USF Juniors – Page 2 – Syndication Server

McNeilly, Wheldon top USF Juniors at NOLA

Liam McNeilly and Sebastian Wheldon once again emerged as the top USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire protagonists as the opening tripleheader round of the season was concluded Sunday at NOLA Motorsports Park. McNeilly, from Brentwood, England, turned the tables on yesterday’s winner Wheldon, from Coral Gables, Fla. after a thrilling contest, while the Continental Tire Grand Prix of Louisiana wrapped up several hours later with Wheldon securing a second victory and the championship lead.

Israeli Ariel Elkin finished a strong third Sunday morning for the InterMS team, while VRD Racing’s Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., edged McNeilly for second in the final 12-lap encounter which once again was run under entirely green-flag conditions.

A separate qualifying session, with the 26-car field split into two groups, was held in the morning to establish the grid for the day’s pair of races. Honors were split, with Saturday’s runaway winner Wheldon claiming his first Continental Tire Pole Award for the first of the day’s two races, with Saturday polesitter McNeilly posting the best of every driver’s second-fastest lap to claim what could prove to be a vital championship bonus point for the third and final race of the weekend.

Wheldon swept into an immediate lead this morning, assisted further when third-fastest qualifier Vinicius Tessaro’s DEForce car abruptly cut out exiting Turn 4. Miraculously, the Brazilian was not collected by anyone among the huge pack of cars in his wake, and he was able to rejoin at the back of the field. Tessaro then posted an impressive fightback by climbing from 25th to 11th at the checkered flag.

Consequently, Wheldon completed the first lap with a massive advantage of over 3s, although to his chagrin, that was whittled to nothing when the caution flags waved briefly due to some debris on the race track from an incident farther down the field.

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The restart was a different story altogether. Wheldon immediately came under pressure from McNeilly, who went side-by-side with Wheldon through the first couple of corners and then moved into the lead by virtue of having the inside line for Turn 3.

McNeilly thereafter controlled the race from the front, and even though Wheldon mounted a stern challenge, there was no way through as the Englishman claimed the victory.

Taylor finished third on the road for VRD Racing, but the addition of a 5s penalty for jumping the start relegated him to sixth behind first-time podium finisher Elkin, InterMS teammate Augusto Soto-Schirripa, from Miami, Fla., who bounced back well after having been unable to start Saturday’s race due to an electrical gremlin and Exclusive Autosport’s Jack Jeffers, from San Antonio, Texas.

“I had a good day here at Nola,” McNeilly said. “I qualified second overall and managed to convert that to a win in race two. I was on pole for race three. I had a good start and then dropped back a few places. I managed to get my way back up into third which I managed through the rest of the race. A good start to the season and hopefully we will build on that for Barber.”

Mexican Rodrigo Gonzalez (DEForce Driver Development) took home the Tilton Hard Charger Award after working his way from 25th on the grid to 17th at the checkered flag.

The PFC Award to the winning car owner went to Jay Howard.

Race three Sunday afternoon began once again with McNeilly leading the way from Taylor and Wheldon, although Elkin was the man to watch at the start as he charged from fifth on the grid to challenge McNeilly for the lead as they raced into Turn Four for the first time.

McNeilly pushed a little too hard under braking for Turn 10 on the opening lap and briefly ran into the escape road. He emerged still with the lead but quickly ceded the position after recognizing he had gained an illegal advantage. Elkin was the initial beneficiary, although Wheldon immediately began to apply pressure and it was only a matter of time before the Israeli was forced to capitulate.

Once into the lead on lap four, Wheldon put his head down and soon stretched out a comfortable lead.

Taylor also found a way past Elkin and chased the leader as hard as he could. The pair ran an almost identical pace but the advantage never looked likely to shift away from Wheldon.

McNeilly fought back from his early miscue to claim third ahead of Elkin, who finished with a slender edge over Tessaro and Soto-Schirripa.

“The day went really well,” Wheldon said. “In the first race I was able to finish second, which is really good for the points. Heading into the last race, I just wanted to stay on track and keep it clean and was able to take the win. The car was phenomenal all day and I can’t thank VRD enough.”

