Over the weekend, the Tony Quinn Foundation had two ambassadors racing in IndyNXT, with Liam Sceats returning to the grid following a one-event absence.
Despite a challenging Qualifying, Liam bounced back to notch up another Top Ten finish in his Rookie campaign, this time at Road America. Let’s take a look at how his weekend unfolded.
Liam was back in action after electing to sit out the previous round at World Wide Technology Raceway due to ongoing engine performance issues, a smart call given the top-speed demands of the oval. That absence saw him slip from eighth to 12th in the standings, though still well within reach of the Top Ten.
Fortunately, this weekend offered a much smoother run, and Liam was able to enjoy being back behind the wheel at a circuit he knew well from last year’s USF Pro 2000 season.
He got his first taste of Road America in IndyNXT machinery during Friday’s Practice 1, logging 16 laps and finishing 13th with a 1:54.8527, just 0.170 seconds off cracking the Top Ten.
He made a strong step forward in Practice 2 on Saturday morning, clocking a 1:53.4607 to go nearly 1.5 seconds quicker than his previous best, finishing ninth and heading into Qualifying with good momentum.
Drawn into Group 2 for Qualifying, Liam was sitting inside the Top Four early with a 1:53.660. He then improved to a 1:53.538, holding sixth in the group with six minutes remaining.
Unfortunately, a spin by Salvador de Alba raised the red flags and halted the session, preventing any drivers from improving their times once the session resumed. That left Liam sixth in his group, which became 12th overall once both groups were combined.
Lining up from the outside of Row 6 for the 20-lap race, Liam got a strong start, sweeping around the outside of Neils Koolen at Turn 1 to climb into 11th. He nearly snatched another spot from Bryce Aron later in the lap but was forced wide onto the dirt and had to tuck back in.
On Lap 2, as Jordan Missig struggled ahead, Liam capitalised to move into the Top Ten. From there, he settled into a tight train behind Bryce Aron, with Salvador de Alba just ahead of them both.
Despite matching the pace of those ahead, the lack of push-to-pass made it especially difficult to find a way through. He ultimately crossed the line in 10th, under a second off the battle for eighth, a strong recovery and another consistent result in his Rookie season.
That Top Ten finish sees Liam climb back into the Top Ten in the overall standings, now sitting 10th, just two points behind third-placed Rookie Sebastian Murray and only a further six behind Jack William Miller.
Fingers crossed, we’ll see Liam back on the grid in two weeks’ time when IndyNXT heads to Mid-Ohio, followed by another oval challenge at Iowa a week later.
Header Image: Penske Entertainment – Travis Hinkle | IMS Photo
