Pasiewicz, Kennedy share Lime Rock USF Juniors honors

USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire championship leader Karol Pasiewicz (Olivia Racing) and fellow rising star Edward Kennedy (VRD Racing) shared the spoils of victory in Saturday's Andersen Corporate Woodworking Grand Prix of Lime Rock.

Kennedy was first across the finish line in both 35-lap races, only to slip to third in this morning’s race after having jumped the start. The 14-year-old made amends later in the day, when he came from behind to pass locally based driver Bex Cranston (Exclusive Autosport) in the closing stages.

Cranston had to be content with a career-best scoop of second-place finishes.

After being gifted the victory in the opening race, Pasiewicz was content to follow the two leaders home in third later in the afternoon to further extend his points advantage.

RACE 1

Kennedy took up exactly where he finished off last week at Mid-Ohio by posting the fastest lap in qualifying and becoming only the fourth driver this season to secure a Continental Tire Pole Award.

But while Kennedy was never headed throughout the 35-lap race, run in support of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Lime Rock Park, he was later assessed a five-second penalty for a jumped start which relegated him to third in the final results.

Series leader Pasiewicz, from the outside of the front row, lost a position to Kennedy’s teammate, Dutchman Dean Hoogendoorn, on the run through Big Bend for the first time. Next time around, though, an attempt at an outside-line pass for the lead at the same corner cost Hoogendoorn three positions as he slid wide onto the dirt at the exit of the corner. Pasiewicz took advantage to move back into second ahead of Cranston, who also had overtaken Englishman Max Cuthbert (JHDD powered by ECR) at the first corner on the opening lap.

The two leaders, Kennedy and Pasiewicz, edged slightly clear of Cranston in the opening stages, although Cranston soon found his groove and set what was to stand as the fastest lap of the race on his eighth time around the 1.53-mile track. Moments later, an incident farther down the field in Turn 1 between JHDD powered by ECR teammates Casper Nissen and Aryan Narola brought out the caution flags for the first and only time.

Kennedy was never seriously threatened once the race went back to green – other than when his jump-start penalty was applied.

Pasiewicz came under pressure from Cranston in the final laps before holding on for what was to be his fourth win of the season, while the extra position gained by Cranston was enough for him to claim the Tilton Hard Charger Award.

Hoogendoorn, who had repassed Cuthbert shortly before the caution, struggled for pace in the later stages, but still managed to hold off Cuthbert and top Zanella Racing exponent Leonardo Serravalle, who is the only driver to have completed all 240 laps thus far in 2026.

RACE 2

Kennedy once again started at the front of the field in the second race of the day, his second Continental Tire Pole Award assured by virtue of turning the best of each drivers’ second-fastest laps during the lone qualifying session on Friday. Cranston improved his qualifying time during this morning’s race to earn a starting position on the outside of the front row, and he kept the pressure firmly on during the opening eight laps until the caution flags waved following an incident for Jared Oselka (Zanella Racing) at the Uphill Turn.

When the green flags waved again, Cranston had a big jump on the outside line along the main Sam Posey Straightaway, then pulled off a brilliant maneuver around the outside of Big Bend to take over the lead.

Pasiewicz had the pace to remain tucked in behind the two leaders after a fast-starting Hoogendoorn, who again made a good initial start to move up into third, made a mistake at the exit of Big Bend and fell deep into the pack.

Kennedy intensified his efforts until, with a little less than two laps to go, Cranston’s ultra-defensive move to the inside entering the braking area for Big Bend allowed Kennedy to sweep boldly to the outside and complete a fine pass for the lead. Job done.

Kennedy held on to take a deserved victory by just over a half-second with Pasiewicz a similar distance farther back in third.

"The whole race we maintained our gap and then we got passed around the outside in Turn 1 on the restart. After that, I maintained my gap and then I snuck around Bex on the outside of Turns 1 and 2," related Kennedy. "It was definitely a new move. I saw Bex do it to me and I thought why not give it a try? I have nothing to lose. I'm not in the championship after missing the first two races. The last two laps, I maintained my gap but the tires were starting to fall off at the end. But apart from that, the car was amazing."

Cuthbert completed a strong day with a lonely run to fourth, well clear of Victor Couto (Zanella Racing), who in turn had edged away from teammate Serravalle. Next up were Exclusive Autosport’s Brenden Cooley, who earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award after starting 15th, and Zanella’s Grant Mitchel who capped a breakthrough weekend with another strong effort after finishing seventh this morning.

The day’s two PFC Awards went to Olivia Racing’s Dana Delgado and VRD Racing’s Dan Mitchell as the winning car owners.

Pasiewicz now holds a commanding 80-point lead in the quest for a scholarship valued at $251,516 to advance to USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire, the next step on the USF Pro Championships ladder, in 2027. With a maximum of 99 points still to be earned at the tripleheader season finale, Pasiewicz will have to wait more than two months before he has the opportunity to clinch the USF Juniors title at Road America, Sept. 24-26.