Brazilian Joao Vergara earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award for Exclusive Autosport by virtue of making up six positions from 19th on the grid, while VRD Racing’s Dan Mitchell claimed his second PFC Award of the weekend as the winning car owner.

The next event for USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire will be held in conjunction with the NTT IndyCar Series at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala. Practice and qualifying will take place on Thursday, April 25, with a warmup and two 20-lap races slated for Friday, April 26.

RACE TWO RESULTS

RACE THREE RESULTS

Sebastian Wheldon dominates USF Juniors opener at NOLA

Second-generation racer Sebastian Wheldon romped to an emphatic USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire debut victory Saturday afternoon to kick off the weekend’s busy Continental Tire Grand Prix of Louisiana at NOLA Motorsports Park. Wheldon, 15, from Coral Gables, Fla., claimed the lead shortly after the start from polesitting Englishman Liam McNeilly (Jay Howard Driver Development), and quickly pulled away to an unassailable lead for VRD Racing.

McNeilly eventually secured second position after a thrilling battle with Wheldon’s teammate, Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., as an impressive 25-car field provided some superb action during an all-green flag 12-lap race on the 2.74-mile road course just a few miles from downtown New Orleans, La.

After regularly topping the timing charts during the pre-season Spring Training test at NOLA last month, McNeilly, 17, from Brentwood, England, continued his fine form by claiming the first Continental Tire Pole Award of the new season. McNeilly maintained his edge at the start, but Wheldon, who started second, remained alongside his rival on the outside line as the two leaders negotiated Turn 1, which in turn gave him the advantage – and the lead – at Turn 2.

Taylor, who lined up fifth on the grid, also muscled his way past McNeilly on the opening lap, which allowed Wheldon to consolidate his lead. He never looked back. Wheldon turned a series of fast, consistent laps to extend his advantage to almost 8s before finally heeding the instructions from race engineer/driver coach Jacob Loomis and eventually taking the checkered flag some 7.6285s to the good.

Taylor for many laps managed to resist the pressure from McNeilly and hold onto second place, despite the JHDD Tatuus JR-23 exhibiting considerably more straight line speed. Finally, with three laps remaining, McNeilly executed a fine outside-line pass under braking for Turn 1, then edged clear to cement his runner-up finish.

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He next came under attack from Brazilian Vinicius Tessaro (DEForce Racing), Jack Jeffers (Exclusive Autosport), from San Antonio, Texas, and Israeli Ariel Elken (InterMS), who rampaged through the field following a qualifying that left him a distant 14th on the grid. Taylor barely managed to hold off Tessaro for third on the dash to the line, with Elkin capping a fine performance by usurping Jeffers with three laps remaining.

Brazilian Bruno Ribeiro (DEForce Racing) narrowly edged G3 Argyros (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Newport Beach, Calif., for seventh after a race-long battle as another Brazilian, Leonardo Escorpioni (Zanella Racing) and Canadian Ayden Ingratta (Jay Howard Driver Development) completed the top 10. However, Ribeiro later was assessed a five-place penalty for being out of position at the start which relegated him to 11th in the final results behind fellow Brazilian Joao Vergara (Exclusive Autosport).

“The race went really well. I was able to lead early on at the start and just create a big gap on the field,” Wheldon said after his victory. “The car felt really good. We’ve had a fast car since practice and it felt amazing. It feels good to start the season like this and I gained a lot of confidence and should be good for the next round.”

The Tilton Hard Charger Award was earned by Exclusive Autosport’s Evan Cooley, from Frankfort, Ill., who worked his way to 14th place after having started last following some problems in qualifying, while the PFC Award for the winning car owner went to VRD Racing’s Dan Mitchell.

The opening weekend of the USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire season will conclude with two more races Sunday. The starting lineups will be set following another split qualifying session, starting at 8:00 a.m., with the races due to start at 11:45 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. CDT. Live coverage of all sessions will be available on the USF Pro Championships App and on the series’ website, www.usfjuniors.com.

