Archives for 2022 USF2000 Coverage

Andersen Promotions releases 2023 USF Pro 2000, USF2000 and USF Juniors schedules, including increased scholarships

Andersen Promotions and the series they own and manage – USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires, Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, and USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires – today announced the series schedules, along with increased advanced scholarship prizes for the champions.

The top two rungs of the USF Pro Championships Presented By Cooper Tires ladder will conduct 30 of 36 races alongside the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, with all events featuring INDYCAR services, including Race Control, Timing & Scoring and the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team.

The first rung on the USF Pro Championships ladder, USF Juniors includes one race alongside the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and one with NASCAR.

“I want to again start off by thanking all of the promoters for working with us to create a great 2023 schedule for our competitors,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. “We are extremely pleased with the opportunity to showcase our rising talent at premier, professionally run events.

“Next year is shaping up to be an all-time high in terms of drivers advancing up the ladder and it is both exciting and rewarding for all of us at Andersen Promotions. Our launch of the Tatuus IP-22 and USF-22 was a great success as was the debut of USF Juniors, which surprised some of us with the depth of talent in that field. We look forward to seeing the new USF Juniors car make its competition debut, which will complete our goal of ensuring all our equipment packages are of the highest safety standards, and to the start of a new season.”


The 2023 USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires, will begin their season on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg street circuit for the tenth time.

The 18-race schedule will include a visit to nine venues, including six natural terrain road courses, two street circuits, and one oval.

The schedule includes returns to Sebring International Raceway and Circuit of The Americas. The series, once known as Star Mazda, Pro Mazda, and Indy Pro 2000, raced at the former Army Air Base in Sebring, Fla., ten times between 1999 and 2010. The series made one previous visit to Austin, Texas, in 2013 and was set to return in 2020 before the global pandemic.

USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires 2023 Schedule

DATEROUNDSTRACKLOCATION
March 4-51 & 2Streets Of St. PetersburgSt. Petersburg, Fla.
March 25-263 & 4Sebring International RacewaySebring, Fla.
May 12-135 & 6Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road CourseSpeedway, Ind.
May 267Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway ParkClermont, Ind.
June 17-188 & 9Road AmericaElkhart Lake, Wisc.
July 1-210 & 11Mid-Ohio Sports Car CourseLexington, Ohio
July 15-1612 & 13Streets Of Exhibition PlaceToronto, Ontario, Canada
August 26-2714 & 15Circuit of The AmericasAustin, Texas
September 2-316, 17 & 18Portland International RacewayPortland, Ore.

Louis Foster, the 2022 champion, received a $614,425 scholarship to move to the Indy Lights series. The Briton has signed with Andretti Autosport for the 2023 season.

For the 2023 season, the USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires scholarship has increased by $50,000 (8.1%) to $664,425.

2022 USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires champion Louis Foster (Exclusive Autosport) – Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

The 2023 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship season starts in St. Petersburg, Fla., for the eighth time, and in the Sunshine State for the 18th time.

The 18-race schedule will include visiting eight venues, which includes five natural terrain road courses, two street circuits, and one oval.

The schedule includes returns to Sebring International for the first time since 2013. Chip Ganassi Racing technical director and race engineer for Scott Dixon, Chris Simmon, won the series first of 17 trips to the former Army Air Base in 1992.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship 2023 Schedule

DATEROUNDSTRACKLOCATION
March 4-51 & 2Streets Of St. PetersburgSt. Petersburg, Fla.
March 25-263 & 4Sebring International RacewaySebring, Fla.
May 12-135, 6 & 7Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road CourseSpeedway, Ind.
May 268Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway ParkClermont, Ind.
June 17-189 & 10Road AmericaElkhart Lake, Wisc.
July 1-211, 12 & 13Mid-Ohio Sports Car CourseLexington, Ohio
July 15-1614 & 15Streets Of Exhibition PlaceToronto, Ontario, Canada
September 2-316, 17 & 18Portland International RacewayPortland, Ore.

Michael d’Orlando earned a $406,925 scholarship during his come-from-behind USF2000 title chase.

The 2023 scholarship will increase by 8.1%, growing to $440,125 for the driver moving to USF Pro 2000

Michael d’Orlando at the Championship Celebration Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

The newest official starting point on the USF Pro Championships Presented By Cooper Tires ladder, USF Juniors, returns for a second season of action with a new competition package.

The Tatuus JR-23 is the same safety-enhanced chassis – With cost-saving modifications made to the uprights, brake package, dampers, and wheels – that made a competitive debut in the USF2000 and USF Pro 2000 this season.

Powering the lowest rung on the road to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is the ultra-reliable Elite Engine prepared 2-liter restricted to 150hp.

The USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires drivers and teams, will begin the 2023 season alongside their big brothers – USF2000 and USF Pro 2000 at Sebring International Raceway the last weekend in March.

The schedule features 16 races spread across six weekends at six iconic American Road Courses.

USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires 2023 schedule

DATEROUNDSTRACKLOCATION
March 23-251,2 & 3Sebring International RacewaySebring, Fla.
April 284 & 5Barber Motorsports ParkBirmingham, Ala.
June 3-46,7 & 8Virginia International RacewayAlton, Va.
July 89 & 10Mid-Ohio Sports Car CourseLexington, Ohio
August 12-1311, 12 & 13Road AmericaElkhart Lake, Wis.
August 25-2714, 15 & 16Circuit of The AmericasAustin, Texas

Mac Clark, also a winner in USF2000 at Portland International Raceway, took home a $221,125 scholarship, clinching the inaugural USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires title at Circuit of The Americas.

In 2023, the scholarship to help a driver move up to the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship series will increase to $248,815, an increase of 12.5%

USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires champion Mac Clark – (Photo Courtesy of Jose Mario Dias/USF Juniors)

Andersen Promotions Announces Rebranding

PALMETTO, Fla. – Andersen Promotions today unveiled a new moniker for the opening steps of the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires. Moving forward, the collective branding for the world’s most effective driver development program will be known as the USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires. USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires – formerly a pre-step on the Road to Indy – will now become an official step on the ladder alongside USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires and USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires (formerly Indy Pro 2000).

