Junior Open Wheel Talent

Well ...the season finale has arrived. Rafa Matos took the pole yesterday, adding one point to his championship lead over Richard Antinucci.

**Disclaimer** This post is updated live, please excuse grammar and spelling lapses.**

The engines have been started....per Atlantics driver Frankie Muniz.

The drivers are on their warm-up laps..ready to go green.

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN.....
contact...
Caution Lap 1
Daniel Herrington lost the car to start the carnage, Battistini and Wade Cunningham are out. Several cars spun trying to avoid Herrington.
~Dyer has jumped up five spots in the first lap. Antinucci lost a few spots, but narrowly missed a serious collision, running 11th.
-lap 4, Herrington into the pits, right rear tire replaced due to flat spot. Clean up is nearing completion.
-Lap 8, back to green.
-J.R. Hildebrand contact with wall in Turn 2...another caution.
-Lap 10, Top five are Matos, Luyendyk Jr, Beatriz, Davidson, Potekhen

-Going back to green on Lap 13
-Bobby Wilson on the move, passing both Gomez and Antinucci
-Luyendyk is right on Matos's bumper...
-Lap 17, Wilson is right on Beatriz in fourth, allowing Matos and Luyendyk to pull a bit of a gap.
-back in the mid pack.....drivers are really stacked up in traffic.
-Lap 22, Wilson has taken third away from Beatriz, trying for 2nd. Luyendyk blocking.

Lap 26, Matos will win the 2008 Championship.
Antinucci is out....three wide with Guthrie and Pecorari. Antinucci was on the outside, contact with Guthrie forced Antinucci into the wall. Guthrie into the pits. All drivers are okay.

Lap 27-Caution. Top Five: Matos, Luyendyk Jr., ,Wilson, Beatriz, Klein.

Lap 28-Rookie Tom Dyer has moved up to 11th in his Indy Lights oval debut.
Luyendyk has been warned twice by race control for blocking.

Lap 32-Green. Top 3 begin to pull away.
Lap 33-Beatriz takes third back from Wilson. Wilson continues to fall back. Davidson in fourth, Klein into fifth.

Lap 37- Drivers are running three and four wide. Wilson has maintained fifth.
Lap 41- Wilson up to fourth. Davidson fifth, Klein-sixth.
Lap 44-Top three remain unchanged, top five are nose to tail.
Lap 48-It appears Luyendyk is biding his time, running right on Matos's bumper.
Lap 49-Beatriz is under attack by Wilson again.
Lap 51-Tom Wieringa goes 1 lap down. Gomez up to sixth.
Lap 57-10 laps to go. Top five remain unchanged, Luyendyk Jr. glued to Matos.
Lap 58-Herrington has driven all the way back into the top 10.
Lap 59- 0.447 separates the top 4. Luyendyk takes a look on the outside.

Lap 62-Christina Orr goes down 1 lap.
Lap 63-Tom Dyer spun while running 12th, he was up to 10th earlier in the race.
Caution is out. Nice job by Dyer keeping his car off the wall, right rear is flat.

Lap 64- Looks like Luyendyk will make his move on Matos, should the drivers see Green again.
Lap 65- Drivers will see green for one lap.
Lap 66-Luyendyk take lead, Beatriz follows through, Matos third.
Lap 67-Arie Luyendyk Jr. takes his first Indy Lights Win! (his 62nd start)

Top Ten: Luyendyk Jr., Ana Beatriz, Rafa Matos, Bobby Wilson, James Davidson, Jonathan Klein, Robbie Pecorari, Logan Gomez, Michael Potekhen, James Herrington.

Rafa Matos: 2008 Indy Lights Champion. Team AFS/Andretti-Green

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