports park, after the IndyCar series moved its season opener there.^[27] The calendar was the first since 2002 to not feature the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Toronto round originally scheduled was replaced by a standalone second weekend at Mid-Ohio in October.

Rd.	Date	Race name	Track	Location
1	April 17–18	Indy Lights Grand Prix of Barber Motorsports Park Presented by Cooper Tires	Barber Motorsports Park	Birmingham, Alabama
2	April 17–18		Barber Motorsports Park	Birmingham, Alabama
3	April 24–25	Indy Lights Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by Foundation Building Materials	Streets of St. Petersburg	St. Petersburg, Florida
4	April 24–25	Indy Lights Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by Andersen Interior Contracting	Streets of St. Petersburg	St. Petersburg, Florida
5	May 14–15	Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis Presented by Cooper Tires	Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course	Speedway, Indiana
6	May 14–15		Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course	Speedway, Indiana
7	June 12–13	Indy Lights Grand Prix of Detroit Presented by Cooper Tires	The Raceway at Belle Isle Park	Detroit, Michigan
8	June 12–13	Indy Lights Grand Prix of Detroit Presented by Cooper Tires	The Raceway at Belle Isle Park	Detroit, Michigan
9	June 19–20	Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Road America Powered by AER	Road America	Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
10	June 19–20	Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Road America Powered by AER	Road America	Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
11	July 3–4	Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course	Lexington, Ohio
12	July 3–4	Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course	Lexington, Ohio
13	August 20–21	Cooper Tires Indy Lights Oval Challenge of St. Louis	Gateway Motorsports Park	Madison, Illinois
14	August 20–21	Cooper Tires Indy Lights Oval Challenge of St. Louis	Gateway Motorsports Park	Madison, Illinois
15	September 11–12	Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Portland	Portland International Raceway	Portland, Oregon
16	September 11–12	Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Portland	Portland International Raceway	Portland, Oregon
17	September 18–19	Indy Lights Grand Prix of Monterey Presented by Cooper Tires	WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca	Monterey, California
18	September 18–19		WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca	Monterey, California
19	October 1–3	VP Racing Fuels Champhionship Weekend Presented By Cooper Tires	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course	Lexington, Ohio
20	October 1–3		Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course	Lexington, Ohio
References: ^[28] ^[29]

Race results

Round	Race	Pole position	Fastest lap	Most laps led	Race Winner
Round	Race	Pole position	Fastest lap	Most laps led	Driver	Team
1	Birmingham 1	Linus Lundqvist	Toby Sowery	Linus Lundqvist	Linus Lundqvist	HMD Motorsports
2	Birmingham 2	David Malukas	David Malukas	David Malukas	David Malukas	HMD Motorsports
3	St. Petersburg 1	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Autosport
4	St. Petersburg 2	David Malukas	Kyle Kirkwood	David Malukas	David Malukas	HMD Motorsports
5	Indianapolis GP 1	Linus Lundqvist	Linus Lundqvist	Linus Lundqvist	Linus Lundqvist	HMD Motorsports
6	Indianapolis GP 2	David Malukas	Kyle Kirkwood	David Malukas	David Malukas	HMD Motorsports
7	Detroit 1	Kyle Kirkwood	Linus Lundqvist	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Autosport
8	Detroit 2	Linus Lundqvist	David Malukas	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Autosport
9	Road America 1	Danial Frost	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Autosport
10	Road America 2	Danial Frost	Robert Megennis	David Malukas	David Malukas	HMD Motorsports
11	Mid-Ohio 1	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Autosport
12	Mid-Ohio 2	Danial Frost	Danial Frost	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Autosport
13	Gateway 1	David Malukas	David Malukas	David Malukas	David Malukas	HMD Motorsports
14	Gateway 2	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	David Malukas	HMD Motorsports
15	Portland 1	David Malukas	Kyle Kirkwood	David Malukas	David Malukas	HMD Motorsports
16	Portland 2	David Malukas	Benjamin Pedersen	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Autosport
17	Laguna Seca 1	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Autosport
18	Laguna Seca 2	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Autosport
19	Mid-Ohio 3	Kyle Kirkwood	Danial Frost	Kyle Kirkwood	Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Autosport
20	Mid-Ohio 4	David Malukas	David Malukas	Linus Lundqvist	Linus Lundqvist	HMD Motorsports

Championship standings

Drivers' Championship

Scoring system

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th	12th	13th	14th	15th	16th	17th	18th	19th	20th
Points	30	25	22	19	17	15	14	13	12	11	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
Points	45	38	33	29	26	23	21	20	18	17	15	14	12	11	9	8	6	5	4	2

The driver who qualified on pole was awarded one additional point.
An additional point was awarded to the driver who led the most laps in a race.