The USF Pro Championships ladder will remain an acclaimed scholarship-funded path for young drivers pursuing a professional career at the top levels of motorsports.

The decision came as INDYCAR, which assumed operations of Indy Lights in 2022, reassesses its overall branding with dual management of the ladder steps between INDYCAR and Andersen Promotions and, for 2023, different tire partners.

Both USF Pro 2000 and USF2000 will continue with INDYCAR services including INDYCAR Race Control, Timing & Scoring and the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team. USF Juniors will also utilize AMR Safety Team services with Race Control and Timing & Scoring provided by USAC.

“Although we are rebranding the Road to Indy, our goals remain the same – to develop drivers, teams and crew to advance to Indy Lights and ultimately the NTT INDYCAR SERIES,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions.

“With INDYCAR taking over the operation of Indy Lights this year, the Road to Indy designation really doesn’t work moving forward for all steps on the ladder. We are proud of our accomplishments under the Road to Indy banner and intend to further develop the full USF Pro Championships as the only real place for talented young drivers on the open-wheel path.”

Scholarships to advance from USF Juniors into USF2000, USF2000 into USF Pro 2000 and USF Pro 2000 to Indy Lights will remain intact. All 2022 champions – Mac Clark, Michael d’Orlando and Louis Foster – will prepare for their next steps on the ladder in 2023 with Foster being the first to confirm his “new home” with an Andretti Autosport Indy Lights seat.

As the Official Racing School of the USF Pro Championships beginning in 2023, the Skip Barber Racing School will also be a pathway to the ladder system with a $100,000 scholarship to its Formula Race Series champion to advance into USF Juniors.

The 2023 schedules for all three levels of the USF Pro Championships will be announced in the coming days.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Finale at Portland – Race Report

By Diane Swintal

The final Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship race of the season will start at 64F under partly cloudy skies at PIR. At stake: a scholarship packaged valued at almost $407,000 to graduate to the 2023 Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires.

Reminder of the points as they stand (correction from the earlier points listing):

Points

Back

Myles Rowe

363

Jace Denmark

358*

5

Michael d’Orlando

356

7

* includes race three pole point

And the race three starting lineup:

SP Car Driver Name Time

1 23 Denmark, Jace 01:11.8365

2 22 Rowe, Myles 01:11.9434

3 10 Nepveu, Thomas 01:11.9900

4 17 Johnson, Nikita (R) 01:12.0391

5 5 Hays, Nicky (R) 01:12.1835

6 4 d’Orlando, Michael 01:12.2481

7 12 Clark, Mac (R) 01:12.2590

8 32 Weir, Christian 01:12.2942

9 92 Frazer, Billy 01:12.3369

10 11 Christie, Dylan 01:12.3809

11 91 Brienza, Joey (R) 01:12.4824

12 90 Douglas, Jacob (R) 01:12.5460

13 9 Garciarce, Jorge (R) 01:12.5560

14 33 Kohlbecker, Spike 01:12.5826

15 8 Dyszelski, Danny (R) 01:12.6456

16 6 Papasavvas, Evagoras (R) 01:12.6842

17 3 Jones, Jagger (R) 01:12.6919

18 93 d’Orlando, Nicholas (R) 01:12.9373

19 16 Ho, Ethan (R) 01:13.0621

20 34 Mann, Lucas (R) 01:13.1247

Plenty of tension in the air, but much more so over in the Pabst Racing tent. Understandably, no one wanted to comment for the record on yesterday’s lap one, turn one incident between teammates Denmark and Rowe. Everyone hopes for a clean race today, but one thing is for sure: whoever captures the series championship will be thoroughly battle tested.

At the drop of the green, turn one again claimed another race start as Thomas Nepveu got into the back of Denmark, with Rowe attempting to head to the outside and avoid the melee. Several cars came together on the inside of Rowe, making it impossible for him to make turn one and leaving him no choice but to make his way (slowly) through the chicane.

But coming out of the chicane, Rowe was hit by another car going through, and the subsequent puncture sent him to pit lane for a new tire. He came back out P16.

USF2000 cars scatter everywhere in Turn 1 on the initial start to race #3 in Portland. TSO Photo by Patrick

It appeared that Jacob Douglas, Mac Clark (yesterday’s winner), Nikita Johnson and Denmark were all involved. Race control immediately announced that the start is under review.

As they run on track, it’s Nepveu, Nicky Hays, d’Orlando, Christian Weir and Jorge Garciarce as the top five. D’Orlando has a nine-point championship lead.

Back to green on lap five, with Lucas Mann inexplicably released by the team right as the field took the flag. Race control called him into pit lane.

Race control wasted no time announcing a drive through penalty for avoidable contact for Nepveu, taking him out of the race lead. D’Orlando quickly made the move on teammate Hays and went into the race lead.

Denmark returned to the race, but seven laps down.

Rowe on the move – quickly up to P8, now 10 points back.

Nepveu holds fast lap, we’ll keep an eye on that valuable championship point – Rowe now P7, nine points back.

D’Orlando with a 0.5 second lead over teammate Hays – tough call for Cape Motorsports, as Hays would dearly love to earn his first series win as he looks toward 2023. But we’re pretty sure a championship title beats a win.

Denmark repaired and back out on track – but in front of the leaders, displeasing race control. It took several laps to get him into pit lane and out of the way, also displeasing race control.

Denmark drove through pit lane to let the leaders by – and promptly set fast race lap, earning that championship point.

Jones took fast lap on lap 16.

Rowe continued his mad run, up to P5 on lap 16. But he is several seconds back – and there are two Cape drivers between Rowe and d’Orlando.

Rowe’s gap to Jones is only .02 of a second.

Fast lap of the race now goes to Rowe – six points back.

