Indianapolis, IN (Thursday, May 15, 2025) – Caleb Gafrarar brought his talent to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for his inaugural races at the Indy Grand Prix. The 2.439 mile, 14-turn road course races, run alongside the NTT INDYCAR series, kick off the month of May of racing at Indy.
The week started on Thursday, where Gafrarar had two test sessions and a series practice. Ending up in the top 5 in all of the sessions, Gafrarar was ready for the next two days of racing. Friday morning kicked off immediately with qualifying at 7:55 a.m. With the 45-degree temps, Gafrarar was down on the speed charts until the last couple of laps where he put in the 6th fastest time. That’s where he would start for both races. The first race set for 12:10 p.m. on Friday, gave Gafrarar close to 3 hours to study data, watch video and converse with his engineer, car chief and team members to be ready to go when the green flag drops. And when the green dropped, all eyes were on turn 1 and how the 20-car field was going to maneuver. Gafrarar stayed on the outside and made it through turn 1 to turn 4 coming out in the P8 position. After lap 3, the yellow flag would come out and bring the field back together. Coming out of turn 14, once the green was displayed, Gafrarar was able to pick up another position and kept the pace down to turn 1 where he picked up another position. Caleb stayed on a steady pace and moved into 4th but lost a position with 2 laps to go. At the checkers, Gafrarar crossed the line in the 5th position.
Gafrarar shared, “Finishing in the top 5 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in my first start here is something to be proud of. The car was tight so I kept pushing to get the best finish possible. Keeping consistent finishes is my goal and hope to achieve more in my next race.”
Again, starting on the outside of row 3 in race 2 on Saturday morning, Gafrarar learned from race 1 and was able to move forward into the 5th position coming out of turn 4 on lap 1. It was apparent Gafrarar had a fast car and was able to pick up the 4th position by lap 2. The caution flag came out for lap 3. Once the green waved again, Caleb was 4th and pulling away with the leaders. He had a battle for 3rd and passing back and forth multiple times during the lap, but by lap 6, Gafrarar and 2 other competitors battled from turns 12-14. Gafrarar got a great run off of turn 14 down the straightaway and went for an outside pass going into turn 1. Unfortunately, 2 additional competitors also went to the outside, making it a 4 wide race to turn 1. While Gafrarar made an attempt to back out, it was too late and he was caught in the middle, squeezed from the top and bottom and went off track stuck together with another car. The AMR safety crew was able to separate the cars and Gafrarar caught up to the tail end of the field when the race went back to green. Although scored a lap down, Gafrarar’s #24 Pabst Racing car was fast and he overtook 2 cars on the re-start. Continuing to advance each lap, Gafrarar crossed the line P8 at the checkers on track.
Gafrarar added, “It was an up and down weekend for sure. Finishing P5 in race one was a great way to start the weekend. For race 2, it was evident I had the pace to be in the top 3, I just hate that it was 4 wide into turn 1 and I was the one that suffered the consequences.”
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 Kirkpartrick, 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. Additionally, the Hop & Vine watch party was a success and a huge thank you to everyone that came out to see the race, enjoy breakfast, beverages and supported with donations and merchandise sales.
Caleb also had the opportunity to join Rob Howden and Allen Bestwick in the PA booth to call the action in the USF Pro 2000 race on Sunday.
Gafrarar just wrapped up a two-day test at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course May 13-14. A wet and dry day and both days he held steady with a top 5 performance in all sessions.
Caleb would also like to thank the entire Pabst Racing Team, CG Investment Fund LLC, Circle K, Bell Helmets, OMP, Racing Electronics and Molecule for their continued support. Next up is the Indy oval at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, May 22-23. Caleb’s fan club will again host a watch party at Hop & Vine Davidson (North Carolina) on May 23rd from 4-10pm. 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/