By Steve Wittich
The first USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires session since Tristan Vautier won a race in what was then the Star Mazda championship at Sebring International Raceway. The Frenchman won the 11th series race at the former Army Airfield while driving for current series promoter Dan Andersen and his Andersen Racing Team.
The 19 drivers were afforded a half-hour of practice before qualifying for the first of two 15-lap Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Sebring races.
The red flag came out after 12 minutes of activity for the cars of reigning USF Pro Championships Presented By Cooper Tires champion Michael d’Orlando (Turn 3 Motorsport) and Ricardo Escotto (Jay Howard Driver Development), who were off track at the exit of Turn 1. Both drivers exited their cars, and the damaged cars were put on the wrecker and returned to the paddock.
When the red flag came out, Myles Rowe (Pabst Racing w/Force Indy) had the quickest lap at 119.477 seconds and was followed by Francesco Pizzi (TJ Speed Motorsports), Jordan Missig (Pabst Racing), d’Orlando, and Joel Granfors (Exclusive Autosport) in the top five.
Green conditions returned to the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway road course with just under eight minutes remaining.
It took the drivers two laps to get their Cooper Tires back into the optimal operating range, with Rowe’s teammates, Missig and Jace Denmark, joining him at the top of the timing screens.
With a few minutes remaining, the timing screen was lit up green as the field continued to go faster, with Rowe and Denmark getting below the best time set during spring training.
The top 10 drivers ended up within one second of the points leader Rowe.
USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires practice results
| RANK | CAR NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | FAST LAP | DIFF. | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 99 | Myles Rowe | Pabst Racing w/Force Indy | 1:58.609 | —— | 9 |
| 2 | 20 | Jace Denmark | Pabst Racing | 1:58.620 | 0.011 | 9 |
| 3 | 6 | Reece Ushijima | Jay Howard Driver Development | 1:58.878 | 0.269 | 6 |
| 4 | 19 | Jordan Missig | Pabst Racing | 1:58.965 | 0.356 | 9 |
| 5 | 10 | Lirim Zendeli | TJ Speed Motorsports | 1:58.993 | 0.384 | 9 |
| 6 | 92 | Joel Granfors | Exclusive Autosport | 1:59.286 | 0.677 | 9 |
| 7 | 55 | Francesco Pizzi | TJ Speed Motorsports | 1:59.390 | 0.781 | 9 |
| 8 | 47 | Jackson Lee | Turn 3 Motorsport | 1:59.441 | 0.832 | 9 |
| 9 | 2 | Jonathan Browne | Turn 3 Motorsport | 1:59.623 | 1.014 | 9 |
| 10 | 40 | Jack William Miller | Miller Vinatieri Motorsports | 1:59.687 | 1.078 | 9 |
| 11 | 91 | Salvador de Alba | Exclusive Autosport | 1:59.780 | 1.171 | 9 |
| 12 | 7 | Bijoy Garg | DEForce Racing | 1:59.825 | 1.216 | 9 |
| 13 | 90 | Yuven Sundaramoorthy | Exclusive Autosport | 1:59.860 | 1.251 | 8 |
| 14 | 1 | Michael d’Orlando | Turn 3 Motorsport | 2:00.281 | 1.672 | 4 |
| 15 | 81 | Nicholas Monteiro | NeoTech Motorsport | 2:00.781 | 2.172 | 9 |
| 16 | 32 | Christian Weir | TJ Speed Motorsports | 2:01.179 | 2.570 | 9 |
| 17 | 93 | Lindsay Brewer | Exclusive Autosport | 2:01.493 | 2.884 | 9 |
| 18 | 12 | Kiko Porto | DEForce Racing | 2:01.581 | 2.972 | 3 |
| 19 | 4 | Ricardo Escotto | Jay Howard Driver Development | 2:07.449 | 8.840 | 1 |