Andretti Autosport Mazda Road to Indy drivers preview Winterfest

The Mazda Road to Indy boys will be back in action starting this weekend at Cooper Tires Winterfest.

Below, our quotes from Andretti Autosport drives Zach Veach, Matthew Brabham, Garett Grist, and Shelby Blackstock, ahead of Cooper Tires Winterfest, which begins this weekend at New Orleans Motorsports Park.

INDY LIGHTS PRESENTED BY COOPER TIRES

Zach Veach, No. 26 RePLAY XD

As Zach Veach begins his fifth season with Andretti Autosport, and second in Indy Lights, the 19-year-old looks forward to four days of testing against the rest of the field before the season begins next month.

"With each day, we are quickly approaching the start of the 2014 season, and I can't wait! Before we start thinking about St. Pete though, we have a lot of work to do over this weekend and next week getting to test the RePLAY XD car at NOLA and Barber! So far the Andretti Autosport Indy Lights team has been very quick in preseason testing, and we are working extremely hard to carry that into race time!"

Matthew Brabham, No. 83 United Fiber & Data/MAZDASPEED

Coming off a record-breaking season in Pro Mazda Presented by Cooper Tires, 19-year-old Matthew Brabham moves up the Mazda Road to Indy to Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires for his second season with Andretti Autosport. Donning the colors of United Fiber & Data and MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development, the third-generation driver looks to extend the legacy of the Brabham dynasty.

"I'm very excited to get out on track at New Orleans and Barber! The new livery on the car looks fantastic, and I'm very proud to be representing United Fiber & Data and Mazda. It is a very important few days of testing for us as it will give a good gauge on how we stack up compared to everyone else in the series, which will be very interesting! I'm feeling more and more comfortable in the car, however, I have still lots to learn. The track time is huge for us and we will be taking full advantage of every second available."

PRO MAZDA PRESENTED BY COOPER TIRES

Garett Grist, No. 27 DaVinci Foods/Lander Property Management

USF2000 2013 Rookie of the Year, race winner and third-place championship finisher Garett Grist moves up the Mazda Road to Indy ladder for his first season of Pro Mazda and second with Andretti Autosport. The Grimsby, Ontario, Canada native seeks to improve on his one win, one pole and four podium finishes from 2013.

"Heading into Winterfest, I am definitely looking forward to the four races; it will be my first opportunity to compete in a Pro Mazda race. These races will teach me a lot and show me what I need to improve on for the actual season."

Shelby Blackstock, No. 28 Starstruck

Blackstock looks to top his 2013 season and third place in the championship, in addition to coming off a win at Daytona International Speedway last month in the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, as he enters his second season of Pro Mazda with Andretti Autosport.

"I am very excited to start Winterfest for our first event of the year in Pro Mazda Presented by Cooper Tires. There is a lot of motivation coming off the win at Daytona in the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and we hope this continues. Going into this next week, the No. 28 Starstruck Pro Mazda team is very confident in a good result after a lot of hard work to get ready in the offseason."