Hunter McElrea crossed the line to take third place over the weekend at the Nashville Indy Lights round but it wasn’t easy going for the Kiwi driver.
McElrea started the 35-lap race in second based on entrant points after Saturday’s qualifying session was cancelled due to the threat of thunderstorms in the area.
Come the race start, McElrea was hot on the tail of Swedish driver Linus Lundqvist during the opening laps with third-place Sting Ray Robb putting the pressure on from behind.
However, as gaps in the field began to grow, a lock up by McElrea on lap 15 saw Robb get right back on his tail. By lap 18, the two were dueling for position with Robb attempting a move around the outside.
McElrea kept hold of second place for the time being, all while Lundqvist held a dominant lead.
The closing stages of the race saw Robb and McElrea battle for position with the two making slight contact with five laps to go. Robb nabbed the position off McElrea on the next corner.
Lundqvist went on to secure his fifth victory this season by leading all 35 laps of the race, while Robb crossed the line in second and McElrea in third.
As for the championship standings, Lundqvist holds a lead of nearly two races worth of points over second-place McElrea, with Robb just eight points behind the Kiwi.
We next join Indy Lights at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois on August 20.
