Foster is top IndyCar rookie after Mid-Ohio

ONE Sports Management Group
Jul 8
2 min read

Louis Foster took a massive learning experience away from the Mid-Ohio weekend where his incredible qualifying record in his rookie NTT IndyCar Series season continued and he cemented himself as the top rookie in IndyCar.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver Foster, 21, now has an average start of 12.2 in a 27-car field, an amazing record for a rookie. He now has three appearances in the Fast Six pole shootout, after the Indianapolis road course and Road America - where he took his first pole.

Foster - driver of the #45 Droplight RLL Honda - felt there was more on the table but he didn’t have a set of fresh tyres for his last flying lap and that ended the chances for pole.

“At the end of the day if it’s bittersweet to be P6 then it’s a good sign,” said Foster, who is backed by Copart, a global leader in online auto auctions, after qualifying.

For the race, Foster was able to hold position and challenge those ahead until it was decided to commit to a three-stop strategy.

At one stage he was caught behind slower cars in traffic, and that loss of time meant he would have been fighting for a top 10 at best until a stall in a pitstop cost him around five seconds. He apologised to the team for the issue.

But the 14th-place finish moved him into the lead of the rookie of the year standings, a prestigious championship in IndyCar.

“I think I did a good job saving fuel,” he added after the race, with saving fuel being absolutely crucial in some IndyCar races.

“That was the first time I did a proper fuel save race so that was good experience for me to get at least. Top rookie in the race by some margin. There are worse days for sure, but it’s disappointing.”

There’s no rest for Foster with a gruelling schedule now underway.

He and the RLL team now head to the fierce Iowa oval for one of the most important weekends of the season.

“Iowa is the only double-header in IndyCar this year, which makes it absolutely crucial,” says Foster.

“If the car isn’t right or you’re slow to adapt to the track and the conditions, you’re losing out on a lot of points.

“We’ve done our homework the best we can, and every weekend I feel like I’m learning more and more. Iowa is not like Gateway, but at least Gateway was a short oval to get under my belt and we ran well for a while in that race.