The Chris Griffis Memorial Test is a two-day test event for Road to Indy racing series. The testing is conducted after the regular season. The test is used by teams to test new drivers as well as for the organization to test new cars for the following season.
Chris Griffis
Chris Griffis (11 May 1966 – 12 September 2011) was a former team manager for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Griffis started his career at Patrick Racing, working with Gordon Johncock, Emerson Fittipaldi among others. In 1990, Griffis joined Chip Ganassi Racing before moving to King Racing in 1993 and later joining Panther Racing in 2002. At Panther Racing, Griffis was the crew chief of Mark Taylor winning the 2003 Indy Lights title.[1]
Griffis collapsed and died after a basketball game. He was survived by his wife Mari and daughters (Clair and Sophia). Griffis was buried in Akron, Indiana.[2]
Fastest times
| Year | Indy Lights / Indy NXT | Indy Pro 2000 / USF Pro 2000 | USF2000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 |  Peter Dempsey (1:20.6546)[3]
|
 Jack Hawksworth (1:25.431)[4]
|
 Scott Hargrove (1:29.6937)[3]
|
| 2012 |  Zach Veach (1:19.2209)[5]
|
Spencer Pigot (1:24.859)[6]
|
Matthew Di Leo (1:27.623)[7]
|
| 2013 |  Alexandre Baron (1:15.726)[8]
|
 Alfonso Celis Jr. (1:20.490)[9]
|
Aaron Telitz (1:23.283)[10]
|
| 2014 | Spencer Pigot (1:19.8039)[11]
|
Patricio O'Ward (1:23.6525)[12]
|
Nico Jamin (1:26.3304)[13]
|
| 2015 | Kyle Kaiser (1:54.2235)[14]
|
Patricio O'Ward (2:04.7677)[15]
|
 Nikita Lastochkin (2:09.5454)[16]
|
| 2016 | Garett Grist (1:14.7396)[17]
|
 Victor Franzoni (1:22.6179)[18]
|
Neil Verhagen (1:24.8661)[19]
|
| 2017 | Nico Jamin (1:25.7173)[20]
|
Oliver Askew (1:29.8142)[21]
|
Darren Keane (1:25.1424)[22]
|
| 2018 | Ryan Norman (1:14.9283)
|
Darren Keane (1:19.2971)
|
 Hunter McElrea (1:24.5064)
|
| 2019 |  Rinus VeeKay (1:15.4790)
|
Hunter McElrea (1:19.4553)
|
 Christian Rasmussen (1:24.9311)
|
| 2021 | Benjamin Pedersen (1:25.4619)
|
Louis Foster (1:30.4354)
|
Jagger Jones (1:35.4672)
|
| 2022 |  Danial Frost (1:16.2526)
|
Jack William Miller (1:21.9745)
|
Simon Sikes (1:25.8876)
|
| 2023 | Louis Foster (1:14.8432)
|
Simon Sikes (1:21.8032)
|
Hudson Schwartz (1:25.8372)
|
| 2024 | Myles Rowe (1:15.1848)
|
Track
| Period | Track | Layout | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–2012 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway |  |
2.5134 miles |
| 2013 | Barber Motorsports Park |  |
2.38 miles |
| 2014–2019, 2021–present | Indianapolis Motor Speedway |  |
2.439 miles |
Drivers who tested but not raced
The below table contains drivers who tested during the Chris Griffis Memorial Test in Indy Lights, USF Pro 2000 or USF2000 but not competed in any of the classes.
| Year | Series | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | USF2000 | Joe Ruch[23] |
Afterburner Autosport |
| Yukio Duzanowski[23] |
Belardi Auto Racing | ||
| Nick Neri[23]
| |||
| Michael Adams[23] |
JAY Motorsports | ||
 Kevin Aabol[23] |
JDC MotorSports | ||
 Antti Buri[23]
| |||
 Tristan Viidas[23] |
Pabst Racing Services | ||
| Star Mazda | Jose Carlos Sandoval[6] |
JDC MotorSports | |
| Renan Guerra[6] |
Juncos Racing | ||
 Andre Solano[6] |
Team GDT | ||
 Luca Orlandi[6] |
Team Pelfrey | ||
| Chris Yano[6]
| |||
| Indy Lights | Nick McBride[24] |
Sam Schmidt Motorsports | |
| 2014 | USF2000 | Jordan Bernloehr[13] |
Afterburner Autosport |
| Christian Ross[13]
| |||
| Indy Lights | Parker Kligerman[11] |
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | |
| 2015 | USF2000 | Chase Owen[16] |
Afterburner Autosport |
| Cameron Hill[16] |
JDC MotorSports | ||
| Chase Pelletier[16] |
Team Pelfrey | ||
| Max Mallinen[16] |
SWAN Motorsports | ||
| Pro Mazda | Henrique Baptista[15] |
Team Pelfrey | |
| 2016 | USF2000 | Leandro Wolther[19] |
ArmsUp Motorsports |
| Ryan Norberg[19] |
JDC MotorSports | ||
 Hugo de Sadeleer[19] |
Pabst Racing | ||
| Neil Verhagen[19]
| |||
| Indy Lights |  Richard Gonda[17] |
Andretti Autosport | |
| 2017 | USF2000 | Zoey Edenholm |
BN Racing |
| Elliott Finlayson
| |||
| Justin Gordon |
Exclusive Autosport | ||
| Jaden Conwright |
Team BENIK | ||
| Pro Mazda | Leonard Hoogenboom |
BN Racing | |
| 2018 | USF2000 | Tyler O'Connor
|
Cape Motorsports |
| Ryan Bjerke
|
DEForce Racing | ||
| Logan Cusson
|
Pabst Racing | ||
| 2019 | USF2000 | TJ Thompson
|
HMD Motorsports |
| Alexander Koreiba
|
Jay Howard Driver Development | ||
| Jonathan Kotyk
|
Legacy Autosport | ||
| Rick Bouthoorn
|
Pabst Racing | ||
| Harry Voigt
|
Team E Jay Racing | ||
| IP2000 |  Raoul Hyman
|
Exclusive Autosport | |
