Yahoo Autos Giaffone takes back to back USF Juniors sweep at Barber
Nicolas Giaffone and DEForce Racing have taken control of the USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires title-chase following an emphatic performance Friday at Barber Motorsports Park. Giaffone, 18, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, cruised to victory in both 20-lap races and now holds a relatively comfortable 21-point lead in his quest for a Discount Tire Driver Advancement Scholarship — valued at $241,890 — which will enable the series champion to progress onto the next step of the USF Pro Championships ladder in 2024.
DEForce Racing teammate Quinn Armstrong, from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, finished second in both races. Brazilian Lucas Fecury, aboard a third DEForce Tatuus JR-23, and VRD Racing’s Jimmie Lockhart, from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., each earned a third-place finish.
DEForce Racing first served notice of its intentions when Giaffone, Fecury and Armstrong topped the timing chart in official practice on Thursday afternoon. The Texas-based team’s dominance continued into the pair of qualifying sessions, one yesterday and the other bright and early this morning, as the trio once again was fastest, and in the same order.
After securing his first Cooper Tires Pole Award, Giaffone paced the 15-car field into the first corner in this morning’s opening round and was never seriously under threat for the entirety of the 20-lap race.
The first four laps were run behind the pace car following a pair of minor incidents, after which Giaffone took charge of the proceedings. His teammates, Armstrong and Fecury, exchanged positions moments after the start, and while Armstrong remained within a second of Giaffone for the first half of the race, the Brazilian soon stretched his legs and edged clear. Giaffone eventually took the checkered flag a comfortable 4.721s clear of the Australian.
