PITTSBORO, Ind. – USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire raced alongside the NTT INDYCAR SERIES at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix road course in rounds six, seven, and eight of the championship this past weekend to kick off the Month of May in Indy. TJ Speed Motorsports had an impressive weekend at the yard of bricks, taking home two podiums and two additional top-five finishes with team drivers Liam Sceats and Hunter Yeany.
In the only practice session of the weekend Thursday evening, both TJ Speed drivers showed strong pace, with Yeany finishing the session in second and Sceats in fifth. Shifting the focus to Friday morning and the early qualifying session, the team was anxious to see what they could do after a successful IMS test last October and a good day of testing on Thursday.
Despite the change in temperature, the TJ Speed duo continued to qualify quickly. Sceats set the second-fastest time of the session for a front-row starting spot in race one, while Yeany scored the sixth-fastest lap and slotted himself into row three.
In race one on Friday, the Aussie-spirited team impressed again. Sceats fought hard and brought home a podium, finishing second. Yeany also had a good race, adding some valuable points to his championship chase, crossing the finish line in fifth position.
“Felt great to be on the podium in race one, we were strong all race,” Sceats said. “And with Hunter finishing in fifth, it was a great result for the whole team.”
Sceats scored another podium finish in race two on Saturday morning, crossing the finish line in second. Yeany finished just outside of the top 10 in 12th place after battling in the top-five for much of the race.
Sceats added, “It felt great to be on the podium in race one and race two. We were strong throughout both races. Next time out, we’ll be looking for a race win, and I’m confident we’ll get one soon.”
In the final race of the weekend Saturday afternoon, both TJ Speed drivers battled with each other in the top-five all race long. As the checkered flag flew, Yeany earned his best result of the weekend just shy of the podium in fourth with Sceats close behind in fifth.
“Race three was a fun one, and Liam and I had a great battle for fourth place,” Yeany said. “Racing around IMS was an incredible experience, and the whole TJ Speed team deserves a huge thank you for all their hard work this weekend.”
TJ Speed will return to Indiana for round nine of the USF Pro 2000 season May 23-24 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Heading into the next round, the team sits third in the Team Championship, and Yeany and Sceats are in the top-five in the Driver Championship standings.
“Liam and Hunter continue to impress in their USF Pro 2000 rookie seasons,” Team Owner Tim Neff explained. “Coming away from the weekend at IMS with two podiums and some top-five finishes gives us some great momentum heading into the next round at Lucas Oil Raceway Park.”