Indianapolis, IN (Wednesday, May 28, 2025) – After a successful team test at the iconic Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park a week ago, with consistent track record speed laps, Caleb Gafrarar returned for the Carb Night Classic Freedom 75 race. The 0.686-mile banked oval, is a 10 year tradition for USF2000 and run alongside the USAC Silver Crown Series and the National Pavement Midget Championship and All-Star Pavement Midgets, the weekend of the Indianapolis 500.
On Thursday, Gafrarar had two test sessions before going right into qualifying. Wrapping up test one with the second fastest time and test two with the fourth fastest time, Gafrarar had his sights set on the pole position for qualifying. Of the 18-car field, Gafrarar went out 12th to see how he stacked up with the field. On the warmup lap, Gafrarar had a slight bobble, but was still able to put in a fast lap one at 21.16. Lap two needed to be a track record lap time to make it to the top of the charts, as they average the two laps. Gafrarar settled for a 21.02 lap which bumped him to the 3rd position. Once all of the cars qualified and penalties were accessed, Gafrarar would start from the 4th position on the grid.
Ready for race day Friday, the USF2000 class would have one practice session before the 8:30 p.m. start time of the race. Gafrarar was strong and was just setting up for a practice start when another competitor hit the wall in front of him. Veering left to avoid the incident, the other car came down the track and clipped the rear end of Gafrarar’s car. The damage was great, including right side suspension damage, left side suspension damage and rear wing. Once the car was towed into the garage, the Pabst Racing Team went to work to get the car race ready. With only 2 hours to spare, there were 5-10 team members working on the car at any given time. In true Pabst Racing Team fashion, they pulled together and had the car on the scales in 1.5 hours following the accident and ready for a showdown under the lights.
When the 75-lap race went green, Gafrarar was looking for grip and the right pace. While falling back to 6th, he would battle competitors from the high side to keep his tires fresh and ready for the attack. As the laps dwindled down it looked as though Gafrarar would have to settle for a 6th place finish. But on lap 63 the caution came out. When the green flew with 8 laps to go, Gafrarar shot out like a cannon, running the middle groove of the track. He made calculated and impressive passes to reach the 4th place position, where he would finish the night.
Gafrarar shared with a laugh, “Who would have thought that I would be successful with turning left? While I’ve raced legends cars on a flat oval, this was my first time in a winged car on a banked oval.”
When asked about the race day on track incident, Gafrarar added, “Getting wrecked in practice is not something you ever think about. I’m just incredibly thankful for the entire Pabst Racing team. Everyone jumped in to help get the car race ready and gave me a chance to win the race. I just hate that the caution didn’t come out sooner because I know I had the car to compete for the win.”
Caleb would like to thank his family, friends and fans who supported his campaign to have their name on the side of the race car for the month of May: Hop & Vine Davidson, Chris G’s Coaching, Street Official Motorsport Photography, Cody Kauffman, Matt Davis, Mitchell & Mary Ruth Hartsell, Jeremy Callahan, Jane Carpenter, Peggy Cormier, AJ Abate, Teri Miller, Kitasaki Farms, Bob Little, Rudolph Kirkpatrick, Wylder’s Grandparents, Michael & Tracy Johnson, Erin Nosker, Kara Carpenter, PJ Griffin, Elaine Sinclair, Clarissa Gafrarar, Maw Maw Jackie Boger and IBK Karaoke. He also had his Paw Paw Bill Boger riding along with him. His Paw Paw is known for his car set ups, spotting and car chiefing for a number of drivers in late models and the former Hooter’s Pro Cup Series.
Additionally, the Hop & Vine watch party was a success and a huge thank you to everyone that came out to see the race, enjoyed beverages and supported with donations and merchandise purchases.
Caleb would also like to thank everyone that supports his efforts: CG Investment Fund LLC, Circle K, Bell Helmets, OMP, Racing Electronics and Molecule. Next up is Road America June 18-22. A track that Gafrarar has had success at, finishing P2 in the Formula Car Series. Prior to the race weekend, the series has a test, June 11-12. If you would like to support Caleb as he continues to compete in the highly competitive USF2000 series, please visit his website contact page for emails and phone numbers. https://www.calebgracer.com/contact/