BIG wiggle in turn 11 for Rowe – he is putting down quali laps on every run.

Weir trying to get past Hays for second, which is allowing Jones and Rowe to catch up.

Three laps remaining, still a six-point lead for d’Orlando.

Rowe took a look at Jones in turn three with two laps to go but can’t make it happen. Rowe and Denmark with the two quickest race laps – the Pabst cars are clearly the quickest in the field, gut-wrenching for team owner Augie Pabst.

Weir made the move on the inside of Hays at the white flag but hits the curbs in the Festival Curves and loses his shot. Rowe pulled right in on Weir’s wing but can’t make the pass.

Checkered flag, and the longshot makes it happen – USF2000 championship for Michael d’Orlando, with the Cape brothers earning their 14th championship title in their final season in the series.

Michael d’Orlando wins at Portland to take the USF2000 title. Credit: Road to Indy – Gavin Baker.

After the race, all three championship contenders reflected on the weekend – one very happy driver and two quite gutted drivers.

“I can’t put this into words,” said a very emotional d’Orlando, surrounded by his parents and brother Nicholas, who ran from the USF2000 paddock to the podium. “Three years of hard work have gone into this so to come out on top is unimaginable. It’s the first step of the ladder and it’s a dream come true. Ever since I was a little kid, I dreamed of a championship like this. I’m so proud of everyone – the team gave me a great car all year and my teammates were great.

“What a hectic start. I think I’ve always put myself in a good situation on the starts, on the outside – all the carnage happens on the inside and I went right around it. I tried to stay as calm as possible and not make any crazy moves. I made a move on Nicky on the restart, who let me by. I thought it was a good move (as d’Orlando looks over at his teammate, who smiles and nods in return), maybe a bit too deep because I locked up the front right, but he let me have the spot. We were able to hold off the rest of the field, and we made it happen. I put every bit of my soul into this, I’m so glad it paid off.”

Michael d’Orlando with the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship trophy. Credit: Road to Indy – Gavin Baker.

Over an hour after the checkered flag, Rowe remained in his drivers suit talking to family, friends, and competitors outside the Pabst Racing paddock. Inside, team members packed up the cars in a state of shock. As Rowe reflected on the weekend, he was characteristically philosophical about the outcome – and positive about the future.

“All in all, I’m thankful to be in the position I’m in,” said Rowe. “There are definitely a lot of other places I could be right now, a lot of things I could be doing – and I would be a lot less happy than I am right now. I’m so grateful for the opportunity that Pabst Racing and Penske Entertainment gave me, along with Sparco, Bell Helmets and my family. I wouldn’t be here without them.

“I had fun racing from the back, after I got caught up in a mess – I don’t even know how it happened. I was fine coming out of the chicane and was heading toward turn four but I got hit in the side on the straight and pushed off into the dirt – and it was a hard hit.

I try to be positive, so I know it will make me stronger. That’s all I can do.

The same thing, different driver,” said Denmark, who had been hit from behind on two of the three starts this weekend. “It’s unfortunate that people don’t do their homework in terms of where to brake. This really sucks, but what can I do? I did everything right, but we know we were the fastest two cars on track – though I didn’t know that at the time. My radio wasn’t working after I got hit, neither was my lap time indicator. But just gutted, for myself and for the team.”

Unofficial Results of Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Portland Race #3

Pos Car # Driver Laps Diff ST Status
1 4 Michael d’Orlando 25 LAP 25 6 Active
2 5 Nicky Hays 25 1.1008 5 Active
3 32 Christian Weir 25 2.2125 8 Active
4 3 Jagger Jones 25 2.4903 17 Active
5 22 Myles Rowe 25 2.9216 2 Active
6 9 Jorge Garciarce 25 6.4225 13 Active
7 33 Spike Kohlbecker 25 7.8187 14 Active
8 8 Danny Dyszelski 25 8.199 15 Active
9 93 Nicholas d’Orlando 25 8.955 18 Active
10 91 Joey Brienza 25 9.2022 11 Active
11 92 Billy Frazer 25 9.9684 9 Active
12 6 Evagoras Papasavvas 25 15.7999 16 Active
13 16 Ethan Ho 25 21.4907 19 Active
14 10 Thomas Nepveu 25 In Pit 3 In Pit
15 11 Dylan Christie 25 In Pit 10 In Pit
16 23 Jace Denmark 20 In Pit 1 In Pit
17 34 Lucas Mann 4 21 LAPS 20 Active
18 17 Nikita Johnson Contact 4
Contact
19 12 Mac Clark Contact 7
Contact
20 90 Jacob Douglas Contact 12
Contact

Good Morning from Portland – Today’s RTI Schedule and Some Notes

By Diane Swintal

That crooked video board (due to a hydraulic failure) that delayed the USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 races yesterday – it’s still crooked, but secured and working! TSO Photo by Patrick

Good morning from cloudy and cool Portland International Raceway. 63F at 8:00 a.m. Pacific, with highs only in the mid-70s and much later in the day.

Four Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires sessions today, with the Cooper Tires USF200 Championship and the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires conducting their final races of the season.

Road to Indy schedule:

10:15 – 11:00 a.m. USF2000 race three (25 laps or 45 minutes)

11:15 – 11:55 a.m. Indy Lights practice

11:30 a.m. – Noon Indy Pro 2000 autograph session (Fan Village)

1:30 – 2:00 p.m. Indy Lights autograph session (Fan Village)

2:20 – 3:10 p.m. Indy Pro 2000 race three (30 laps or 50 minutes)

3:25 – 3:45 p.m. Indy Lights qualifying

The Indy Pro 2000 championship is done, as Exclusive Autosport’s Louis Foster took the title with a victory in race one yesterday. With a win in race two, Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Reece Gold secured second in the title chase. Gold is expected to follow Foster into Indy Lights next season.