RESULTS

Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon taking next steps in their father’s footsteps

Susie Wheldon asked if 2:30pm would work as a good time for a call to speak with the family’s newest champion. The offering of a specific time to conduct a formal interview is standard fare, especially with the increasingly busy schedule that …

But the timing of this calendar event was rather different: Susie, also known as “Mom,” needed some extra time before the interview because had to pick up her athletes, better known as Sebastian and Oliver, from school.

For Sebastian (pictured above), the eldest of the two sons born to Susie and her late husband Dan Wheldon, the IndyCar champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, 2023 was a transformational year as his first season of junior open-wheel racing delivered six victories, 13 podiums, and the drivers’ title in the Skip Barber Formula Racing Series.

For the offspring of a famous driver, there’s no guarantee the talent possessed by their parents is waiting to be unleashed if they climb into the cockpit and give the sport a try. With Sebastian, big lessons were learned about himself and whether his dad’s immense talent could be summoned as he moved from karts to formula cars.

“It’s given me the confidence and motivation to just keep going,” the 15-year-old told RACER. “This season was important, knowing that it was my rookie year, and first time ever in single-seaters, and I was able to get the championship.”

With the $100,000 advancement prize presented by Skip Barber, Sebastian’s on the move to the USF Championships and its USF Juniors series where he’ll follow the same kind of ladder system that propelled his father to great heights in the late 1990s. He carries the full support of his father’s title-winning IndyCar team as well with career advisement from Andretti Global and backing from its sponsor Gainbridge being carried on the No. 98 VRD Racing entry.

Sebastian’s headed to high school and Oliver, who turns 13 in a few days, has middle school on the horizon. He’ll also follow his brother’s footsteps out of karting and into the Skip Barber Formula Racing Series, which means the Wheldon boys will continue moving in different directions.

Oliver and Sebastian Wheldon, with Scott Dixon and Susie Wheldon, in their karts at IMS in 2022. Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment

Compared to the years where both were with Mom at the kart track, life for the Wheldons in 2024 will be one of moving in different racing circles with Susie in the middle trying to keep her boys on time and organized

“They were both in the same boat at the same place at the same time before, so it was a little bit more manageable,” she said. “But last year, with them in different directions, it was a bit more challenging, and now it’s only becoming more that way, so I have to adjust my life more to fit with theirs. I think the joy for me is just being there and getting a front row seat as they come through the ranks and really chase their dreams. I think for any parent, that is just a beautiful thing.

“But no matter what your kids are doing, with Oliver getting into the Skip Barber stuff, and Sebastian in USF Juniors, I’m just so grateful to be on this journey with them and just to have the support of the racing community. There’s a special group of people that have just really held my boys up and held me up during some difficult times. So it’s just really cool to see things come full circle.”

Led by Dan, racing was once the dominant activity in their lives. It’s taken some time to grow comfortable in rejoining the racing circuit, but with her sons finding the same passion and early success as their father, Susie is finding a joy of her own — in a different form — with the return to the sport.

“It feels like we’re at the karting stage all over again, getting into this new thing for them,” she said. “This is the first step in the single-seater journey, so we’ve put karting behind us and that’s one milestone that we’ve reached. And now we’re setting our sights on the ladder system of open-wheel racing and getting them to the top. We’ll see how it goes. But it’s just been a pleasure to be their mom and walk beside them.”

Juncos’s son takes first step onto Indy development ladder

Leandro Juncos, the son of Juncos Hollinger Racing team co-owner Ricardo Juncos, is the latest multi-generational driving talent to join the American junior open-wheel driver ladder. The Miami, Florida-born 18-year-old continues the Argentinian …

Leandro Juncos, the son of Juncos Hollinger Racing team co-owner Ricardo Juncos, is the latest multi-generational driving talent to join the American junior open-wheel driver ladder.

The Miami, Florida-born 18-year-old continues the Argentinian family’s tradition in the USF Championships’ USF Juniors category, the entry level class that leads to USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000.

“I’m very excited, it’s a unique opportunity to fulfill and continue a family legacy,” Juncos said. “My great-grandfather raced in motorbikes, my grandfather in National Tourism, and my father in Formula Renault and Sport Prototipo.

