PITTSBORO, Ind. – Fresh off of its first career USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires victory, TJ Speed Motorsports is ready to continue the success at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend. Claiming a victory, multiple top-five and top-10 results, and two front-row starting spots including a pole position at Road America, the three-driver squad is aiming for more at the famed Lexington, Ohio facility.
Having success at Mid-Ohio in the past albeit in different programs, TJ Speed is motivated, anxious and confident heading into this coming weekend.
“It was a long time coming,” explained Tim Neff. “The guys have worked their tails off to get to where we are, and I am a strong believer that the first one is always the hardest. We have momentum on our side now and a lot of interest already for next season. The goal for Ohio is the same as it was at our last event, and I am confident that we can continue our winning ways.”
Francesco Pizzi leads the team into Ohio as he currently sits second in the series title chase, 48 points behind the current leader. With nine of 18 events in the books, Pizzi will aim to push forward in the second half of the season, close the gap to the leader and make a run at the title. TJ Speed’s newest race winner Lirim Zendeli enters the weekend ninth in the championship standings after catapulting forward with his victory two Sundays ago. As the most recent USF Pro 2000 winner, Zendeli could go back-to-back if he claims the round 10 victory in Ohio.
One of the most impressive drivers all weekend at Road America was young Christian Weir. After claiming a front-row start for the first race at Road America, Weir went on to claim the pole position in race two. A top-10 result in race one opened the door for his pole position start in race two, but unfortunate contact before the green flag, no fault of his own, took him out of contention before the race event started.
Neff continued, “As the season has continued, we have proven that we can contend in our very first season. We will continue to evolve and build our program for a strong second half of the season and onwards into 2024.”