For the first time this season, Pabst Racing veteran Colin Kaminsky led a USF2000 practice; an excellent way for the Homer Glen, Ill. driver to start the weekend. Kaminsky is in a tight battle with Darren Keane and Christian Rasmussen for third place in the championship. Kaminsky’s quickest lap was 86.223 seconds, an impressive and significant three-tenths of a second ahead of the next fastest driver, Braden Eves.

Eves, who lost the lead of the championship at the last race, got a quick jump on his rival Hunter McElrea, who had the fourth-fastest time.

Also in the top five were youngsters Jak Crawford (Cape Motorsports) and Jack William Miller (Miller Vinatieri Motorsports).

The lone USF2000 practice session of the final race weekend of the 2019 season got underway at 8:45 am. There were no clouds in the sky, and the temperature was in low 60s.

Championship leader Braden Eves and two-time race winner Christian Rasmussen traded the top spot on the timing screen early in the session.

Kaminsky moved to the top of the timing screen just before the halfway point of the 30-minute session.

At the halfway point of the session, Kaminsky’s lap of 86.6197 seconds was the quickest. His teammate and championship contender McElrea was second fastest and was followed by Eves, Crawford and Sulaiman in the top five.

With 10-minutes remaining, the red flag came out for Legacy Autosport driver Ayrton Ori, who is making his second appearance in the series. His No. 77 came to a stop in the gravel on the outside of the Rainey Curve. The AMR INDYCAR Safety Team was able to get him back on track, and he was able to drive back to pit road on his own.

The green flag came back out with five minutes remaining in the session, and 17 of the 18 USF-17 machines hit the 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course for a few more laps of practice.

McElrea, Darren Keane, Bruna Tomaselli, Kyle Dupell, Nolan Siegel and Reece Gold all turned their quickest laps in the final five minutes. McElrea (fourth) and Miller (fifth) both moved into the top five.

There is one newcomer this weekend. Wyatt Brichacek, an 18-year-old is making his USF2000 debut. The Johnstown, Col. native and Lucas Oil School of Racing graduate has made 23 F4 United States Championship Powered By Honda starts with Jay Howard Driver Development, the team he is with this weekend.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Practice #1 at Laguna Seca Results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICK LAP DIFFERENCE TOTAL LAPS
1 23 Colin Kaminsky Harding Steinbrenner Racing 1:26.223 –.—- 9
2 8 Braden Eves Team Penske 1:26.530 0.3073 10
3 4 Jak Crawford Chip Ganassi Racing Teams 1:26.717 0.4940 11
4 22 Hunter McElrea Team Penske 1:26.717 0.4946 14
5 40 Jack William Miller Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 1:26.895 0.6720 16
6 12 Manuel Sulaiman Chip Ganassi Racing Teams 1:27.028 0.8048 9
7 91 Eduardo Barrichello Andretti Autosport 1:27.085 0.8622 14
8 6 Christian Rasmussen Team Penske 1:27.312 1.0891 7
9 14 Zach Holden Andretti Autosport 1:27.380 1.1576 8
10 3 Reece Gold Andretti Autosport 1:27.449 1.2259 16
11 2 Darren Keane Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports 1:27.549 1.3262 14
12 36 Nolan Siegel Dale Coyne Racing 1:27.648 1.4252 14
13 24 Bruna Tomaselli Andretti Autosport 1:27.928 1.7048 14
14 21 Yuven Sundaramoorthy Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan 1:27.962 1.7389 10
15 77 Ayrton Ori Carlin 1:28.088 1.8652 8
16 5 Wyatt Brichacek Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports 1:28.302 2.0788 16
17 73 Kyle Dupell AJ Foyt Enterprises 1:28.546 2.3231 15
18 7 Christian Bogle Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb-Agajanian 1:28.878 2.6554 6

The middle rung of the Road To Indy will be back on track again for their first qualifying session at 4:40 pm, but before that, you can get their autograph in the fan village at 2:10 pm.

 

Here are your Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship race weekend basics

  • Race #1: Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand Prix Presented by Allied Building Products
  • Race #2:  Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand Prix Presented by Allied Building Products

 

  • Race #1 green flag time: Saturday, September 21 at 5:05pm
  • Race #2 green flag time: Sunday, September 22 at 10:25am

 

  • Race #1 distance: 20 laps or 40 minutes
  • Race #2 distance: 20 laps or 40 minutes

 

  • WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca qualifying track record: 83.959 seconds by Sage Karam (Andretti Autosport) in 2010
  • WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca race track records: 84.566 seconds by Mikhail Goikhberg (JDC Motorsports) in 2010

 

  • Each entry can utilize three new sets of Cooper Tire slicks as well as one set of used/scuffed tires from the race weekend at Portland International Raceway.
  • The timing line is located at Turn 10
  • Drivers failing to slow at least 15% in a timing sector with a local yellow will be subject to a two-place grid spot penalty
  • Drivers who fail to heed the checkered flag at the end of a session will receive a two-grid spot penalty
  • Causing one red flag will result in a driver losing their fastest lap
  • Causing a second red flag will wipe out all of drivers laps and they will be parked for the remainder of the session
  • Driver points are distributed as follows: 30 – 25 – 22 – 19 – 17 – 15 -14 – 13 – 12 – 11 – 10 – 9 – 8 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – an additional one point will be awarded to the pole sitter, to the driver who leads the most laps, and to the driver who turns the quickest race lap

 

Don’t miss any of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires action: