CARMEL, Ind. – Jay Howard Driver Development (JHDD) called the Sebring International Raceway home this past weekend taking on rounds three and four of the 2023 season. Both the USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires and USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires drivers for Jay Howard Driver Development started the weekend off with strong results to earn valuable championship points.
As JHDD filtered through the weekend, two drivers stood above the rest as Lochie Hughes and Evagoras Papasavvas showed the meaning of driver development to the best of their abilities. Both being within the top five in qualifying one, the pair set themselves up for success by fighting and staying at the front of the talent-filled USF2000 field. After a valiant battle in the first wheel-to-wheel action on the weekend, Hughes held on despite heavy pressure to claim victory while Papasavvas rounded out the podium coming in third, his second podium result of the season. USF2000 rookies Louka St-Jean and Al Morey were able to cross the line 11th and 15th respectively as they continueD their forward progress.
“Having two of our drivers on the podium for race one is an amazing way to continue our momentum from St. Pete,” said Jay Howard. “Having multiple drivers in both USF Pro 2000 and USF2000 allows us to continue to adapt track knowledge to our strategy over the race weekend to fit more accurately to the track and ever-changing conditions.”
Race two was a little more difficult for JHDD drivers. Hughes and Papasavvas were running second and third, but an off late in the race for both drivers relegated them backwards. Hughes earned the team's best result in fourth. St-Jean had one of his best runs of the season and ran as high as sixth before an incident saw him upside down but walked away unscathed. Morey improved on his Saturday race results to finish just outside the top 10 Sunday in P11.
On the USF Pro 2000 side of the program, it was Reece Ushijima and Ricardo Escotto who flew the flag for JHDD with Ushijima leading the way. With an eighth-place result in race one after qualifying eighth, Ushijima went on to earn his best result of the 2023 season coming home fourth in race two while Escotto rebounded from a difficult first race to claim a top-10 finish in race two.
The next stop on the calendar for the USF2000 drivers is the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit. The drivers will compete in rounds five, six and seven on May 11-13. This break allows for plenty of time to review the feedback from drivers regarding setups and strategy going into the next portion of the season.
As for the USF Pro 2000 drivers, they will also head out to the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit for rounds five and six before taking on the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park oval for round seven later in May.