The Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear  - Open Wheel Racing Series based in California - Alumni have moved into Indy Lights, Pro Mazda Championship, Indy Lights, Indy Car, and SportsCar Racing
Zach Veach wins Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear Championship with Andretti Autosport
Andretti Autosport's Zach Veach Wins Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear Winter Championship

Andretti Autosport's Zach Veach completed a successful winter warmup in Fontana, CA over the past weekend, as he prepares for his first 2012 Star Mazda Series presented by Goodyear season.  Veach, 17, used four race wins and four pole positions to capture the Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear Winter Series Championship for a second consecutive time.

Heading into the final bout in a two-weekend winter series battle, Veach arrived at Auto Club Speedway (for the first time) with an 11-point lead even before the three-race meeting ensued.  To achieve this 5-race championship, Veach only had to start the final race in his No. 77 Zakosi Data Backup Mazda.  He won both races held earlier at Infineon Raceway with a clean sweep from pole position.

"Today went a little better than yesterday did," Veach noted on Sunday.  "We managed to win the first race from pole, then in the second we started from 14th and were able to move up to first within 20 feet of the start/finish line on the end of the first lap.  I'm really proud of what we accomplished here this weekend and can't thank my crew enough for their hard work and support along the way.

"It's a great honor to win the Formula Car Challenge Winter ChampionshIp and I would like to thank Michael (Andretti) for giving me this opportunity," the Stockdale, Ohio native said.  "This will create great momentum moving toward the 2012 Star Mazda season."

Veach had an electrical malfunction in the first race of the weekend at Auto Club Speedway and was forced to retire after starting on the pole for the third straight time.  "We ripped the car apart after qualifications and thought we had everything fixed before the first race, but we started having the electrical problem as soon as the race went green," he related.  In the second qualifying session for the national race, Veach again nabbed pole position and would go on to take the checkered flag.

In the final contest of the five-race meeting, Veach started from the rear of the field due to his DNF result in race No. 3.  He began a determined thrust to the front from the green flags and won by a margin of a whopping 15 seconds!  

Last year Veach earned the 2011 Cooper Tires USF2000 Winterfest championship with two race wins and three pole positions.  His efforts in the Formula Car Challenge Winter Series serves as a testing platform as he prepares to move up from USF2000 to the Star Mazda Championship, the next rung on the Road to Indy development program.
The Formula Car Challenge is an open wheel racing series powered by Mazda - It features 3 classes, the Pro Formula Mazda, The Formula Mazda, and the FormulaSPEED2.0. These are the fastest open wheel cars racing on the West Coast of the United States - Series is based in California
 
Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear Official Insider Newsletter - get latest updates, news, videos, and racing insider info every month. Team in the Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear Like the Formula Car Challenge on FACEBOOK Follow the Formula Car Challenge on Twitter World Speed Incorporated Get the latest news, results, photos, videos, and more from the most popular open wheel racing series on the web. The Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear The Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear is on FACEBOOK - Connect with this US West Coast Open Wheel Racing Series. Many of our graduates have move up into the Mazda Road to Indy, and as high as IndyCar! Follow the Formula Car Challenge on TWITTER - Find out what is happening in the championship, and learn about our drivers who have graduated to the Pro Mazda Championship, Indy Lights, and IndyCar. The Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear - ProAm Open Wheel Racing Series that has graduated drivers into IndyCar and other top level racing series. About the Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear Schedules and Results from the Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear Contact the Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear - The series that has graduated drivers into the Mazda Road to Indy and all the way up to the IndyCar Series