The Cooper Tires Pro Mazda podium at the Milwaukee Mile: Shelby Blackstock (3rd), Spencer Pigot (1st), Scott Hargrove (2nd). [Russ Lake Photo]
West Allis, Wisc. – August 16, 2014 – Starting in the front row for Saturday’s Cooper Tires Pro Mazda race at the Milwaukee Mile wasn’t an advantage, as two drivers from row two charged to the front and dominated the event.
Spencer Pigot, who started fourth in the 13-car field, battled Scott Hargrove throughout the 90- lap race, taking charge for good just past half-way.
“It was a great race. Scott and I got past the front row really quickly and then I was just trying to find a way past Scott. He was fast and we were right there just waiting for him to make a mistake,” beamed the winner. “Eventually I got a chance on a restart and was able to squeeze by.”
Pigot trailed Hargrove, his rival for the series’ title, until a restart after a mid-race caution period opened the door for a lead change on lap 47. He stretched that lead to more than two seconds and survived a late-race restart to win his sixth race of the season. Hargrove finished second.
“The late restart was a bit hair-raising but, as always, hard racing with Scott was clean as well,” the Florida resident noted. “And the Junco guys (his team), gave me a great car.
The front row drivers who faded after being passed, Jose Gutierrez who started P1 and Nicolas Costas, finished ninth and fifth respectively, but it was a run by lady driver Julia Ballario that caught the attention of the fans.
The 23-year-old native of Argentina, a Juncos teammate of Pigot, who now resides in Indianapolis, started twelfth and held that spot through the first half of the run. But the car woke up during the latter laps and the Graphic Design graduate cruised to a sixth-place finish.
Shelby Blackstock grabbed the final podium spot when contact between Neil Alberico and Kyle Kaiser slowed their pace and allowed Blackstock to slip past.
Pigot and Hargrove each led 44 laps, while Costas led just two.
“Guess it shows that you don’t need to be in the front row to win here at Milwaukee,” Pigot told the gathering in victory lane. And he proved that today.
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