Promising run at Road America ends with heartache for Andretti Cape

The INDY NXT by Firestone series visited Road America this weekend, a favorite track among the drivers. Long straights and grassy runoff areas were a stark contrast to the features seen just a week earlier in downtown Detroit, where both Andretti Cape INDY NXT drivers scored top 10s among the tight city streets.

Sunday’s 20-lap race was run under beautiful sunny skies, which was a welcome sight after qualifying was held in damp conditions the day before. Michael d’Orlando started from the fifth row and held strong around the outside of the first turn. Turn 3 did not go so well, however, as the 22-year-old locked up his front wheel while braking among the heavy traffic.

d’Orlando’s flat spotted right front tire gave him problems for the remainder of the afternoon. He battled through the vibrations and made his way up to eighth, including pulling off a brilliant pass in Turn 5 that gained him three positions at one time. As they laps went by, his front tire lost a considerable amount of grip and halted his progress through the field.

A late red flag was thrown to allow time for cleanup from a collision between Jordan Missig and Myles Rowe with four laps remaining. Rowe very nearly collided with the back of d’Orlando’s Flatrock Motorclub entry during the incident, but he escaped with no damage and was able to keep his position.

The ensuing restart with just two laps remaining highlighted the level of grip missing from his front tire, and d’Orlando dropped a couple positions before the checkered flags. He ended the day just outside the top 10 in 11th.

Salvador de Alba had a very different day despite battling alongside his Andretti Cape team-mate for a few laps in the opening portion of the race. He got a great start when the green flag waved and jumped from 14th to 11th in the first few corners.

de Alba battled at the edge of the top 10 for multiple laps, but then suffered a sudden electrical problem that brought his Grupo Indi car to a disappointing halt just short of the halfway mark. With no active display or control from his steering wheel, the 24-year-old rookie had to be towed back to the pits and he was scored in the 21st position.

It was the second time during the weekend that de Alba’s car had suffered an electrical problem, and the team will work closely with suppliers to track down a solution ahead of the next race.

That next event comes in two weeks’ time, and will see the team head west to historic Laguna Seca. Another double-header weekend is on tap, and de Alba will look to bounce back as the 2024 season hits the midway point. Unfortunately d’Orlando is on the hunt for more funding, and it is unclear if he will be joining the team for the rest of the year.

Michael d’Orlando

“It was tough run. I ended up locking the brakes on the front right going into Turn 3 on the start. Little disappointed from the result that we got out there. I gave it everything. I tried my best, but the result wasn’t what we wanted.

“A big ‘Thank you’ to the Andretti Cape crew, you guys have been absolutely amazing this week. Another big ‘Thank you’ to Flatrock Motorclub and Rising Star Racing for making this weekend happen for me. It’s a big learning experience being here at Road America, especially in the INDY NXT by Firestone category.”

Salvador de Alba

“The start was pretty good. We gained some positions and the car was coming in. We were trying to manage tires and push to pass, then we had a big issue on the dash. The car went completely off. Nothing to do, just back to pit lane and that was it for us.

“Thinking forward to the next race and we’ll try to figure out the problem as soon a possible.”