“Now it’s my turn to show what the Juncos family has in its blood. This is a dream I’ve always had. The motorsport world is in my DNA.”

Juncos, whose father fields entries in IndyCar’s Indy NXT series, will drive for the DEForce team, the dominant outfit who won the 2023 USF Juniors title with Nicolas Giaffone, another multi-generational driver whose father Felipe raced in IndyCar.

Seeing the JHR team put on a IndyCar demonstration run late in 2022 helped seal his interest in joining the USF Championships.

“I was at the TC Race in Argentina, and it motivated me even more to make the decision to race,” Juncos said. “Seeing the JHR Chevy, the adrenaline and passion of the fans was what led me to decide to give it a try.”

Sikes, Schwartz and Jeffers top USF Pro Fall Combine

The USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires annual Fall Combine wrapped up this afternoon after two days of testing on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix circuit. A small margin separated the top times across each of the three ladder series — USF Pro 2000, USF2000 and USF Juniors – in what is shaping up to be a highly competitive season in 2024.

At the end of six test sessions, six drivers had topped the timesheets in USF Pro 2000 representing six different teams. It was reigning USF2000 champion Simon Sikes who took the honors at the close with a quick lap of 1m21.8s. It was an impressive debut by the 22-year-old from Athens, Ga.

RESULTS

“I was curious coming into this event, especially with the level of competition and this being my first days in the car. Yesterday was all about getting a feel for it and then trying to put together what I learned yesterday into some laps this morning and it turns out it was pretty quick. It wasn’t by much, but we managed the overall quickest lap. I am happy for everyone at Pabst Racing. It is just a really good showing and some confidence. Not that we don’t have work to do, but we are not too far behind heading into the off-season.

“The level of competition is extremely high. I knew that coming in, just seeing the names that were going to be at the test. You’ve got drivers like Braden [Eves] that are coming back, Christian Brooks, current drivers in the series like [Francesco] Pizzi and the USF2000 drivers that I raced with moving up. It is just an extremely high level of competition and six different teams at the top just proves it.”

In USF2000, Hudson Schwartz of Pabst Racing set the bar with a fastest lap of 1m25.8s in his series debut following a season of USF Juniors. This past week, Schwartz, 14, of Washington, D.C., was crowned the Lucas Oil School of Racing Formula Car Series champion where he earned a $250,000 prize to advance to USF2000 in 2024. Schwartz paced all but one of the six test outings at IMS.

RESULTS

“The last session was amazing,” said Schwartz. “I was really pushing the car to the limit. I really like the USF2000 car. It is so fast and driving it at Indianapolis Motor Speedway just means so much to me. It is such a great track and I really enjoyed driving it. This is really the perfect way to kick off the year and the start of my USF2000 career. I want to thank everyone at Pabst as well. It was amazing being able to work with such a great team.”

Jack Jeffers led bragging rights in USF Juniors for Exclusive Autosport with a best lap of 1m29.2s. The 17-year-old from San Antonio, Texas, is coming off his rookie season in USF Juniors competition where he finished third with a trio of wins. Jeffers was among the top three in all six sessions, headlining four.

RESULTS

“Having a full year of experience under my belt, I have an advantage,” said Jeffers. “I can hop in the car and I am already acclimated to it. I have never been to the Speedway and had to learn the track, but Exclusive Autosport and myself have a good winter test program set up so being as fast as we were was a big pay off to them. It definitely helps with our attitude and mental state being this fast against the rest of the field. It gives us confidence going into next year but you never know, so we just have to keep working.”

USF Pro Championships competitors will return to the track for an official series test at Sebring International Raceway’s Club Circuit on December 11-12.

USF Pro Championships sports 50 entries for Fall Combine

The USF Championships will see 50 entries take part in this weekend’s Fall Combine on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Across its three classes, 19 entries are found in USF Pro 2000 and in USF2000, and 12 will hit the track in USF …

“The Fall Combine never disappoints in terms of new drivers and new programs,” said USF development director Rob Howden. “I love this annual test because it provides our first opportunity to see drivers moving up a category, such as our USF Juniors champion Nicolas Giaffone debuting in USF2000 with DEForce and reigning USF2000 title winner Simon Sikes getting behind the wheel of his Pabst Racing USF Pro 2000 car.

