USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires will reach the mid-point in its 16-race season this weekend, June 3-4, with a tripleheader event at the challenging 3.27-mile Virginia International Raceway road course in Alton, Va.
Six different drivers have stepped onto the podium during the opening five rounds of competition. After sweeping the most recent double-header event at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, third-generation Brazilian racer Nicolas Giaffone currently leads the way in the quest for a scholarship valued at over $241,800 to advance to USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires in 2024 as part of the Discount Tire Driver Advancement Scholarship program. Giaffone, 18, drives for the same DEForce Racing team with which Canada’s Mac Clark won the inaugural USF Juniors title in 2022.
Giaffone will be joined in the DEForce stable by Australian teenager Quinn Armstrong, who holds third position in the standings with a win and two-second-place finishes to his name, as well as Brazilian veteran Lucas Fecury, who completed a DEForce lockout in one of the two Barber races, and newcomer Brady Golan, from Austin, Texas.
Exclusive Autosport’s Joey Brienza, from Golden, Colo., currently splits the DEForce pair in the points table on the strength of three pole positions, a win and two runner-up finishes gained from the opening event at Sebring International Raceway in Florida. Brienza will be supported by Jack Jeffers, from San Antonio, Texas, who won last year’s Lucas Oil Formula Car Championship, and fellow rookies Erick Schotten, from Brazil, and Giovanni Cabrera, from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
VRD Racing, which emerged victorious in all three VIR races one year ago, also will field a contingent of hungry youngsters, led by Jimmie Lockhart, also from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Lockhart already has a pair of podium finishes to his name this year. Series veteran Ethan Barker, from Houston, Texas, Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., and Hudson Schwartz, from Arlington, Va., also will fly the VRD flag.
A pair of cars from DC Autosport will complete the 14-car field in the hands of Ethan Ho, from Los Angeles, Calif., and former off-road racer Carson Etter, from Villa Park, Calif.
A busy week for the USF Juniors will begin with three 30-minute test sessions on Friday, June 2. An additional 30 minutes of official practice at 9:55am ET on Saturday will provide one final opportunity to become familiar with the track prior to a crucially important single qualifying session at 12:35pm. Race 1 will start later in the day at 4:10pm, followed by two more 15-lap or 40-minute races on Sunday at 9:10am and 12:55pm.
Full coverage can be found on the free USF Pro Championships App, YouTube channel and the usfjuniors.com website.