Michael Cruz wins 66th Purdue Grand Prix

WEST LAFAYETTE − The Purdue Grand Prix is as much about luck and strategy as it is skill.

Fishers native Michael Cruz had all three on his side Saturday.

The Purdue University senior math and stats major, who has been racing go karts since age 4, piloted his No. 24 kart to victory in the 66th Purdue Grand Prix on a chilly Saturday afternoon race that started roughly two hours behind schedule due to rain and sleet.

"It is a pretty difficult challenge, especially at the end of the race when you're tired," Cruz said after downing the traditional bottle of milk once he exited his kart at the finish line. "At the end, I had a good team and I knew how far back second was so I was able to take it a little easy at the end of the race."

That second-place challenger was the perceived race favorite.

Jacob Pettycord won the Grand Prix two years ago and set a qualifying record to earn the pole. He finished with his second consecutive runner-up finish.

Both Pettycord and Cruz, who started third, avoided disaster when outside pole sitter Sam Griffin crashed into the first turn barrier on the opening lap, causing a seven-kart pileup behind.

Cruz and Jonah Hanrahan were able to get by Pettycord during the early laps. Hanrahan bowed out while running second after an accident on lap 41.

"I feel like he's been the favorite," Cruz said of Pettycord. "Obviously he qualified pole. Luckily we got around him at the beginning of the race and we went from there."

Cruz led until pitting just before the halfway point, using a strategic stop with a heavy group of lapped karts just ahead. Cruz's pit stop propelled Raif Shah to the front until Pettycord recaptured the lead on lap 89.

Once Pettycord pitted on lap 99, Cruz assumed the lead and never looked back.

Griffin recovered from his first lap crash, turning in the fastest lap of the race by nearly half a second by completing the Grand Prix track in 25.052 seconds on lap 61, and finished third. Indy Kassy finished fourth and Andrew Bische rounded out the top five.

"It was a great win," said Cruz, who finished 17th last year in his only previous Purdue Grand Prix. "Last race here at Purdue. Doing it with the team was a lot of fun."

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Michael Cruz wins 66th Purdue Grand Prix