“Add in drivers advancing from the Skip Barber Formula Race Series and those coming in from New Zealand, Ireland, Brazil and Portugal to get their first taste of our equipment and program, and this weekend’s test is full of tremendous storylines. The 2024 season is shaping up to be our best thus far.”

Timing and scoring info for the Fall Combine can be found on the three series’ sites and through the USF Pro Championships App.

ENTRY LIST

Giaffone seals up USF Juniors title at COTA as Lockhart wins twice

DEForce Racing’s Nicolas Giaffone has emerged as the 2023 USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires champion and will earn a Discount Tire Driver Development Scholarship valued at $241,890 to advance to USF2000 in 2024. Giaffone, 18, of Sao Paulo, Brazil, has had a stranglehold on the championship and merely needed to start the second race of a tripleheader event at Circuit of The Americas Sunday to secure the title.

Giaffone, son of former INDYCAR race winner Felipe Giaffone, claimed a record six wins as well as five poles and 11 top-three finishes in the 16-round championship – the first step on the USF Pro Championships driver development ladder.

After honing his skills in karting, Giaffone graduated to cars in 2022 in the F4 Brazilian Championship where he was a multiple race winner before joining the USF Juniors grid.

“This is amazing,” Giaffone said. “I can’t even put into words what I am feeling. It’s been an amazing season. I didn’t see past to it to be honest as I was just focusing on the next race, the next event, the next race. I realized the amazing job we were doing.

“I have to thank DEForce. They gave me a competitive car every single weekend and because of them, I am here. I have been saying this a lot and will say it again – a driver is just a driver and we cannot do anything without a good team and a good car. They have given me the opportunity to race in a very competitive car, so I thank them for that.

“I also want to thank my family for the support as always. I am not the easiest guy to be with on a race weekend, and they help me a lot. I also have to thank my sponsors for an amazing season. They have made it possible and I am super happy to be here. I can’t even express how much.”

It was a big weekend for DEForce Racing, which also claimed Team Championship honors.

The accomplishments of the 2023 USF Juniors competitors will be acknowledged at a Championship Celebration featuring all three levels of the driver development system on September 4 in Portland, Ore.

Lockhart first-time winner in race two

After sniffing at victory in several races, Jimmie Lockhart, 16, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., claimed his first career USF Juniors win – becoming the sixth different race winner this season. The VRD Racing driver had three podiums to his credit entering the weekend and was finally able to complete the job with a dominant performance in the second round of the Cooper Tires Circuit of The Americas Grand Prix.

Quinn Armstrong returned to the podium following a three-race top-three absence to finish second for DEForce Racing with Joey Brienza of Exclusive Autosport third.

Jack Jeffers started on pole – his second Cooper Tires Pole Award of the weekend – with Giaffone lining up on the front row followed by Max Taylor (VRD Racing) and Armstrong.

Drama began at the start when the caution flags flew on lap one for the stranded car of Bianca Bustamante (Exclusive Autosport) which ground to a halt on the pace lap and was not able to re-fire. A red flag resulted as race control had to reorder the grid due to numerous cars passing under the yellow.

With the green flag on lap two, Jeffers was in charge of the field followed by Giaffone, Lockhart, who had qualified sixth, and Taylor. More drama unfolded on lap seven with contact between Jeffers and Giaffone as they battled for the lead. Giaffone was able to continue, although dropping to 11th place, while Jeffers was forced to retire.

Lockhart was then on point with Brienza and Armstrong in pursuit. Armstrong was able to make his move on Brienza with three laps remaining to secure second. VRD Racing teammates Hudson Schwartz and Ethan Barker rounded out the top five.

Giaffone managed to claw his way back to seventh, after a series of consecutive fastest race laps.

VRD Racing’s Dan Mitchell picked up another PFC Award as the winning team owner, while Giovanni Cabrera of Exclusive Autosport took home the Tilton Hard Charger Award for a gain of six positions.