Pos	Driver	ALA		STP		IMS		DET		ROA		MOH1		GAT		POR		LAG		MOH2		Points
1		9	5	1*	2	4	4	1*	1*	1*	12	1*	1*	2	2*	2	1*	1*	1*	1*	5	537
2	David Malukas	13	1*	3	1*	2	1*	5	3	7	1*	3	3	1*	1	1*	2	4	2	2	2	524
3		1*	2	9	3	1*	5	2	2	4	5	4	4	9	4	3	3	2	3	6	1*	449
4		2	7	10	6	10	9	11	6	2	7	7	8	3	3	4	4	3	5	9	3	356
5		7	12	2	4	6	8	6	12	11	3	2	2	6	10	8	6	8	4	4	6	338
6		3	3	12	5	7	6	7	5	10	6	5	5	4	5	11	7	9	8	8	4	326
7	Robert Megennis	6	13	4	7	8	7	8	8	3	2	8	7	7	7	5	5	10	6	3	9	319
8		8	8	6	13	9	10	10	10	8	9	11	10	12	11	9	11	6	9	5	7	249
9	Toby Sowery	4	4	13	9	3	2	3	4	5	13	6	6	11	8							236
10		5	6	5	8	5	3	4	13	13	4	9	9	5	6							228
11		10	10	11	12	12	12	13	7	9	8	10	13	8	9	10	8	11	11	12	10	227
12		12	11	7	10	11	11	12	11	6	10	13	12	10	12					11	12	175
13		11	9	8	11	13	13	9	9	12	11	12	11									123
14																7	9	5	7	10	8	81
15																6	10	7	10	7	11	75
Pos	Driver	ALA		STP		IMS		DET		ROA		MOH1		GAT		POR		LAG		MOH2		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

*|style="background:#F2F2F2;" align=center|Led most race laps
(1 point)|-|style="background:#F2F2F2;" align=center|¹|style="background:#F2F2F2;" align=center|Qualifying cancelled
no bonus point awarded|-|style="background:#F2F2F2;" align=center||style="background:#F2F2F2;" align=center|Rookie|-|style="background:#F2F2F2;" align=center||style="background:#F2F2F2;" align=center|Rookie of the Year|}

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

|}|}

Teams' championship

Scoring system

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th+
Points	22	18	15	12	10	8	6	4	2	1

Single car teams received 3 bonus points as an equivalency to multi-car teams
Only the best two results counted for teams fielding more than two entries

Pos	Team	ALA		STP		IMS		DET		ROA		MOH1		GAT		POR		LAG		MOH2		Points
1	HMD Motorsports^[30]	1	1	3	1	1	1	2	2	2	1	3	3	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	1	665
1	HMD Motorsports^[30]	2	2	7	3	2	5	5	3	4	5	4	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	5	2	665
2	Andretti Autosport^[31]	3	3	1	2	4	4	1	1	1	2	1	1	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	3	622
2	Andretti Autosport^[31]	6	5	2	4	6	6	6	5	3	3	2	2	4	4	4	4	6	4	3	4	622
3	Juncos Racing Juncos Hollinger Racing	4	4	5	6	3	2	3	4	5	7	5	5	8	6	5	6	4	5	4	5	324
3	Juncos Racing Juncos Hollinger Racing	7	7	9	9	7	7	7	7	7	9	8	7	9	8	6	7	5	6	6	6	324
4	Carlin	5	6	4	5	5	3	4	6	8	4	6	6	5	5	7	5	7	7	8	7	249
4	Carlin	8	8	8	8	9	9	9	9	9	6	7	9	6	7							249
5	Pserra Racing/AS Promotions	9	9	6	7	8	8	8	8	6	8	9	8	7	9					7	8	118
Pos	Team	ALA		STP		IMS		DET		ROA		MOH1		GAT		POR		LAG		MOH2		Points