USF2000 is a very different story. With incidents in both races yesterday, Pabst Racing’s Myles Rowe threw the championship chase wide open. When Rowe and teammate Jace Denmark – the pole sitter and second in the championship – made contact in turn one at the start of race two, Cape Motorsports’ Michael d’Orlando returned to the championship conversation. Here are the points as they stand:

Points

Back

Myles Rowe

363

Michael d’Orlando

357

6

Jace Denmark

357

6

Reminder that the winner gets 30 points, 25 to second, 22 to third. Three bonus points are available – the points above include Denmark’s race three pole point.

USF2000 race three starting lineup:

SP Car Driver Name Time

1 23 Denmark, Jace 01:11.8365

2 22 Rowe, Myles 01:11.9434

3 10 Nepveu, Thomas 01:11.9900

4 17 Johnson, Nikita (R) 01:12.0391

5 5 Hays, Nicky (R) 01:12.1835

6 4 d’Orlando, Michael 01:12.2481

7 12 Clark, Mac (R) 01:12.2590

8 32 Weir, Christian 01:12.2942

9 92 Frazer, Billy 01:12.3369

10 11 Christie, Dylan 01:12.3809

11 91 Brienza, Joey (R) 01:12.4824

12 90 Douglas, Jacob (R) 01:12.5460

13 9 Garciarce, Jorge (R) 01:12.5560

14 33 Kohlbecker, Spike 01:12.5826

15 8 Dyszelski, Danny (R) 01:12.6456

16 6 Papasavvas, Evagoras (R) 01:12.6842

17 3 Jones, Jagger (R) 01:12.6919

18 93 d’Orlando, Nicholas (R) 01:12.9373

19 16 Ho, Ethan (R) 01:13.0621

20 34 Mann, Lucas (R) 01:13.1247

Jagger Jones (grandson of Parnelli) has secured rookie of the year honors over Cape Motorsports’ teammate Nicky Hays, 275 to 210 points. Jones experienced engine issues in the lone qualifying session that put him back in the field in all three races and while Hays’ first series podium finish yesterday helped his cause, it won’t be enough to eclipse his teammate in the final standings.

The pair are the only rookies in the series top 10.

Chaos reigns – with massive championship implications – in second USF2000 race at Portland International Raceway

Mac Clark (DEForce Racing), Nicky Hays (Cape Motorsports) and Billy Frazer (Exclusive Autosport) share the podium in the second USF2000 race at Portland International Raceway Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Steve Wittich

In an attempt to make some time after the 1 hour and 21-minute delay during the NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, the 19 Elite 2.0L engines were fired only two minutes after Reece Gold took the checkered flag in the Indy Pro 2000 race. The quick turn-around was due to a noise ordinance.

With only four points separating them in the championship, Denmark and Rowe brought the field to the green flag at 5:59 pm.

From his outside from row starting spot, Rowe quickly tucked in behind Denmark as the No. 23 Pabst Racing machine covered the inside as they approached the braking area of the 90-degree right-hand Turn 1.

Rowe ramped up over the back of his teammate and pole-sitter, knocking the rear wing off Denmark and losing his front wing.

Thomas Nepveu, who started third and was behind the crashing teammates, could not make the corner after getting sideways in avoidance.

The fourth driver that started in the first two rows, Velocity Racing Development’s Nikita Johnson, was stuck on the outside and had to use the Turn 1 run-off.

That left Canadian newcomer Matt Clark, who started seventh, as the big winner of the chaotic start, grabbing the lead as the remainder of the field exited the Festival Curves.

Denmark attempted to continue at the back of the field, but without a rear wing, went off course in Turn 4 before coming in for repairs, and eventually finished five laps down in 18th.

Rowe continued to fall down the running order until pitting on the fourth lap for repairs, falling one lap down.

Race control quickly announced that the incident was under review, eventually giving Rowe a provisional 30-second time penalty (pending video review from the surrounding cars).

The running order after the first lap was Clark, Nicky Hays (Cape Motorsports), Billy Frazer (Exclusive Autosport), Michael d’Orlando (Cape Motorsports), Rowe, Dylan Christie (DEForce Racing), Christian Weir (Turn 3 Motorsport), Spike Kohlbecker (Turn 3 Motorsport), Jacob Douglas (Exclusive Autosport), Danny Dyszelski (Jay Howard Driver Development), Nicholas d’Orlando (Exclusive Autosport), Jorge Garciarce (Jay Howard Driver Development), Jagger Jones (Cape Motorsports), Nepveu (DEForce Racing), Johnson (Velocity Racing Development), Ethan Ho (Velocity Racing Development), Lucas Mann (Turn 3 Motorsport), Evagoras Papasavvas (Jay Howard Driver Development), and Denmark.

After five laps, DEForce Racing newcomer James Hinchcliffe mentored Clark and had a one-second lead.

Things remained relatively calm throughout the remainder of the first half of the 18-lap event.

The Canadian’s lead when he got the crossed flags to signify the halfway point was barely over one second ahead of Hays, who was another second behind Frazer. But, right behind him, d’Orlando was putting pressure on the final spot on the podium.

On the next lap, Hays knocked a third of a second off Clark’s lead, which was down to under a half-second with six laps remaining—after that, only 3.5 seconds separated the top four.

The lead had settled to a half-second, about five car lengths with five to go.

On Lap 15, the first yellow of the race came out when the second d’Orlando (Nicholas) made contact with the wall on the outside of Turn 10 while battling Kohlbecker for eighth. It appeared the No. 33 squeezed the No. 93, and race control quickly announced that the incident was under review.

Unfortunately, the race ended under yellow, with Clark taking his first win in his second series start. That certainly has to help his confidence as he heads to Circuit of The Americas, leading the USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires championship.

Unofficially, Rowe has a seven-point lead over d’Orlando and eight points over Denmark, pending any change in position due to penalties.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship race #2 results (very unofficial).

