WEST ALLIS, Wis.
Bobby Wilson returned to his Wisconsin home to score a dominant victory in Sunday’s Milwaukee 100 Firestone Indy Lights race.
Wilson, who is from nearby Oconomowoc, Wis., led 88 of 100 laps to give Team E its first victory.
“Coming to The Milwaukee Mile as a kid, it was always a dream for me to race here one day,” Wilson said. “To win here is even better. Hats off to the guys; it’s their first win. Team E Racing and owner Neil Enerson put together a great program and gave us the tools we needed to be here.”
Jeff Simmons finished second and Raphael Matos finished third. Richard Antinucci remains the series point leader 193-192 over Dillon Battistini after the two finished 16th and 14th, respectively.
It was Wilson’s third-career victory in Firestone Indy Lights and his first on an oval. His previous wins came at Watkins Glen in 2006 and the Indianapolis road course in 2007.
Wilson and Wade Cunningham are the only drivers to record wins in three-consecutive seasons. Wilson’s 88 laps led were more than the 39 laps he had led in his previous 36 Firestone Indy Lights starts.
“The Team E guys put together a great car this weekend,” Wilson said. “Our first win together couldn’t have happened at a better place than The Milwaukee Mile. I’m just ecstatic for the team. They did such a good job and put together a good car. It was like a walk in the park for me. I just kept the tires under me the whole time and drove to victory.”
Pablo Donoso started on the pole, but was passed by Wilson on the 13th lap. That’s where Wilson stayed for the remainder of the race.
“We were on the pole and we did an awesome job Saturday, but the car today was a little bit hard to drive,” Donoso said. “It was a little bit loose, and I lost a couple positions. But then I had some slow guy bugging me for like 20 laps, and I lost more positions. Then I fought hard with some drivers.
“Anyway, we finished in the top 10. It was our first top-10 finish, and I’m looking forward to the next race to try to improve a bit more and try to pick up more points.”
The finish:
Showing driver, laps completed and money won: 1. Bobby Wilson, 100, $32,500; 2. Jeff Simmons, 100, $26,000; 3. Raphael Matos, 100, $20,000; 4. Andrew Prendeville, 100, $17,000; 5. J.R. Hildebrand, 100, $16,000; 6. James Davison, 100, $15,500; 7. Pablo Donoso, 100, $15,000; 8. Arie Luyendyk, Jr., 100, $14,500; 9. Logan Gomez, 100, $14,000; 10. Sean Guthrie, 100, $13,500; 11. Brent Sherman, 99, $13,500; 12. Wade Cunningham, 99, $11,500; 13. Chris Festa, 99, $10,500; 14. Dillon Battistini, 99, $10,000; 15. Jonny Reid, 99, $9,500; 16. Richard Antinucci, 99, $11,500; 17. Micky Gilbert, 98, $10,000; 18. Cyndie Allemann, 96, $8,000; 19. Ana Beatriz, 78, $6,000; 20. Mark Olson, 18, $4,500; 21. Marc Williams, 7, $3,500; 22. Jon Brownson, 0, $3,000.