Joel’s arrival on the American racing scene in 2023 featured a very distinctive highlight: winning on the hallowed grounds of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Joel hit the front in round three of the USF Pro 2000 campaign, which played out on the IMS road course in conjunction with INDYCAR’s GMR Grand Prix in mid-May.
He emerged victorious from the second and final race of the weekend, overcoming the challenge of a lowly P18 grid slot – a knock-on effect of retiring early in the opening race of the meeting (where lap times count towards the Race 2 grid).
Joel’s voyage to victory began immediately as the race went underway, as he instantly stormed through on the opening lap to settle into the top ten.
His rise then kicked into top gear on the first of two restarts, where he avoided confusion to spectacularly haul himself into P2.
The lead was then finally assumed with a pass on team-mate Salvador de Alba following a second restart with 15 laps to go, Joel never looking back again and driving off to a resounding first U.S. victory.
”What a race!” Joel said afterwards. “It’s a dream come true to win here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I never thought in my life that I’d be here. I’m so, so happy for my first win here in the USA. I had a good start, an even better restart, and then once I got past Salvador I managed to build a gap and bring it home.”
De Alba completed a 1-2 for Exclusive Autosport, earning the team a remarkable double atop the world-famed IMS Victory Podium.
Not a bad day at all!