| Indy Lights | Egor Orudzhev
|
Andretti Autosport | |
| 2021 | USF2000 | TJ Thompson
|
Jay Howard Driver Development |
| IP2000 | Arias Deukmedjian
|
Deuk Spine Racing | |
| Alexander Koreiba
|
Jay Howard Driver Development | ||
| Nicholas Rivers
| |||
| Blake Upton
|
Turn 3 Motorsport | ||
| 2022 | USF2000 | Jason Pribyl
|
Turn 3 Motorsport |
| Matthew Rees
|
VRD Racing | ||
| USFP2000 | Callum Voisin
|
Jay Howard Driver Development | |
| Raoul Hyman
|
TJ Speed Motorsports | ||
| 2023 | USF2000 | Michael Boyiadzis
|
Jay Howard Driver Development |
| Jason Pribyl
|
Pabst Racing | ||
| Connor Roberts
|
Team Roberts | ||
| 2024 | USF2000 | Jeshua Alianell
|
DEForce Racing |
| Gabriel Cahan
|
Exclusive Autosport | ||
| Brad Majman
|
Jay Howard Driver Development | ||
| Caleb Gafrarar
|
Pabst Racing | ||
| Cooper Shipman
|
VRD Racing | ||
| Mayer Deonarine
| |||
| Teddy Musella
| |||
| Christian Cameron
| |||
| USFP2000 | Miles Bromley
|
TJ Speed Motorsports | |
 Ariel Elkin
| |||
 Sebastian Manson
| |||
| Leandro Juncos
|
Turn 3 Motorsport | ||
| Joseph Loake
| |||
| Titus Sherlock
| |||
| Indy NXT | Alexander Koreiba
|
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
References
- ^ "Sam Schmidt Motorsports Indy Lights Team Manager Chris Griffis Dies". Motor Authority. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "Christopher A. Griffis". IndyStar. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Drivers at test looking to impress". IndyCar. Archived from the original on 1 November 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ "2011 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear Official Series Test". Pro Mazda. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "Mazda Road to Indy Open Test - Indy Lights" (PDF). IndyCar. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f "2012 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear Official Series Test Session". Pro Mazda. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "2012 IMS MRTI Test USF2000 Thursday Final Practice" (PDF). USF2000. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "Frenchman Alex Baron Leads the Way for Belardi in Testing". Indy Lights. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "Mexican Teenager Alfonso Celis Tops Test Times for Juncos Racing". Pro Mazda. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "USF2000: Rookie Telitz Tops USF2000 Times for Afterburner Autosport". More Front Wing. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ a b "9/14/2014 INDIANAPOLIS GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT PRACTICE 3". Indy Lights. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "9/14/2014 INDIANAPOLIS GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT PRACTICE 3". Pro Mazda. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ a b c "9/14/2014 INDIANAPOLIS GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT PRACTICE 3". USF2000. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "11/21/2015 CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS TEST SESSION 3". Indy Lights. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ a b "11/22/2015 CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS TEST SESSION 4". Pro Mazda. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "11/22/2015 CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS TEST SESSION 5". USF2000. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ a b "10/9/2016 INDIANAPOLIS GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT TEST SESSION 8". Indy Lights. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "10/9/2016 INDIANAPOLIS GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT TEST SESSION 5". Pro Mazda. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "10/9/2016 INDIANAPOLIS GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT TEST SESSION 5". USF2000. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "10/21/2017 INDIANAPOLIS GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT TEST SESSION 2". Indy Lights. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "10/22/2017 INDIANAPOLIS GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT TEST SESSION 5". Pro Mazda. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "10/22/2017 INDIANAPOLIS GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT TEST SESSION 5". USF2000. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g "USF2000 Graduates Shine in Star Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights". USF2000. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "Indy Lights entrants" (PDF). IndyCar. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2017.