Ayrton Houk: Hometown pole

The USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire USF2000 series’ Freedom 75 race at the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park oval on Friday evening brought a weekend full of emotion, achievement and growth for me and the entire Benchmark Autosport team.

I’m incredibly proud to say that we earned our first-ever Continental Tire Pole Position Award, and we did it by setting a new track record for the fastest two-lap qualifying average in USF2000 history. We beat out some of the biggest teams in the paddock by just 0.03s and it felt absolutely amazing to do it right here in my hometown of Indianapolis.

Unfortunately, the race itself didn’t go the way we hoped. We made some bold changes to the setup trying to find that extra edge, but sometimes in racing, risks don’t pay off. The car wasn’t quite where we needed it to be for race conditions, and I had to dig deep just to bring it home and salvage points. It was frustrating, no doubt, especially after the high of qualifying, but I’m thankful we finished clean, and even more thankful for the lessons we learned.

This sport has a way of keeping you grounded. After watching the Indianapolis 500 yesterday, I was reminded that even the best drivers and most well-funded teams face tough, unpredictable challenges. What matters is how you respond, how you grow, and how you show up at the next race. That’s what we plan to do.

Huge thanks to my team, my parents and everyone who works so hard behind the scenes to make this possible. Thank you to everyone who came out to support me this weekend, your energy meant everything. Special congrats to Anthony Martella and Thomas Schrage for a strong race night.

Now it’s eyes forward to rounds nine and 10 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. We were strong on the road course there last year, starting P11 and finishing P6 and I know we can improve on that this time.

With the momentum we’ve built and the lessons we’ve learned, I’m more motivated than ever to get back on track and fight for the results I know we’re capable of. We are moving forward with focus, determination and the belief that our best is still ahead.

-Ayrton Houk