Lockhart puts his stamp on race three

Lockhart continued his form from earlier in the day to close out the season finale with another victory. While Jeffers took the checkered flag in second, a subsequent post-race 30s penalty for avoidable contact dropped him down the order to 14th, moving Armstrong into second and Hudson Schwartz (VRD Racing ) into third.

Jeffers once again started on pole with Giaffone alongside, and Taylor and Armstrong on row two. Multiple incidents on the opening lap brought out the yellow flags as the AMR Safety Team went to retrieve the stranded cars of Lucas Fecury (DEForce Racing) in Turn 1 and Cabrera in Turn 11.

The race resumed a lap later as Jeffers and Giaffone battled for the lead, but it wasn’t long before another incident involving Dane Scott and Aiden Potter, both of Jay Howard Driver Development, brought out a second caution period.

The race went green in time for a three-lap dash to the checkers, after which more contact among the leaders enabled Lockhart to nip through and score an opportunist win as well as claim the Tilton Hard Charger Award. The penalty for Jeffers allowed Barker and Brienza to round out the top five.

For the second time today, the PFC Award went to winning team owner Dan Mitchell.

RACE 2 RESULTS

RACE 3 RESULTS

Jeffers takes hometown USF Juniors win at COTA

Jack Jeffers claimed his second consecutive win in USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires competition with a thrilling battle in the first of the Cooper Tires Circuit of The Americas Grand Prix tripleheader. Jeffers, 17, from nearby San Antonio, entered the weekend tied for second in the championship standings for Exclusive Autosport and now holds a 23-point advantage over third with just two races remaining.

Had Jeffers finished second in Saturday’s 12-lap race around the 3.427-mile, 20-turn road course, DEForce Racing’s Nicolas Giaffone, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, would have accumulated enough points to land the championship title Saturday. Instead, with his third-place finish, Giaffone will head into the second round Sunday with a 64-point advantage and 66 total points possible on the table.

He will need merely to start the first of two races Sunday to clinch the Discount Tire Driver Development Scholarship valued at $241,890 to advance to USF2000 in 2024.

Max Taylor, of Greenwich, Conn., drove a fine race to finish second, notching his second consecutive podium for VRD Racing after a maiden win in the last round at Road America.

Jeffers led the field to the green flag after securing his second Cooper Tires Pole Award of the season with Taylor alongside and DEForce Racing teammates Quinn Armstrong, from Newcastle, NSW, Australia, and Giaffone sharing the second row.

The opening lap started clean but had championship implications as contact occurred between Armstrong and VRD Racing’s Jimmie Lockhart, from Boca Raton, Fla., who started fifth, sent Armstrong into the pits with a cut tire. Armstrong, who entered the weekend tied on points with Jeffers, fell to the back of the field and eventually finished 14th – dropping to third in the point standings.

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Jeffers lost the lead to Taylor on the second lap, with Taylor eventually building up a gap of 1.018s. But Jeffers continued to whittle away at the margin and was able to retake the lead on lap 10 which he maintained to the end.

“It feels amazing to win at home,” Jeffers said afterward. “I’ve grown up watching F1 races on this track and watching a bunch of different races, and being able to drive on it is amazing, and better yet, to win on it. It feels special.

“The pass for the win was calculated, and I was planning it ahead of time. I had my crew chief Michael [Duncalfe] on the radio, and Lou [d’Agostino] and Conner [Clubine] telling me how to set it up and I have to thank them for keeping the car good through the entire race. The setup was perfect from start to end. I set the pass up as planned – I knew Turn 1 is a big passing opportunity and it’s a wide track and I knew I could send it in there and I knew he would see me and leave me room. So I sent it down the inside and was able to make the move stick and we were side-by-side through the Esses, but I came out ahead. I truly want to thank Exclusive Autosport, Corpay, and my parents for giving me this opportunity.”

Giaffone had dropped to sixth in the opening tours but was able to regain track positions while also posting the fastest lap of the race.

Filipina Bianca Bustamante, who made a return with Exclusive Autosport prior to the F1 Academy event at COTA in October, took home the Tilton Hard Charger Award after a gain of five positions to finish 10th.

