By Dick Jordan
USAC veteran Jacob Wilson of Crawfordsville, Ind. will make his Firestone Indy Lights debut this weekend at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Ky.
Wilson, whose four-year USAC career includes a victory in the 2008 “Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial” Sprint race at the Salem (Ind.) Speedway and starts in USAC Traxxas Silver Crown, AMSOIL National Sprint Car and Mopar Midget competition, will participate in Sunday’s nationally-televised (VERSUS) race at the 1.5-mile Kentucky oval in the white and red #19 Belardi Auto Racing entry.
Wilson completed his Firestone Indy Lights rookie test at the Kentucky oval but this will mark his initial appearance in series competition.
Sunday’s race will air on the VERSUS Network, beginning at 12 noon EST and will be immediately followed by the 2 pm airing of the track’s IZOD IndyCar Series “Kentucky 300.”
The Firestone Indy Lights will practice from 10:45 to 11:45 am Saturday, followed by Wilson’s appearance at the track’s “Fan Village.” Another practice session is slated from 1:45 to 2:30 pm and pole qualifying commences at 5:15 pm. Sunday’s pre-race ceremonies begin at noon and the 67-lap, 100-mile race gets under way at 12:30.
Tickets are available on the Kentucky Speedway website (www.kentuckyspeedway.com) and using the promotional code “USAC” will result in an extremely discounted rate of $35 for all seats. To attend qualifying on Saturday, tickets for the Camping World Truck Series race are required and the promotional code “USAC” will result in a $10 ticket price. It is advisable to purchase advance tickets to take advantage of the discounts which will not be available race day.