TORONTO, Ont., Canada – Texas teenager Jack Jeffers took another massive step toward winning this year’s USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire championship with a dominant performance this morning for Exclusive Autosport.
Jeffers, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Thursday, led from flag to flag for his fifth victory of the season to wrap up an enthralling Continental Tire Grand Prix of Toronto. He now holds a commanding 52-point lead heading into the tripleheader season finale as he seeks to clinch a scholarship valued at $405,000 to graduate onto the next step of the renowned USF Pro Championships open-wheel development ladder, USF Pro 2000, in 2026.
Pabst Racing rounded out the podium with its pair of cars driven by Caleb Gafrarar, from Charlotte, N.C., and G3 Argyros, from Newport Beach, Calif.
Jeffers, who won yesterday, had cemented his authority on the weekend earlier on Saturday by posting the fastest time during the second qualifying session. The effort ensured his third Continental Tire Pole Award of the year.
The 1.786-mile, 11-turn Toronto street circuit always presents a stiff challenge for drivers, but their tasks were even more tricky this morning on a track that was still damp following an overnight thunderstorm.
Jeffers, though, was inch perfect on the opening lap, while Argyros muscled his way to second after ousting front row starter Brad Majman (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Melbourne, Australia.
The tricky conditions caught out several potential contenders a little further down the order, including Evan Cooley (Exclusive Autosport), from Mokena, Ill., local driver Anthony Martella (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Woodbridge, Ont., Canada and, most critically, title contender Thomas Schrage (VRD Racing), from Bethel, Ohio.
All three drifted wide on the exit of the fast Turn Seven, clipped the wall and suffered broken suspensions. The mistake was especially galling for yesterday’s polesitter Schrage, who qualified a disappointing 10th but had already made up several positions on the opening lap.
After another brief caution to clear away some debris from the race track, Jeffers quickly took advantage of some battling in his mirrors to establish a clear lead, which he expertly extended to 3.6798 seconds at the checkered flag. Jeffers set the fastest lap for good measure.
Gafrarar made up a position at each of the two restarts to move up to second, where he remained, while teammate Argyros, after losing two places on the first restart, fought his way back past Majman on Lap Nine to complete the podium.
VRD Racing’s Teddy Musella, from Orlando, Fla., muscled his way from eighth on the opening lap to fourth to keep his title aspirations alive.
Majman rounded out the top six ahead of Florida-based Brazilian Lucas Fecury, who enjoyed a race-long tussle with DEForce Racing’s Jeshua Alianell, from The Woodlands, Texas.
A little farther back in 11th, Ryan Giannetta, from Redondo Beach, Calif., capped a difficult weekend by rising from 19th and last on the grid to capture his first Tilton Hard Charger Award.
Exclusive Autosport team principals Michael Duncalfe and Joshua Cooley picked up another PFC Award as the winning car owners.
Furthermore, the Indianapolis-based team with Canadian origins was able to sneak ahead of VRD Racing in the coveted Team Championship, which will also be decided at the final tripleheader event of the season at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Ore., on the weekend of August 8-10.
Provisional championship points after 15 of 18 races:
1. Jack Jeffers, 353
2. Thomas Schrage, 301
3. Teddy Musella, 297
4. G3 Argyros, 260
5. Caleb Gafrarar, 243
6. Evan Cooley, 199
7. Lucas Fecury, 177
8. Anthony Martella, 176
9. Liam McNeilly, 163
10. Sebastian Garzon, 159.
Jack Jeffers (#92 Corpay Cross Border Solutions-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus USF-22): “The [track] conditions were tough. It was tough to adapt, but it's the same for everyone. Nobody had an advantage. So, it was whoever could adapt the best and also keep it on track, and I did a very good job at that. It feels amazing to get this win. We keep getting closer to that championship, which is the ultimate goal, but the work's not over. Portland is next, so we need to keep our eyes focused on that.”
Caleb Gafrarar (#24 Circle K/Bell/Racing Electronics/Molecule-Pabst Racing Tatuus USF-22): “We had a solid race. We were a little unfortunate there at the beginning and fell back a little bit. We were able to work our way back forward and get into P3 and then I slowly worked my way up after the restart. I got a jump on Brad [Majman] and was able to take second. Then I was trying to catch Jack. I was about a half a tenth to a tenth different each lap. And sometimes I'd catch him, sometimes I'd lose and it just wasn't enough to get there. But I can't thank the Pabst boys enough for giving me the car. It was awesome.”
G3 Argyros (#23 Positive Energy/Elephant Cooperation-Pabst Racing Tatuus USF-22): “After the start, it was very exciting. A little bit of battling and Caleb's pass caught me really off guard. But after that, we moved forward. With the damp track, the conditions were changing every lap, and so I just did my best to manage the setup. I just can't thank the Pabst team enough. We had a rocket ship of a car this weekend, and I'm happy to come home with a trophy. It's been a little bit, so it's good to be back up on the podium and spraying champagne.”