External links

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Notes and References

Web site: Indy Lights 2021 event schedule. November 23, 2020. September 11, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210911183246/https://www.indylights.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2021_schedules_lights.pdf?sfvrsn=aca370e5_0. dead.
Web site: INDY LIGHTS RETURN CONFIRMED FOR 2021. indylights.com. October 7, 2020. November 24, 2020.
Web site: Megennis Returns to Andretti Autosport for 2021 . www.indylights.com . December 22, 2020 . April 18, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210418053428/https://www.indylights.com/news/megennis-returns-to-andretti-autosport-for-2021 . dead .
Web site: Wood. Elliot. November 18, 2020. Andretti confirms Kyle Kirkwood as part of 2021 Indy Lights line-up. November 23, 2020. Formula Scout. en-US.
Web site: Woollard. Craig. November 23, 2020. Danial Frost confirms Andretti Indy Lights move for 2021. November 23, 2020. Formula Scout. en-US.
Web site: DeFrancesco Steps Up to Indy Lights with Return of Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport. December 1, 2020. www.indylights.com. October 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211026171531/https://www.indylights.com/news/defrancesco-steps-up-to-indy-lights-with-return-of-andretti-steinbrenner-autosport?s=09. dead.
Web site: Carlin return to Indy Lights with Peroni. December 20, 2020. www.indylights.com.
Web site: 2021-04-06. Malukas and Lundqvist lead the way in Indy Lights' Spring Training. 2021-04-07. Formula Scout. en-US.
News: Wood . Ida . Indy Lights grid shrinks as Peroni follows Sowery out of series . 5 September 2021 . Formula Scout . 4 September 2021.
Web site: BOGLE STEPS UP TO INDY LIGHTS WITH CARLIN. February 9, 2021. www.indylights.com. February 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210209201545/https://www.indylights.com/news/bogle-steps-up-to-indy-lights-with-carlin. dead.
Web site: Global Racing Group Enters Indy Lights in Partnership with HMD Motorsports. November 23, 2020. www.indylights.com. November 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201117150445/https://www.indylights.com/news/global-racing-group-enters-indy-lights-in-breakthrough-partnership-with-hmd-motorsports. dead.
Web site: Indy Lights Grand Prix of Alabama Presented by Cooper Tires Entry List. Indy Lights. 23 April 2021.
Web site: Indy Lights Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by Foundation Building Materials/Andersen Interior Contracting Entry List. Indy Lights. 23 April 2021.
Web site: Global Racing Group with HMD Motorsports Inks Pedersen for 2021. December 15, 2020. www.indylights.com. December 15, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201215170304/https://www.indylights.com/news/global-racing-group-with-hmd-motorsports-inks-pedersen-for-2021. dead.
Web site: Lundqvist to Make Indy Lights Debut with Global Racing Group with HMD Motorsports. January 19, 2021. www.indylights.com. June 15, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210615201824/https://www.indylights.com/news/lundqvist-to-make-indy-lights-debut-with-global-racing-group-with-hmd-motorsports. dead.
Web site: Wood. Elliot. November 17, 2020. Global Racing Group joins Indy Lights grid in alliance with HMD. November 23, 2020. Formula Scout. en-US.
Web site: NIKITA LASTOCHKIN JOINS HMD MOTORSPORTS. February 4, 2021. February 4, 2021. February 4, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210204151136/https://www.indylights.com/news/nikita-lastochkin-joins-hmd-motorsports. dead.
News: Wood . Ida . Sulaiman steps up to Indy Lights with HMD Motorsports . 5 September 2021 . Formula Scout . 3 September 2021.
Web site: Malukas Set for Championship Run with HMD Motorsports. December 29, 2020. www.indylights.com. May 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210507063851/https://www.indylights.com/news/malukas-set-for-championship-run-with-hmd-motorsports. dead.
Web site: Pruett. Marshall. November 14, 2020. PRUETT: A new dawn for Indy Lights. December 2, 2020. Racer.com. en-US.
Web site: Juncos Announces Co-Ownership with Brad Hollinger to Form Juncos Hollinger Racing. 2021-08-04. www.indylights.com.
Web site: INDY PRO 2000 CHAMPION ROBB ADVANCES TO INDY LIGHTS WITH JUNCOS RACING. indylights.com. January 14, 2021. January 15, 2021. January 15, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210115183409/https://www.indylights.com/news/indy-pro-2000-champion-robb-advances-to-indy-lights-with-juncos-racing. dead.
Web site: March 8, 2020. Juncos Racing signs Sowery for 2021 Season. March 8, 2020.
Web site: 2021-09-08. Lindh rejoins Juncos for rest of Indy Lights season. 2021-09-08. RACER. en-US.
Web site: ANTONIO SERRAVALLE AND PSERRA RACING JOIN INDY LIGHTS PROGRAM IN 2021. 31 March 2021. Indylights.com. 31 March 2021. June 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210614134120/https://www.indylights.com/news/antonio-serravalle-and-pserra-racing-join-indy-lights-program-in-2021. dead.
Web site: Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires Unveils 2021 Schedule. November 23, 2020. www.indylights.com.
Web site: Road to Indy Announces 2021 Schedule Adjustments. January 6, 2021. www.indylights.com.
Web site: 2021 SEASON. indylights.com. April 19, 2021. April 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210419010639/https://www.indylights.com/schedule/2021-season. dead.
Web site: Road to Indy Adjusts 2021 Schedule, Adds New Season Finale Venue. 2021-05-14. www.indylights.com. May 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210514213256/https://www.indylights.com/news/road-to-indy-adjusts-2021-schedule-adds-new-season-finale-venue. dead.
Entry list has Global Racing Group as a separate team of two cars, while official points list HMD and GRG as the same team.
Entry list has Andretti / Andretti Steinbrenner as two teams with one and three cars, while official teams standings list it as a single team.