Feisty Finish to 2006 Indy Pro Series Season
Written by Allan Brewer · September 9, 2006
Wade Cunningham Scores Win in Wild Wind-up Wrangle
Jay Howard Nips Jonathan Klein for Drivers Title
“I went to a fight and an auto race broke out” fit the scene at the Indy Pro Series Chicagoland 100 season finale this afternoon in Joliet, Illinois. Building on the ill-will fostered by the “backyard brawl” they fought at Kentucky Speedway a month ago, the IPS competitors offered a double-header of speed and sparring.
The fisticuffs detracted from an exciting finish, as an under-card featuring Jaime Camara and Bobby Wilson commenced when the two climbed from their cars after colliding at Chicagoland Speedway. Camara pinched Wilson against the outer wall when he moved up the track with Wilson alongside on the twenty-eighth lap. Both drivers were restrained by safety crews as a pushing/shoving match erupted between the two competitors.
The incident was particularly damaging to Wilson, whose hopes of taking the championship went flying with the punches. He ended the day in seventeenth place overall, with Camara a single position to the better of him.
The incident led to a ten-lap yellow with Wade Cunningham assuming the lead and Jay Howard and Jonathan Klein trailing in second and third position. The three contenders to the IPS throne battled nose-to-nose and wheel-to-wheel around the 1.5 mile banked oval for the remaining thirty-nine laps in a match of skill and driving craftsmanship that was as good as anything seen on any track, at any level, anywhere this year.
With eight laps remaining, Klein nosed ahead of Cunningham, only to relinquish the lead on the next, as Howard continued to trail. At five laps remaining Alex Lloyd suffered a right rear tire puncture and spun into, then out of, the infield grass before colliding with the wall.
Cunningham went on to win the race as Tom Wieringa spun on the final lap. He also led the most laps for the day. Jonathan Klein finished second by a margin of 0.6097 seconds. Jay Howard ended the race in third place, and with that result picked up the 2006 Indy Pro Series drivers’ championship. Klein also finished second for the season behind Howard.
“We won the championship. That was our main focus. I didn’t win nearly as many races as I expected due to a lot of things. I don’t need to go into that. We won two races, and the championship. That’s enough for me,” Howard added later.
Alex Lloyd came in fourth and was followed by Chris Festa, Arie Luyendyk, Jr. and Mike Potekhen. Nick Bussell’s eight place finish secured him the fifth spot on the year. Newcomer Veronica “Roni” McCann finished eleventh in her first IPS start and drove well enough to recover a lap-down position in the closing moments of the event.
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