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM DIFF.
1 12 Mac Clark DEForce Racing 18 LAPS
2 5 Nicky Hays Cape Motorsports -0.8977
3 92 Billy Frazer Exclusive Autosport -2.6205
4 4 Michael d’Orlando Cape Motorsports -3.6175
5 32 Christian Weir Turn 3 Motorsport -4.362
6 90 Jacob Douglas Exclusive Autosport -4.573
7 11 Dylan Christie DEForce Racing -5.5052
8 33 Spike Kohlbecker Turn 3 Motorsport w/Ignite Autosport -6.3628
9 10 Thomas Nepveu DEForce Racing -8.5805
10 9 Jorge Garciarce Jay Howard Driver Development -8.868
11 16 Ethan Ho VRD Racing -9.8282
12 8 Danny Dyszelski Jay Howard Driver Development -10.5654
13 34 Lucas Mann Turn 3 Motorsport -11.4094
14 6 Evagoras Papasavvas Jay Howard Driver Development -12.5386
15 22 Myles Rowe Pabst Racing -1 LAP
16 3 Jagger Jones Cape Motorsports -1 LAP
17 17 Nikita Johnson VRD Racing -1 LAP
18 23 Jace Denmark Pabst Racing -4 LAPS
19 93 Nicholas d’Orlando Exclusive Autosport – 5 LAPS

Portland USF2000 Race #1 Race Report

By Diane Swintal

Two Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship races Saturday, one race on Sunday, to decide the series champion.

At stake is a scholarship packaged valued at almost $407,000 to graduate to the 2023 Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires.

Pabst Racing’s Jace Denmark will start on pole (grabbing that valuable championship point) with teammate and points leader Myles Rowe starting fourth. Cape Motorsports’ Michael d’Orlando is second in the standings, 23 points down, and he will start P9.

Rowe has experience getting onto the podium from a bit back in the field, having earned top-three finishes after starting outside the top three on four of 10 occasions: from fifth (both races at Road America), sixth (St. Pete), and seventh (at IMS). D’Orlando has earned podiums from fifth twice (at Barber) out of seven podiums. Denmark tries to continue the trend, having earned all his eight podium finishes from top-three starting spots.

Rowe leads in podiums this year, with 10, to Denmark’s eight and d’Orlando’s seven.

The wild card in the top four on the starting grid is Nikita Johnson. The 14-year-old is starting his sixth USF2000 race in third but has a win in USF Juniors, where he lies fourth in points.

The command to start engines is set for 11:15 a.m. Pacific – skies are still sunny, 69F.

Green flag at 11:18 a.m.

As the field entered the very tight Festival Curves, contact between several cars sent four cars off course, with two cars stopped in turn one. One car was able to continue, but Nicholas d’Orlando was not, retrieved by the INDYCAR AMR Safety Team.

On the replay, it appeared that one of the Jay Howard Driver Development cars tagged d’Orlando in the rear, sending him spinning and into the path of the back third of the field.

Back to green at the start of lap five, with the cars able to make it cleanly through the first lap, albeit mostly in single file.

Denmark held the top spot as Rowe held fourth – as they run, down to an 11-point lead for Rowe in the championship, d’Orlando now 25 back.

Lap 8 – Rowe slides to the inside of Hays in turn one, taking P3. Hays fell to fifth but further back, d’Orlando went off course in turn three, falling all the way to 16th position – a huge hit to his championship aspirations. Further back, Jones tagged Christian Weir, trying pass on the inside of turn two, while Spike Kohlbecker was hit from behind and sent off as well in a chain reaction – bringing out the yellow flag once again.

Lap 14 – back to green once again as Rowe got a great jump on the restart, getting around Thomas Nepveu to go to second position behind his teammate. Johnson followed Rowe’s example, sliding through turn two and into third. At the halfway mark, Denmark secured the additional bonus point for leading the most laps.

Nervous times for team owner Augie Pabst, Jr., with his team cars running 1-2 on track, 2-1 in the championship.

Denmark maintaining his lead over Rowe, staying at about 0.7 of a second, Johnson 1.3 seconds back but gaining. Johnson made a move on lap 20, but wisely fell back, biding his time. The battle between Rowe and Johnson allowed Denmark to clear away and gain a 2-second advantage.

But on lap 22, Johnson pulled alongside Rowe in the fast turn 11, and Rowe, trying to hold the position, went off course on driver’s left, through the grass and coming back on track way back in 11th position – significantly tightening the championship battle.

At the checkered flag, Denmark had earned his fourth win of the year – and with d’Orlando seventh and Rowe 10th, Denmark now sat only four points behind Rowe.

Unofficial points:

Rowe 357

Denmark 353

d’Orlando 337

“You have to focus on not looking behind you!” said Denmark after the race. “We were able to defend, set my times and do the best we could. It’s really intense with the points, especially since we’re teammates and we’re both super fast. Glad to get the win and chip away at it. We’ll go back to the truck, look at the races, makes some notes, and try to do it again this afternoon.”

USF2000 Race #1 Report

Pos Car # Driver Laps Diff Team
1 23 Jace Denmark 25 LAP 25 Pabst Racing
2 17 Nikita Johnson 25 2.2945 VRD Racing
3 10 Thomas Nepveu 25 3.1773 DEForce Racing
4 12 Mac Clark 25 7.7876 DEForce Racing
5 90 Jacob Douglas 25 9.2649 Exclusive Autosport
6 8 Danny Dyszelski 25 9.7984 Jay Howard Driver Development
7 4 Michael d’Orlando 25 10.1622 Cape Motorsports
8 5 Nicky Hays 25 10.5551 Cape Motorsports
9 9 Jorge Garciarce 25 11.1347 Jay Howard Driver Development
10 22 Myles Rowe 25 11.9432 Pabst Racing
11 32 Christian Weir 25 12.5953 Turn 3 Motorsport
12 16 Ethan Ho 25 14.6517 VRD Racing
13 33 Spike Kohlbecker 25 15.2126 Turn 3 Motorsport w/Ignite Autosport
14 92 Billy Frazer 25 16.8209 Exclusive Autosport
15 34 Lucas Mann 25 17.3907 Turn 3 Motorsport
16 6 Evagoras Papasavvas 25 37.3333 Jay Howard Driver Development
17 3 Jagger Jones 8 Contact Cape Motorsports
18 11 Dylan Christie Contact DEForce Racing
19 93 Nicholas d’Orlando Contact Exclusive Autosport
20 91 Joey Brienza DNS Exclusive Autosport

