Bowmanville, Ont., Canada – One day after earning his third pole position and third runner-up finish of the season, Shelby Blackstock guided his Andretti Autosport/Team Starstruck entry to a well-deserved maiden victory in Round 10 of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park circuit.

Blackstock, a 23-year-old rookie from Nashville, Tenn., started second behind Race 1 winner Spencer Pigot. After shadowing the Team Pelfrey car for the first 11 laps, Blackstock took advantage of a slight slip by the 19-year-old from Orlando, Fla., to take the lead in Turn 8 and never looked back.

Shelby Blackstock“This is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders,” Blackstock said. “Matt [Brabham] has had his fair share of wins this season and it’s nice for me to finally bring one in.”

While Pigot lost another couple of places to Juncos Racing teammates Scott Anderson and Diego Ferreira over the next couple of corners, Blackstock put his head down in the lead which he had no trouble in protecting through the remainder of the 20-lap race.

FULL RESULTS

Anderson, also 23, from Fort Collins, Colo., had started in sixth place but moved up two positions on Lap 6 when Nicolas Costa (Team Pelfrey) and championship leader Matthew Brabham (Andretti Autosport) collided in Turn 8 while disputing third place. The pair had also been in vigorous contention for the lead but were unable to resume.

“We have had a lot of fourth-place finishes,” Anderson said. “I think between qualifying and the race it was something like 10 so it feels great to be on the podium, especially after Toronto. The two races there were probably my worst of the season, so to be able to come out in second place today is just awesome.”

After a full-course caution to remove Brabham’s stranded car, Pigot once again took off in the lead, chased by Blackstock, while Anderson took advantage of a slight slip by Ferreira to move into third place, which became second just a couple of laps later when Blackstock made his move for the lead and Pigot found himself pushed down to fourth.

Blackstock took the checkered flag 2.056 seconds clear of Anderson with Ferreira, Pigot and a closing local driver Zack Meyer (JDC MotorSports), from Toronto, rounding out the top five.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda regular Dalton Kellett also ran a strong race in his Pro Mazda debut this weekend. The Stouffville, Ont., native ran as high as fifth in a third Team Pelfrey car before being forced to make an unscheduled pit stop on lap 13 after an off-track excursion. He eventually recovered to finish in eighth.

Heading into Rounds 11-12 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in two weeks, Brabham continues to lead the championship standings at 273 with Ferreira (222), Blackstock (203), Pigot (185) and Anderson (162) completing the top five.

Contingency awards included the Staubli Award and the Quarter Master Hard Charger Award to Anderson for a gain of four positions from sixth to second, and the PFC Award to the winning team of Andretti Autosport.

Shelby Blackstock wins at CTMP