Mazda Road to Indy vets earn RoboPong 200 win

NEW CASTLE, Ind. – A pair of drivers with experience in the Mazda Road to Indy were the big winners in the annual RoboPong 200 at New Castle Motorsports Park.

Jimmy Simpson, who has competed in the Freedom 100 in Indy Lights, and Brandon Newey, a veteran of USF2000 and Pro Mazda, inherited the lead with a few laps to go and claimed the Dan Wheldon Cup and its $10,000 prize for winning the 200-lap endurance go-kart race.

CFH Racing’s Ed Carpenter and Andretti Autosport engineer Nathan O’Rourke were the only other team with INDYCAR ties to finish in the top-10, finishing 10th in the 42-kart field sprinkled with drivers from the Verizon IndyCar Series and Mazda Road to Indy.

Pro Mazda champion Spencer Pigot and Neil Alberico came home 18th; James Hinchcliffe and Scott Dixon finished 20th after a brake issue while running in the top 10; Jay Howard and Conor Daly finished 26th after a hub failure; Josef Newgarden’s team was 37th after it retired with engine issues and Sage Karam’s team was 39th with mechanical issues.

Click below to view a photo gallery from the race

Sunday, September 21st - The 2014 RoboPong 200

By Arni Sribhen

Published: Sep 22, 2014

http://www.indycar.com/News/2014/09/9-22-Simpson-Newey-Win-RoboPong200