Cooper Tires USF2000 Portland Qualifying Notes and Results

By Diane Swintal

#23: Jace Denmark, Pabst Racing, Radford Racing School, Metal Works
Road to Indy Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy
USF2000

Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship

Reminder of how this qualifying works:

One qualifying session to cover all three races:

  • Qualifying session sets the race one grid
  • Race two grid set by the second-quickest lap in qualifying or the quick race lap – whichever is quicker
  • Race three grid set by the second-quickest lap in qualifying or the quick race lap in race two – whichever is quicker

Spoke with Pabst Racing’s Jace Denmark ahead of qualifying – he has enjoyed the chance to learn the track here at Portland, enjoying the “fast and flowing” layout.

Green flag on Cooper Tires USF2000 qualifying at 9:05 a.m. Pacific, under sunny skies and ambient temperatures in the mid-60s.

As the cars came around to start their timed runs, it was championship leader Myles Rowe, followed by Jace Denmark, Michael d’Orlando and Jagger Jones – in other words, the top four in points, having been lined up in order on pit lane. But Mac Clark, making his series debut, quickly passed Jones and joined the top four on track.

The first quick timed lap went to Pabst Racing’s Jace Denmark. DEForce Racing’s Thomas Nepveu then took the top time, only to be eclipsed by VRD Racing’s Nikita Johnson (Johnson has run five USF2000 races this season, but is focused on USF Juniors, where he is currently fourth in the championship).

Joey Brienza, who has tested with Exclusive Autosport a great deal in 2022 as he prepares for 2023, sat in third position with seven minutes remaining. Turn 3 Motorsport’s Christian Weir also joined the top runners, setting the second-quickest time.

Rowe jumped into the top spot with four minutes remaining, looking for that valuable point to be earned by the pole sitter, but teammate Denmark set a time just two-tenths back. But Denmark eclipsed Rowe’s time with just over a minute remaining.

As the checkered flag flew, Denmark had secured his fourth pole position of the season – and the valuable championship point. Johnson will start race one on the outside of row one, with Nepveu and Rowe in row two, Hays and Clark in row three. D’Orlando, second in points, will start in P9. Exclusive Autosport’s Billy Frazer, who had set the eighth-quickest time, ran the checkered flag, thus earning a two grid-spot penalty for this afternoon’s race one.

How competitive USF2000 is this year was shown in the final qualifying times, with 18 of the 20 cars within one second.

USF2000 Race #1 Grid:

RANK

CAR NO.

DRIVER

TEAM

FAST LAP

DIFF.

1

23

Jace Denmark

Pabst Racing

1:11.8336

——

2

17

Nikita Johnson

VRD Racing

1:11.9141

0.0805

3

10

Thomas Nepveu

DEForce Racing

1:11.9256

0.0920

4

22

Myles Rowe

Pabst Racing

1:11.9401

0.1065

5

5

Nicky Hays

Cape Motorsports

1:12.1124

0.2788

6

12

Mac Clark

DEForce Racing

1:12.1455

0.3119

7

90

Jacob Douglas

Exclusive Autosport

1:12.2178

0.3842

8

92

Billy Frazer

Exclusive Autosport

1:12.2196

0.3860

9

4

Michael d’Orlando

Cape Motorsports

1:12.2243

0.3907

10

11

Dylan Christie

DEForce Racing

1:12.2601

0.4265

11

32

Christian Weir

Turn 3 Motorsport

1:12.2926

0.4590

12

91

Joey Brienza

Exclusive Autosport

1:12.3360

0.5024

13

93

Nicholas d’Orlando

Exclusive Autosport

1:12.4441

0.6105

14

3

Jagger Jones

Cape Motorsports

1:12.4748

0.6412

15

9

Jorge Garciarce

Jay Howard Driver Development

1:12.5311

0.6975

16

33

Spike Kohlbecker

Turn 3 Motorsport w/Ignite Autosport

1:12.5467

0.7131

17

8

Danny Dyszelski

Jay Howard Driver Development

1:12.5888

0.7552

18

6

Evagoras Papasavvas

Jay Howard Driver Development

1:12.6284

0.7948

19

16

Ethan Ho

VRD Racing

1:12.9865

1.1529

20

34

Lucas Mann

Turn 3 Motorsport

1:13.0641

1.2305

With the race two grid decided by the second quick time in qualifying versus the quick race lap here is that order:
USF2000 2nd Quick Qualifying Laps:

1

23

Jace Denmark

71.8365

2

22

Myles Rowe

71.9434

3

10

Thomas Nepveu

71.9970

4

17

Nikita Johnson

72.0391

5

5

Nicky Hays

72.1835

6

4

Michael d’Orlando

72.2481

7

12

Mac Clark

72.2590

8

32

Christian Weir

72.2942

9

11

Dylan Christie

72.3089

10

92

Billy Frazer

72.3369

11

91

Joey Brienza

72.5459

12

90

Jacob Douglas

72.5460

13

9

Jorge Garciarce

72.5560

14

33

Spike Kohlbecker

72.5826

15

8

Danny Dyszelski

72.6456

16

6

Evagoras Papasavvas

72.6842

17

3

Jagger Jones

72.6919

18

93

Nicholas d’Orlando

72.9373

19

16

Ethan Ho

73.0810

20

34

Lucas Mann

73.1427

Good morning from USF2000 & Indy Pro 2000 championship weekend

USF2000 points leader Myles Rowe navigates Portland International Raceway in Penske Enterainment sponsored No. 22 from the Pabst Racing stable during testing Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Diane Swintal

It’s an action-packed schedule for the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires today, with qualifying and two races for both the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship and the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, and practice for Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires.

USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 will have one qualifying session which will determine the race one grid. The race two grid will be determined by the second-quickest lap in qualifying or the quickest race lap, whichever is faster.

In USF2000, Pabst Racing’s Myles Rowe leads Cape Motorsports’ Michael d’Orlando by 23 points, and teammate Jace Denmark by 25 points. Denmark is the only driver who has experience at Portland, having done a Formula Ford session here two weeks ago. Rowe topped the late-afternoon practice session yesterday, while Rowe and Denmark split the two test sessions. D’Orlando missed the official practice session due to damage from an incident that occurred late in the second test session.

In Indy Pro 2000, Exclusive Autosport’s Louis Foster needs only to finish 11th to secure the championship title. He leads Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Reece Gold by 77 points, but Gold led both test sessions and the practice session yesterday – though Foster was close behind in all three sessions.

Friday’s schedule:

  • 9:00 a.m.      USF2000 qualifying
  • 9:55 a.m.      Indy Pro 2000 qualifying
  • 11:20 a.m.     USF2000 race one (25 laps or 45 minutes)
  • 12:20 p.m.    Indy Pro 2000 race one (30 laps or 50 minutes)
  • 1:25 p.m.      Indy Lights practice
  • 1:40 p.m.      USF2000 autograph session (Fan Village)
  • 4:00 p.m.      USF2000 race two (25 laps or 45 minutes)
  • 5:00 p.m.      Indy Pro 2000 race two (30 laps or 50 minutes)

 

Pabst Racing teammates and title contenders Rowe & Denmark quickest

Championship contenders and Pabst Racing teammates – Myles Rowe (left) and Jace Denmark (right) have shared the podium six times in Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship action so far during the 2022 season Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Diane Swintal

Two 45-minute test sessions on the schedule today for both the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship and Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, with one 30-minute official practice later in the afternoon. 

Both series are paddocked outside of turn 12, which makes pit lane ingress and egress a bit of a challenge. At the end of the session, the cars line up in the pit lane fast lane, then make a tight U-turn onto the racetrack, counter-course, to return to the paddock. Pit equipment then follows along that same route. It requires a bit of coordination between pit lane and race control, but it works. 

USF2000

Track records (both set on September 1, 2018): 

  • Race Record  Kyle Kirkwood 1:11.2101 (99.289 mph)
  • Qualifying Record  Rasmus Lindh 1:10.9038 (99.718 mph)

Interesting note: no USF2000 driver has raced at Portland before. Hunter McElrea swept both series races here in 2019, the last time the series visited the northern Oregon circuit (McElrea will compete in the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires series this weekend).

Ambient temperatures were 62F at the start of the first session, under cloudy skies.

Three new faces will take the green flag this weekend – USF Juniors points leader Mac Clark makes his series debut with his DEForce Racing team, while fellow USFJ competitor Ethan Ho join VRD Racing. Lucas Mann will drive for Turn 3 Motorsport.

18 Tatuus USF-22s took to the 1.967-mile, 12-turn racetrack at the drop of the green at 9:00 a.m, missing two Exclusive Autosport entries – Billy Frazer and Jacob Douglas – experienced battery issues leaving false grid, with Frazer unable to make it out of the paddock and Douglas coasting into pit lane. Neither made it out on track during the session. 

As the first cars out on track this weekend, job one was to rid the racing surface of dust and dirt and begin to lay down rubber.

The Pabst Racing duo of Myles Rowe and Jace Denmark quickly went to the top of the time sheets as the track began to warm and rubber up. Michael d’Orlando held the fifth-quickest time but 20 minutes into the session he stopped in turn seven – but continued shortly after the red flag came out. At the checkered flag, Denmark held the quickest time (1:12.221) ahead of Jagger Jones, Rowe, Thomas Nepveu and Evagoras Papasavvas. 

The weather conditions had changed dramatically for the second test session two hours later, under bright sunny skies and ambient temps in the high-60s. Championship contender d’Orlando shot to the top of the speed charts early, but Rowe immediately set a quicker time, making a “whatever you do, I can do better” statement. Christian Weir then Jagger Jones made appearances at the top of the charts, with the top 13 separate by less than a second. Their progress was halted 10 minutes into the session, however, when Lucas Mann landed in the tires in turn 11. 

Once the incident area had been cleared, the series returned to green, with 10 minutes added to the session to make up for the down time. It took Denmark no time to post his own chart-topping time, which was immediately bested by Jones, then Rowe. With 15 minutes remaining, the top four in points were the top four in times, albeit in a different order (1-4-2-3). 

A second red flag came out with six minutes remaining, this time for d’Orlando in the turn five tires. With so little time remaining in the session, race control checkered the session. Rowe set the quickest time of 1:12.071, with the top 15 all under 1:13.

The heat index continued to rise through the afternoon, with temps in the 80s as the Road to Indy readied for its two official practice sessions.

Unfortunately, as the USF2000 cars headed out on track for the 30-minute session, WiFi went down at Portland International Raceway – meaning all timing screens showed no activity. A good lesson about how dependent we are on technology, as we were reduced to watching cars go by out of the media center windows, which show approximately 60 yards of the racetrack as cars head toward turn one. They do offer a lovely view of the Portland start stand – one of the few racing start stands that offers starter Aaron Likens a very well-timed roof over his head (temps are expected to near 90 tomorrow afternoon).

Aaron Likens has a roof over his head in the Portland International Raceway starter stand (Photo Courtesy of Diane Swintal)

The internet returned halfway through the session, showing Rowe back on top, followed by Denmark, Jones, Nepveu, Nicky Hays and Mac Clark (impressive debut today for Clark, who has paced in the top 10 in all three sessions). 