Exclusive Autosport’s Michael Duncalfe earned the PFC Award as the winning car owner.

Two races remain on the docket Sunday at 11 a.m. and 3:55 p.m. CDT.

RESULTS

USF Pro Championships talent watch: Jimmie Lockhart

Most young racers can point to the one thing that introduced them to racing. For some, it was a friend’s birthday party at a local karting track; for others, it was a parent-child excursion that turned into an obsession. But for USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires rookie Jimmie Lockhart, who currently lies fifth in the 2023 point standings ahead of this weekend’s tripleheader finale at Austin’s Circuit of The Americas, the catalyst was slightly more unusual.

“My family first got into racing because we would always go to the NASCAR races in Daytona and Homestead,” Lockhart explains. “My dad is a yacht captain, and at the time he was the captain of the yacht owned by Brian France (the former CEO and chairman of NASCAR), so we would always get pit passes. That’s where the love for racing came into my family.”

With the racing bug firmly entrenched, the young Lockhart embarked on his own racing journey, starting at the K1 Speed indoor karting center near the family’s home in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

At the age of seven, Lockhart and his father, Billy, headed to the karting center at Homestead-Miami Speedway to begin the next steps.

“I would do some local kart racing at Homestead and then, when I was about eight-years old, we started racing all over the U.S.,” recalls Lockhart. “We raced nationally for about four years.”

After winning several championship titles, Lockhart decided to make the move to race cars. He connected with Dan Mitchell of VRD Racing and joined the team to contest the 2021 YACademy Winter Series at Homestead, where he finished fifth. He then spent much of the year testing in preparation for the 2022 season, but the family stepped away from racing for a season due to funding issues.

Lockhart remained committed to his training regimen in anticipation of a return in 2023, and when VRD Racing joined the USF Juniors series, it was a chance for him to step on to the vaunted USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires driver development ladder.

“USF Juniors is the start of the ladder to get into IndyCar, so we thought it was a great place for me to start with a team that I knew very well,” he says. “VRD won the 2022 USF Juniors team championship, so I was ready to get to work both on and off track.”

While contesting the full slate of USF Juniors races, Lockhart also added an F4 US Championship Powered by Honda event at NOLA, near New Orleans, La., with his VRD team. The 16-year old had planned to spend the weekend logging laps, but instead captured a pole position and victories in two of the three races.

Brimming with confidence, Lockhart headed to Sebring for his USF Juniors debut, earning top 10s in all three races, including a podium in race three. He added a third-place finish at Barber Motorsports Park to make it two podiums in the first five races and top 10s in 11 of the 13 races to date.

The highlight so far? That podium in front of the NTT IndyCar Series crowd at Barber.

“It’s been great having the opportunity to get back in the car after a year off,” says Lockhart. “Just being with the team and getting the opportunity to continue what I love to do and race a full season this year. But getting that podium during the IndyCar weekend at Barber was probably my favorite race this year.”

As Lockhart continues to prove himself on the USF Pro Championships ladder, he hopes to maintain his momentum into 2024.

“The biggest challenge so far has been just learning and improving as fast as possible, given the small amount of standalone testing that we’ve done – and being able to compete against people with multiple years of experience in racing. We’re doing everything we can to continue racing, but that has a lot to do with what happens when this season ends as we look for sponsorship backing.”

Lockhart is currently backed by Yacht Next, a company owned by his mother Joanne that specializes in high-end yacht interior design. Joanne is English and father Billy American, giving Lockhart dual British and U.S. citizenship. With both parents involved in yachting, does the young Lockhart have any interest in a different form of racing?

“I did some sailing as a kid, but not for very long,” he says. “My dad is still a full-time yacht captain on private super yachts and he travels all over the world, so that’s the only sailing background in our family.”

Catch Jimmie on Instagram and Facebook, and for the latest news and results from USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires, click here.

