The Bonfire Racing Series Pro-AM heads to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway—The Brickyard—tomorrow morning, setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting race. Leading off the story is Jason Landry, who, despite having only one league start at Indy, has already turned heads this week with impressive practice performances. Landry secured second place in a practice race featuring a strength of field (SOF) of 3100 and, despite an early incident relegating him to 20th in a race with a 2644 SOF, managed to qualify second both times. With Sunday’s anticipated SOF around 2000, Landry’s pace signals caution for the competition.

Last season at Indy, Landry demonstrated his qualifying dominance by earning the pole—something he’s made routine this season. He led 31% of the 75-lap event but suffered an unfortunate incident under caution, ultimately finishing 11th.

The Bonfire Premier Cup makes its fifth visit to Indy tomorrow, boasting a unique winner for each prior visit:

Season 7: Jameson Miller (Average Driver Rating: 102) Season 9: Justin Malarkey (Average Driver Rating: 107) Season 11: David Medina (Average Driver Rating: 129) Season 12: Kyle Lynott (Average Driver Rating: 95)

Drivers to watch, coming in with at least two starts and high average driver ratings, include Jared Kelly (102.6), Chris Smorol (117.6), Kyle Lynott (117.8), Nick Mills (100.8), Justin Malarkey (115.3), and David Medina Sr (116.4).

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Incidents

Speaking of who to keep a look out for Kevin Kyle, who, despite accumulating 24 incident points across four races, has managed top-10 finishes in three of those events. Mark Dumont, with 11 incident points over two races, averages a start of 10.5 but has struggled to finish, averaging a 22.5 position.

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Who needs it

Among drivers who are seeking a breakthrough, David Owens stands out. With four Indy starts, Owens has yet to claim a victory despite a respectable average finish of 7.3 and an average start position of 9.3. He has two top-five finishes, another top-10 finish, and has led only one lap out of the 315 contested, narrowly missing a triple-digit average driver rating at 99.3.

Owens has more than just victory in mind; he faces Brandon Shelton in the championship round of the mid-season Madness Tournament this weekend. Shelton, with only two starts at Indy, has averaged a 19th starting position but improved significantly to an average finish of 10.5. He holds a driver rating of 87.1, one top-10 finish, and has incurred only a single incident point while leading no laps.

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The Fantastic 7

Turning our attention to the AM Championship, the competition intensifies as the “Fantastic Seven” enter the final five races of the inaugural—and sadly final—Pro-AM Series. Ricky Mandella Sr currently leads with 1,046 points and ranks in the top three in driver ratings among the seven. However, Mandella also sits tied for the lead in incident points with 64.

Steven Neal trails Mandella by 51 points and boasts the group’s best average finish (13.3), despite having the worst qualifying average—a critical factor that could drastically improve his championship chances if corrected.

Jose Medina holds third place, 53 points behind Mandela, and leads the group with four top-10 finishes. Like Mandella, Medina has accumulated 64 incident points but holds the second-highest driver rating in the group at 82.8.

Finally, Brandon Finley, currently fourth, emerges as a dark horse in the championship battle. Finley is tied with Jose Medina for the most quality passes (49) but has achieved this with fewer races run. He also maintains the group’s best average running position (9.5) and the highest driver rating at 90. With such tight competition, the AM Championship might just offer the most thrilling battle on track.

Tomorrow’s race at Indy promises excitement and intensity, shaping up to be a memorable event in the Bonfire Racing Series Pro-AM calendar.