SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Jack Jeffers this afternoon took full advantage of the absence of USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire championship leader Liam McNeilly to score a fine maiden victory in the first of two races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix road course that comprise this weekend’s VP Racing Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
Jeffers, from San Antonio, Texas, took the lead on the opening lap and pulled away to a relatively comfortable win for Exclusive Autosport.
VRD Racing’s Thomas Schrage finished second for the third race in a row as G3 Argyros took third for Pabst Racing.
Rookie Teddy Musella laid down some stunning laps during the lone qualifying session earlier this morning in chilly conditions to claim his first Continental Tire Pole Award in just his sixth start.
Musella’s new mark of 1:24.3272 comfortably eclipsed Braden Eves’ long-standing lap record of 1:24.5396 set back in 2019, and was almost a half-second better than VRD Racing teammate Schrage. Jeffers shared row two of the grid with DEForce Racing’s Colombian Sebastian Garzon.
Musella and Schrage continued to run side by side as they led the 20-car field down the long main straightaway from the rolling start, but unfortunately for Musella, it all went wrong at Turn One as he left his braking just a tad too late and slid off into the damp grass. The entire field swept past before he was able to rejoin.
Schrage led the field along Hulman Drive for the first time, only to lock up his front brakes slightly as he slowed for Turn Seven, which forced him to run wide at the exit. Jeffers needing no second bidding as he romped through into the lead.
After a full-course caution due to an incident on the opening lap, Jeffers remained under pressure for several laps as the top two quickly pulled away from their pursuers. Another error by Schrage on lap 10 gifted Jeffers an extended advantage and left him under no real pressure in the closing stages.
Argyros worked his way neatly from eighth to fourth before the early caution, then vaulted to third, which he maintained until the finish.
Musella, meanwhile, posted a spectacular charge from the tail of the field, setting the fastest lap of the race before deposing Argyros’ teammate, Caleb Gafrarar for fourth place with a couple of laps remaining.
Simon Sikes, the 2023 USF2000 champion, finished sixth after accepting a late opportunity to join Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development, just ahead of Garzon.
McNeilly, from London, England, still holds the points lead heading into the seventh round of the USF2000 on Saturday despite missing the race because of ongoing visa issues.
