Reger reflects on strong U.S. F4 opener

Miami. Florida, otherwise known as Magic City. Tropical weather, sandy beaches, great nightlife, and to many, great racing.

This year, I am racing in the F4 US Championship. It's a good transition and stepping stone to where I want to be headed. This whole series has really ramped up and has gained a lot of momentum since its inaugural season last year. Honda Racing/HPD has played a huge role in supporting all the teams, and has made a solid platform. All the series sponsors and SCCA Pro Racing are amazing assets to have, and I am glad to be a part of this series and have their support.

The start of the 2017 F4 US Championship was held at Homestead-Miami Raceway just south of Downtown Miami. I had raced here several times so I was acquainted with the track and had won there before. The 33 car entry was stacked, with more than double the entries from the year before. I saw a lot of fast names on the list and knew a win was not going to come easily. But my team, JDX Racing, has had great success and won the championship last year, so I knew I was in good hands.

Right out the gate, I was really fast, so I knew I had a good car and great foundation to build upon. Session after session I progressed with my driving and the car, giving me great confidence for the races ahead.

From qualifying to the last race, I was upfront and consistent. I kept my car clean, (unlike many others), and stayed out of the chaos. I picked my passes strategically and once I was in the lead, I went into the zone and started to pull away. I won two out of the three races in a dominant manner, with a 3s gap in the first race and over 5s in the third. The second race was primarily under yellow, which made it hard since I started from P10. Luckily I made my way up and was passing for the lead when a yellow took us to checkered. If only it came out 5s later I would have swept the weekend, but I will take what I got and move on to the next one.

I would also like to give a shout out to Benjamin Wadell for his podium finish, and Blake Mount. I know that throughout the year all three of us will improve and help one another to all be up front.

This past weekend was one of many successes, and I couldn't be more pleased with the performance of my team and myself. I can't thank JDX Racing for putting together one helluva car from start to finish. I have a good points lead, but I am training to do just the same at Indy in a few weeks. I'm looking forward to the upcoming tests and the year ahead - I know it's going to be a good one.