What the timing screens also showed was the absence of d’Orlando, whose No. 4 Tatuus had been damaged at the end of the test session. With less than two hours to go before official practice, the team was unable to repair the car in time – a crushing blow to the driver in second position in the title chase, especially when Rowe took the checkered flag with the fastest time in practice, a 1:12.378, with Denmark right behind. Jones, Nepveu, Clark and Hays rounded out the top six.

Qualifying takes the green at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Friday, with race one at 11:20 a.m. and race two at 4:00 p.m.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship practice times

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM FAST LAP DIFF. LAPS
1 22 Myles Rowe Pabst Racing 1:12.3787 —— 20
2 23 Jace Denmark Pabst Racing 1:12.4389 0.0602 18
3 3 Jagger Jones Cape Motorsports 1:12.8207 0.4420 19
4 10 Thomas Nepveu DEForce Racing 1:12.8903 0.5116 21
5 12 Mac Clark DEForce Racing 1:12.9403 0.5616 20
6 5 Nicky Hays Cape Motorsports 1:12.9437 0.5650 20
7 92 Billy Frazer Exclusive Autosport 1:12.9954 0.6167 20
8 32 Christian Weir Turn 3 Motorsport 1:13.0149 0.6362 20
9 11 Dylan Christie DEForce Racing 1:13.0236 0.6449 19
10 90 Jacob Douglas Exclusive Autosport 1:13.0568 0.6781 22
11 33 Spike Kohlbecker Turn 3 Motorsport w/Ignite Autosport 1:13.0974 0.7187 22
12 17 Nikita Johnson VRD Racing 1:13.1506 0.7719 18
13 6 Evagoras Papasavvas Jay Howard Driver Development 1:13.1793 0.8006 20
14 91 Joey Brienza Exclusive Autosport 1:13.2077 0.8290 22
15 8 Danny Dyszelski Jay Howard Driver Development 1:13.2295 0.8508 18
16 93 Nicholas d’Orlando Exclusive Autosport 1:13.5238 1.1451 18
17 9 Jorge Garciarce Jay Howard Driver Development 1:13.6464 1.2677 16
18 34 Lucas Mann Turn 3 Motorsport 1:13.7864 1.4077 24
19 16 Ethan Ho VRD Racing 1:14.3864 2.0077 18
20 4 Michael d’Orlando Cape Motorsports No Time

Previewing an entertaining and heated three-way USF2000 championship battle

Championship contenders and Pabst Racing teammates – Myles Rowe (left) and Jace Denmark (right) have shared the podium six times in Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship action so far during the 2022 season Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Diane Swintal

The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship comes down to three drivers, all of whom would be worthy of graduation to the 2023 Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires.

Pabst Racing’s Myles Rowe, Cape Motorsports’ Michael d’Orlando and Pabst Racing’s Jace Denmark all enter the weekend hoping to take home the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires scholarship package valued at $406,925 to assist in their progression.

With a racing-related news cycle that seems to consist mainly of contract disputes, driver dismissals and a “who’s going where” rumor mill in overdrive, the knowledge that one of these young drivers will know exactly what he is doing in 2023 – and that it’s all but paid for – is huge.

Coming into the Portland tripleheader (races one and two on Friday, race three on Saturday), Rowe holds a 23-point lead over d’Orlando and 25 points over Denmark. Four drivers have held the points lead this season (Rowe, d’Orlando, Denmark and Cape Motorsports’ Jagger Jones) with the lead changing hands a whopping eight times – and from race five to race 11, the lead changed after every race.

Penske Entertainment Corp.’s Race for Equality & Change program opened the door for Rowe last year, but when Augie Pabst gave Rowe a second year in the series in 2022, the 22-year-old New York resident made the most of the opportunity (especially given the timely assist from Roger Penske after a crash in race one at St. Pete threatened the remainder of his season).

If Rowe successfully holds his points lead and takes the championship title, it would provide Pabst Racing its long-awaited first driver’s championship. Pabst Racing has won the team’s championship twice.

The stated purpose of the USF2000 series is to start drivers on their Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires journey – a vital training ground, where drivers hone their race craft in front of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES paddock. But on several occasions, this season, Rowe and d’Orlando have shown a propensity for tangling with other drivers – and with each other. In the previous race on the streets of Toronto, d’Orlando attempted a pass on Rowe for second position in turn eight coming to the checkered flag, with d’Orlando on the inside. The pair made contact and finished with d’Orlando fourth and Rowe fifth.

Michael d’Orlando in the Focused Project Management sponsored No. 4 from the Cape Motorsports squad leads Myles Rowe (No. 22) and Jace Denmark (No. 23) at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

Looming large over the series going into the weekend finale is the realization that this is the final USF2000 race weekend for Cape Motorsports. Pabst Racing would dearly love the chance to take the driver title over their longtime rival, who has 13 driver championships on its resume – including nine of the last 11. With brothers Dominic and Nicholas Cape graduating back up the Road to Indy ladder to Indy Lights in 2023, it is Pabst’s last chance to do so for now.

There is no doubt that it is a significant blow to USF2000 to lose one of its longest-standing and marquee teams (USF2000 has not seen a Cape-less season since 2010) but Pabst Racing and DEForce Racing look to take over as the series’ top teams (the two teams split the season victories to date, aside from the Indy GP sweep by Alex Quinn and VRD). Exclusive Autosport, Jay Howard Driver Development and Turn 3 Motorsport all have drivers in the top 10 in points, and with several USF Juniors teams indicating an interest in joining the formal Road to Indy ladder, the series looks strong going forward.

Driver watch: of course, the champion will not be the only driver graduating from USF2000 to Indy Pro 2000 next year. Funding question marks exist for both Rowe and d’Orlando, should they not win the scholarship. Beyond that, there’s always an intriguing blend of rookie drivers in USF2000 who have to determine whether they continue for a second year in the series, and veterans who have done two or more years and think they’re ready for the next step. Those drivers a little further down the championship order have one more weekend to impress and help determine their future to cap off the 2022 campaign.

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