Jeffers and Taylor share Road America USF Juniors victory spoils

Young Americans Jack Jeffers and Max Taylor each claimed a race win today during the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Road America, while Brazilian rookie Nicolas Giaffone took another big step toward the USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires championship …

Exclusive Autosport’s Jeffers led Giaffone (DEForce Racing) to the checkered flag in the opening race this morning by 0.692s. A little later in the day, Taylor (VRD Racing) was adjudged to have been narrowly in front of Giaffone when the yellow flags waved following an incident at the infamous Kink and the race was concluded under caution. Jimmie Lockhart (VRD Racing) and Jeffers both scored a third -place finish.

Four different leaders during this morning’s 10-lap race around the fast and challenging 4.014-mile Road America circuit ensured an exciting start to the day. It began with Jay Howard Driver Development’s series debutant Ayden Ingratta at the front of the field as a result of having posted the quickest of all drivers’ second-fastest laps during the lone qualifying session on Saturday. But the Cooper Tires Pole Award winner was quickly swallowed up in the snarling pack before his race was ended prematurely following contact with a rival and a spin at Canada Corner.

Early leader Taylor completed each of the first four laps in a different position — first, fourth, third and second — before his race also came to an early conclusion at Turn 3, triggering a brief full-course caution.

A restart with four laps remaining saw Jeffers slip from the lead to third place, although he was able to battle his way back to the front and hold off a late charge from championship leader Giaffone to secure his second win of the season.

“The race went well. We were able to get to the lead really early but, as you know, Road America is big for keeping the battle close because of the huge draft,” said Jeffers. “I fell back to third but fought my way back to first. There was a little bit of a kerfuffle on the restart with me and my team messing up a little bit, but we were able to claw back the gap to the DEForce cars and get by them and ultimately take a last lap move on Jimmie and the win.”

Lockhart matched his career-best finish in third as Brazilian rookie Erick Schotten (Exclusive Autosport) posted by far his most impressive performance of the season by holding off Saturday winner Quinn Armstrong (DEForce Racing for fourth.

Schotten also earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award after having started 11th.

The final race of the weekend saw Giaffone claiming his fifth Cooper Tires Pole Award by virtue of the fact his fastest lap in Race 2 — on the final lap — was quicker than anyone else’s second-best lap set during Saturday qualifying.

A six-car battle for top honors later distilled into a two-horse race as Taylor and Giaffone edged clear of the pack. Taylor took the lead with a bold move to the inside of the championship leader at Turn 14 on lap 9, and even though the Brazilian drafted back past as the two leaders crested the hill as the yellow flags flew, race control determined that Taylor had been in front at the moment the caution was called.

“We started from third so I knew I just had to get a good start. Coming into the race, we had to do a full engine swap actually because we were caught up in an accident in Race 2. So mega props to the team for fixing it so quickly and getting me back out there,” related Taylor. “I wouldn’t be here without them and it is a great feeling. On the last few laps, I knew I had to make a move and I just timed it right with the yellow. I sent in into the last corner and got a good enough exit and held it up the straightaway and got the win.”

A titanic battle for third place went the way of Jeffers after the rapid Ingratta ran wide at Turn 5 and then spun at the Kink as he attempted to make up the lost ground. DC Autosport’s Carson Etter, from Villa Park, Calif., also was involved in the incident which triggered the final caution period.

Lockhart eventually was credited with fourth. He also took home the Tilton Hard Charger Award after making up six positions.

The pair of PFC Awards for the winning car owners were shared by Exclusive Autosport’s Michael Duncalfe and VRD Racing’s Dan Mitchell.

Giaffone will head to the series finale, a tripleheader event at Circuit of The Americas in two weeks’ time on August 26-27, with a commanding 72-point lead over Armstrong and Jeffers, who are tied for second. At stake is a Discount Tire Driver Enhancement Scholarship valued at $241,890 to progress onto the next rung on the ladder, USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires, in 2024.

Race 2 Results

Race 3 Results

Provisional championship points after 13 of 16 races:
1. Nicolas Giaffone, 338
2. Quinn Armstrong, 266
3. Jack Jeffers, 266
4. Joey Brienza, 238
5. Jimmie Lockhart, 212
6. Max Taylor, 188
7. Ethan Barker, 175
8. Lucas Fecury, 173
9. Erick Schotten, 173
10. Brady Golan, 164