Leist Leads Rookie Testing in Phoenix

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief

AVONDALE, Arizona — Matheus Leist led Verizon IndyCar Series rookies during testing on Thursday at ISM Raceway.

The 19-year-old Brazilian put the No. 4 ABC Supply Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing on top of the timesheets with a speed of 184.236 mph (19.9700 seconds) around the 1.022-mile oval.

A rookie in Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires, the top rung of the Mazda Road to Indy development ladder, Leist came away pleased with his first trial with an Indy car on an oval.

“Not at all,” said Leist, winner of the 2017 Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, of any surprises on track.

“The car was pretty good and pretty smooth. I think the culmination was nice. The car is brand new and feeling good. I didn’t have any big understeer or oversteer, which is good. So it was a very good day for me and the team.”

Pietro Fittipaldi was a close second, running at 183.347 mph (20.0669 seconds – 0.0969 seconds behind Leist) in the No. 19 Paysafe Honda for Dale Coyne Racing. Of the 617 total laps logged throughout the session, 121 were amassed by the 2017 World Series Renault Formula V8 3.5 champion.

Having not previously raced at ISM Raceway and having minimal oval experience during his IndyCar tenure, Spencer Pigot logged 105 laps, setting his best on Lap 88 with a pace of 180.589 mph (20.3733 seconds) in the No. 21 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing.

The full results from the session can be seen here: INDYCAR Rookie Testing Results at ISM Raceway

About Joey Barnes 600 Articles
Joey Barnes is the Founder of Motorsports Tribune, an outlet that began with the goal of helping aspiring journalists break into and grow the industry. A regular on the racing scene since 2013, the journey for Joey started by covering a Grand-Am event at Circuit of The Americas in his home state of Texas. He has since primarily focused on the IndyCar Series, with appearances in the garages of NASCAR, paddocks of Formula 1, IMSA and World Endurance Championship, while also occasionally engulfing clouds of dust at the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals and select Supercross rounds. With previous stops at Autoweek, IndyCar.com, Motorsport.com and RACER, among others, Joey evolved from the singular task as a freelance writer to advanced roles behind the copy desk and alongside some of the best editorial teams in the business. Recognized as a multi-time award winner by the National Motorsports Press Association, Joey currently resides in Dallas-Fort Worth with his trusty four-legged canine companion, Rocket.