By Steve Wittich
The call to fire the baker’s dozen Elite Engine-prepared 2.0 liter power plants for the second race of the weekend came at 9:15 am.
After one lap behind the USF Pro Championships pace car, the front row of Exclusive Autosport teammates Joey Brienza and Jack Jeffers brought the field down the long front straight to the green flag.
Brienza was the first driver to get the fast left-hand Turn 1, quickly grabbing the lead for the second straight race. Behind the pole sitter, Jeffers and Max Taylor (Velocity Racing Development), who started third, went side-by-side through Turn 1 and the on the run to Turn 3, with the No. 33 having the preferred inside position for the tight corner, he took second.
Race control announced that the start was under review but deemed it to be acceptable.
Later that lap, Jimmie Lockhart (Velocity Racing Development) and Nicolas Giaffone (DEForce Racing) also got by the outside pole sitter after a mistake, with Jeffers dropping down the running order to sixth.
The running order at the end of the first lap was Brienza, Lockhart, Taylor, Giaffone, Ethan Ho (DC Autosport), Jeffers, Ethan Baker (Velocity Racing Development), Quinn Armstrong (DEForce Racing), Lucas Fecury (DEForce Racing), Brady Golan (DEForce Racing), Erick Schotten (Exclusive Autosport), Giovanni Cabrera (Exclusive Autosport) and Carson Etter (DC Autosport), who started from the pit lane.
On the second lap, Lockhart, Taylor, and Giaffone were battling for the last two spots on the podium, with Giaffone running through the grass at the exit of Turn before rejoining and grabbing third.
After three laps, Birenza’s lead was already a comfortable 2.5 seconds, with second-generation driver Giaffone getting around Taylor for second after turning the race’s quickest lap to that point.
Giaffone, in the OMNI-sponsored No. 19, continued to turn quick laps, dropping that 2.5-second gap to 0.8 seconds as the leaders crossed under the crossed flags to signify the halfway point of the ten-lap race.
Lockhart got by his Velocity Racing Development teammate in Turn 1 at the start of the sixth lap to move into second place.
Much like yesterday, Brienza faced immense pressure from a DEForce Racing driver.
On Lap 7, Giaffone looked outside Brienza in Turn 1 before dropping in behind the UBS-sponsored No. 91 of Brienza. The 18-year-old Brazilan then made a brave move inside Turn 3, grabbing the lead for the first time.
Behind the battle for the lead, Jeffers made an impressive pass of Lockhart and Taylor on the inside of the final corner, recovering to finish on the podium for the second straight race.
The Velocity Racing Development teammates Taylor and Lockhart dropped down the running order after making contact, with the No. 33 of Taylor coming to pit road for repairs.
After the race, Lockhart was assessed a 30-second post-race penalty for avoidable contact.
On Lap 8, leader Giaffone made a mistake on a downshift in Turn 3, causing the rear end of his car to break three and bound through the grass at the exit of Turn 3 for the second time. That allowed Brienza to get beside Giaffone as they got to the bumpy braking zone of the Turn 7 Hairpin. Giaffone took the defensive inside line and held the lead.
Giaffone’s lead was a slim 0.4 seconds when they started the second last lap.
Giaffone’s lap eight was much better, allowing him to cross the line 0.8 seconds ahead of Brienza to start the final lap. The pole-sitter got close in the second half of the last lap, but Giaffone held on to collect his first win.
Behind the podium runners, Ho and Thursday’s winner were engaged in an entertaining tussle for fourth, with the DC Autosport driver of the Triple S Suspensions sponsored No. 68 crossing the line six-hundredths of a second ahead of Armstrong.
Cooper Tires USF Juniors Grand Prix Of Sebring Race #2 – unofficial results
| RANK | CAR NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | DIFF. | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Nicolas Giaffone | DEForce Racing | 10 LAPS | 2:10.884 |
| 2 | 91 | Joey Brienza | Exclusive Autosport | -0.244 | 2:11.704 |
| 3 | 92 | Jack Jeffers | Exclusive Autosport | -2.005 | 2:11.380 |
| 4 | 68 | Ethan Ho | DC Autosport | -5.72 | 2:11.584 |
| 5 | 16 | Quinn Armstrong | DEForce Racing | -5.78 | 2:11.622 |
| 6 | 12 | Ethan Barker | VRD Racing | -7.052 | 2:11.408 |
| 7 | 17 | Lucas Fecury | DEForce Racing | -7.377 | 2:11.746 |
| 8 | 18 | Brady Golan | DEForce Racing | -20.855 | 2:12.531 |
| 9 | 90 | Erick Schotten | Exclusive Autosport | -23.802 | 2:13.387 |
| 10 | 48 | Jimmie Lockhart | VRD Racing | -38.411 | 2:11.115 |
| 11 | 57 | Carson Etter | DC Autosport | -50.143 | 2:13.053 |
| 12 | 93 | Giovanni Cabrera | Exclusive Autosport | -62.885 | 2:17.850 |
| 13 | 33 | Max Taylor | VRD Racing | -1 Lap | 2:11.853 |
The final USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires race of the season-opening event will get the green flag at 4:55 pm. Brienza will start on the pole for the third straight race, with Giaffone starting beside him on the front row.