By Steve Wittich
The USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires championship joins the NTT INDYCAR SERIES at Barber Motorsports Park this weekend. The pair of Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Alabama races mark the only time that the first rung on the USF Pro Championships joins the top series this season.
If the three rounds at Sebring International Raceway are any indication, the rest of the USF Juniors season will be can’t miss viewing. The trio of races at the former Army Air Field ran caution-free, featuring multiple passes for the lead and three different winners.
Exclusive Autosport rookie Joey Brienza had the strongest start to his season. The Coloradan was the only driver to stand on the podium in all three races, started from the pole three times and took home the victory in the final race of the weekend.
Second-generation racer Nicolas Giaffone heads into the second race weekend of the season after winning once and finishing in the top five in all three races. The DEForce Racing driver from Brazil trails Brienza by only 11 points.
Reigning Lucas Oil Formula Car Race Series champion and Brienza’s Exclusive Autosport teammate Jack Jeffers sits third on the points table after a pair of podiums and three top-five finishes.
Aussie Quinn Armstrong, the winner of Race #1, is fourth in the points standings after the first event.
Jimmie Lockhart (VRD Racing), a winner this season in the F4 United States Championship, was quick in all three races but will need to convert that speed into more consistent results.
The drivers are chasing the $241,890 Discount Tire Driver Advancement Scholarship to utilize on the next step of the ladder, the USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires.
2023 USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires championship standings after three of 16 races
| RANK | DRIVER | TEAM | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joey Brienza – R | Exclusive Autosport | 86 | |
| 2 | Nicolas Giaffone – R | DEForce Racing | 75 | |
| 3 | Jack Jeffers – R | Exclusive Autosport | 61 | |
| 4 | Quinn Armstrong | DEForce Racing | 59 | |
| 5 | Jimmie Lockhart – R | VRD Racing | 48 | |
| 6 | Ethan Ho | DC Autosport | 44 | |
| 7 | Lucas Fecury | DEForce Racing | 44 | |
| 8 | Ethan Barker | VRD Racing | 40 | |
| 9 | Brady Golan – R | DEForce Racing | 39 | |
| 10 | Erick Schotten – R | Exclusive Autosport | 36 | |
| 11 | Max Taylor – R | VRD Racing | 35 | |
| 12 | Carson Etter – R | DC Autosport | 30 | |
| 13 | Giovanni Cabrera – R | Exclusive Autosport | 27 |
At Barber Motorsports Park
The USF Juniors are visiting the beautiful 2.3-mile, 17-turn natural terrain road course for the second straight year, with 2022 champion and current USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires driver Mac Clark winning both races from the pole while driving for DEForce Racing.
DC Autosport’s Ethan Ho is the only driver with previous experience at Barber Motorsports Park. The Taiwanese-American 11th grader finished the two races last season inside the top ten in seventh and eighth place.
Please welcome
Ram Racing
Based in Texas at MSR Houston, Ram Racing joins USF Juniors for the Barber Motorsports Park rounds.
The team, managed by Jose Antonio Ramos, has been racing in Mexican-based open-wheel series since 1996. The squad’s stellar record includes five North and Central American (NACAM) Formula 4 Championships in the past six seasons.
Drivers that have driven for the squad include sportscar ace Alex Popow, 2021 F4 United States Champion Noel Leon, USF2000 championship contender Calvin Ming and former INDY NXT driver Manuel Sulaiman.
You can follow Ram Racing on Instagram and Facebook.
Juan Felipe Pedraza
Ram Racing, the newest USF Juniors team, is making its series debut with Juan Felipe Pedraza.
The 18-year-old from Colombia won eight of the 17 rounds to collect the 2022 NACAM Formula 4 Championship in his first season of racing cars. His season also included five poles, a dozen podiums and six fastest race laps.
You can follow Pedraza on Instagram.
Hudson Schwartz
Karting standout Hudson Schwartz is making his series debut in a fourth VRD Racing entry. The 13-year-old Virginian recently won four of six races during the Lucas Oil Formula Car Winer Race Series and has plenty of testing miles under his belt.
¸”We are thrilled to have Hudson Schwartz join VRD Racing for the 2023 season,” said Dan Mitchell, owner of VRD Racing. “It’s great to fill our fourth and final seat, and to do it with such a young promising talent like Hudson makes it so much better. Hudson came highly recommended to me by great friends and previous drivers Enzo and Pietro Fittipaldi, of whom have great influence in Hudson’s karting career.”
You can follow Schwartz on Instagram.