Jace Denmark in the Radford Racing School/Metal Works sponsored No. 23 led Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship testing at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Steve Wittich

The always important Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship round at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Mid-Ohio) – this year a triple-header – began on Thursday with a trio of test sessions.

Pabst Racing duo Jace Denmark and Myles Rowe led a tightly packed combined timesheet. Denmark, twice a USF2000 winner and currently third in points, bested his teammate Myles Rowe by a slim three-hundredths of a second.

Thomas Nepveu (DEForce Racing) was also within three-tenths of a second, with the first dozen drivers within a half-second of Denmark.

Turn 3 Motorsport, USF2000 winners at Mid-Ohio last year, had a pair of drivers lead sessions. Dylan Christie was the quickest in the morning, and Spike Kohlbecker (Turn 3 Motorsport w/Ignite Autosport) led the last session.

Combined Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course USF2000 combined timesheet

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER FTime SESSION FAST LAP DIFF. TOTAL LAPS
1 23 Jace Denmark Pabst Racing 2 82.848 56
2 22 Myles Rowe Pabst Racing 2 82.879 -0.031 60
3 10 Thomas Nepveu DEForce Racing 2 82.885 -0.037 53
4 3 Jagger Jones Cape Motorsports 2 83.056 -0.208 52
5 33 Spike Kohlbecker Turn 3 Motorsport w/Ignite Autosport 3 83.107 -0.259 54
6 12 Bijoy Garg DEForce Racing 2 83.114 -0.266 46
7 92 Billy Frazer Exclusive Autosport 3 83.116 -0.268 32
8 4 Michael d’Orlando Cape Motorsports 2 83.117 -0.269 57
9 61 Nicholas d’Orlando VRD Racing 3 83.197 -0.349 60
10 11 Dylan Christie DEForce Racing 2 83.211 -0.363 50
11 17 Nikita Johnson VRD Racing 3 83.236 -0.388 46
12 32 Christian Weir Turn 3 Motorsport 3 83.266 -0.418 51
13 7 Lochie Hughes Jay Howard Driver Development 2 83.394 -0.546 66
14 5 Nicky Hays Cape Motorsports 2 83.498 -0.65 54
15 91 Joey Brienza Exclusive Autosport 3 83.502 -0.887 45
16 30 Viktor Andersson VRD Racing 3 83.735 -0.906 52
17 6 Evagoras Papasavvas Jay Howard Driver Development 2 83.754 -0.906 60
18 9 Jorge Garciarce Jay Howard Driver Development 2 83.847 -0.999 45
19 2 Jackson Lee Cape Motorsports 2 83.997 -1.149 49
20 90 Jacob Douglas Exclusive Autosport 3 83.998 -1.15 53
21 8 Danny Dyszelski Jay Howard Driver Development 2 84.037 -1.189 55
22 18 Maxwell Jamieson DEForce Racing 2 85.555 -2.707 40

Championship leader Michael d’Orlando, a three-time USF2000 winner at Mid-Ohio, had the eighth quickest lap on the combined timesheet. If the 20-year-old wins one more race on the 2.258-Mile, 13-Turn Mid-Ohio Road Course, he’ll tie fellow Cape Motorsports driver J.R. Hildebrand with four wins at the 60-year-old circuit.

Cooper Tires Grand Prix Of Ohio schedule for USF2000 drivers is as follows:

DAY & TIME ITEM FOLLOW
Friday – 8:45am – 9:15am USF2000 Practice USF2000.com / Road To Indy TV App
Friday – 11:10am – 11:40am USF2000 Qualifying USF2000.com / Road To Indy TV App
Friday – 5:15pm – 5:55pm USF2000 Race #1 (20 laps or 40 minutes) USF2000.com / Road To Indy TV App
Saturday – 10:45am – 11:25pm USF2000 Race #2 (20 laps or 40 minutes) USF2000.com / Road To Indy TV App
Saturday – 2:15pm – 2:45pm USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 Autograph Session (Fan Village)
Saturday – 5pm – 5:40pm USF2000 Race #3 (20 laps or 40 minutes) USF2000.com / Road To Indy TV App

The scholarship chase

After doling out 345 of 609 possible points in 10 of 18 scheduled races, only 37 points separate the top five on the championship table.

A quartet of veterans – d’Orlando, Rowe, Denmark, and Billy Frazer (Exclusive Autosport) are joined by Cape Motorsports rookie and third-generation race Jagger Jones in the top five.

TSO Ladder is not yet counting the DEForce Racing duo of Bijoy Garg and Nepveu out of the hunt. The Texas-based team has a championship pedigree, winning the USF2000 driver and team championships last season.

This season’s championship hunt is quite different than last year. Reigning champion Kiko Porto was consistent, not finishing outside the top ten.

This year, the top five drivers have each scored single-digit points twice, signifying a finish outside of the top ten.

The eventual scholarship winner will be the driver that limits his mistakes and finishes races in the top ten. Top five finishes are optimal, but the top ten are also acceptable.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship points standings after 10 of 18 races

RANK DRIVER TEAM TOTAL BACK
1 Michael d’Orlando Cape Motorsports 217
2 Myles Rowe Pabst Racing 211 -6
3 Jace Denmark Pabst Racing 191 -26
4 Billy Frazer Exclusive Autosport 184 -33
5 Jagger Jones – rookie Cape Motorsports 180 -37
6 Bijoy Garg DEForce Racing 159 -58
7 Thomas Nepveu DEForce Racing 154 -63
8 Spike Kohlbecker Turn 3 Motorsport 127 -90
9 Christian Weir Turn 3 Motorsport 123 -94
10 Simon Sikes Legacy Autosport 119 -98
11 Nicky Hays Cape Motorsports 105 -112
12 Dylan Christie DEForce Racing 101 -116
13 Alex Quinn Velocity Racing Development 93 -124
14 Jackson Lee Cape Motorsports 86 -131
15 Jacob Douglas – rookie Exclusive Autosport 77 -140
16 Jorge Garciarce – rookie Jay Howard Driver Development 71 -146
17 Trey Burke Joe Dooling Autosports 60 -157
18 Viktor Andersson – rookie Velocity Racing Development 54 -163
19 Danny Dyszelski – rookie Jay Howard Driver Development 36 -181
20 Yeeroo Lee Jay Howard Driver Development 29 -188
21 Frankie Mossman Jay Howard Driver Development 22 -195
22 Nicholas d’Orlando – rookie Velocity Racing Development 20 -197
23 Chase Gardner DEForce Racing 16 -201
24 Nikita Johnson – rookie Velocity Racing Development 15 -202
25 Joey Brienza – rookie Exclusive Autosport 12 -205
26 Frederik Lund Jay Howard Driver Development 11 -206
27 Evagoras Papasavvas – rookie Jay Howard Driver Development 1 -216