Indy Lights rookie Dean Stoneman and series points leader Ed Jones do not have a whisker between them, but the distance separating their cars at the finish of the Freedom 100 was razor thin as the Dubai-born Jones ended up on the wrong end of history, just .0024-seconds behind Stoneman’s winning Mazda-powered car.
“It’s so frustrating,” said the 21-year-old Jones, who was pacing beside his Jebel Ali Resorts-sponsored racer afterward and blaming himself for choosing the inside line rather than the outside one. “I was waiting behind Dean for those last few laps. I got the lead into Turn 1, and I thought I had a good run but he had a drive down the backstraight.
“I thought I beat him to the line. I could’ve held the outside line, but he had so much momentum and I think he still could’ve passed me. I blame myself, but when it’s so close like that you can’t believe it.”
It was the 25-year-old Stoneman’s second consecutive victory on the season and the closest finish in series history. It was also the first victory in the Freedom 100 for team owner Michael Andretti, who said he had no idea who had won the race at the end.
“I waited until I saw everybody jump up, then I jumped up,” he said. “We’ve been trying to win this one for so long, and Dean finally delivered it to us.”
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