Richard Antinucci spent all winter working for the break that never came.
“I finished second in the IndyLights championship (standings) and I didn’t get anything. The economy turned on me.”
Nothing was forthcoming, until last week when Antinucci signed for a one-race audition with Team 3G.
But a solid showing Sunday on the road course at Watkins Glen, N.Y. – he finished 19th after running as high as 13th early in the race – has earned Antinucci at least two more starts on the Canadian street circuits at Toronto and Edmonton.
Antinucci is the third driver employed by the low-budget team this season. His predecessors, Stanton Barrett and Buddy Lazier, had only back-of-the-pack results.
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So when Antinucci was running in 13th and keeping pace with fellow rookie and former IndyLights rival Raphael Matos as he approached his first pit stop, there was some excitement in his new team.
However, the right front upright failed two laps after Antinucci’s stop, resulting in a spin.
The Italian-born Antinucci is the nephew of 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner and former Formula One driver Eddie Cheever Jr. He won two races in 16 IndyLights starts.
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