The USF Pro 2000 race at St. Petersburg witnessed a riveting triumph by the young racing prodigy, Max Garcia, representing Pabst Racing. The Florida native, who is just a fortnight away from his 16th birthday, demonstrated immense skill and strategy by bagging the win in the second round of the Andersen Interior Contracting Grand Prix.
Garcia’s victory comes in the wake of his commendable second-place finish in the previous day’s race. He swiftly outmaneuvered the opener’s winner, Alessandro De Tullio from Turn 3 Motorsport, shortly after a restart, carving out an early lead in the USF Pro 2000 championship backed by Continental Tire.
The race also saw an impressive performance from Mac Clark of Exclusive Autosport who secured second place. Garcia’s teammate, Jacob Douglas, bounced back admirably after a mishap in the first race, securing third place.
De Tullio, despite securing his second Continental Tire Pole Award, couldn’t sustain his dominance in the face of two early full-course cautions. This marked the fourth consecutive year where the opening race’s winning team couldn’t replicate their success in the second race, continuing a pattern some consider a jinx.
Garcia employed a different strategy this time around to overcome De Tullio’s lead. He seized a small opening left by De Tullio on the inside, following a restart on lap 10. Garcia successfully squeezed through, gaining the lead and holding onto it without a hitch.
Subsequent full-course cautions did little to deter Garcia, who had previously won the USF2000 championship by Continental Tire. He maintained his lead throughout the 25-lap race, eventually pulling ahead in the last few laps to secure his third victory on the challenging 1.8-mile circuit.
Max Taylor from VRD Racing also managed to overtake De Tullio, who later slid off into the barriers, ending his performance for the day. Taylor was penalized by race control for an overly defensive move, making way for Douglas to clinch third place.
Despite Garcia’s commanding pace, Clark held his own in second place, while Taylor finished closely in fourth. Other notable performers included Owen Tangavelou, Jace Denmark, and Jorge Garciarce, who rose from 18th to ninth, earning the Tilton Hard Charger Award.
The winning team, Pabst Racing, was recognized with the PFC Award for being the winning car owner, awarded to Augie Pabst.
The quest for the USF Pro 2000 championship, along with a scholarship worth nearly $600,000 for the advancement to Indy NXT in 2026, will resume at NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, Louisiana, on April 12-13.
As it stands, Max Garcia leads the championship board with 57 points, followed by Mac Clark with 44 points and Alessandro De Tullio with 37 points. With 16 more rounds to go, the championship is still wide open for thrilling twists and turns.
