Cardenas claims first USF Pro 2000 win at Markham

Andres Cardenas became the first Peruvian to win a USF Pro Championships event when he took the checkered flag in today’s second race of the Continental Tire Grand Prix of Markham doubleheader. A regular front-runner and two-time polesitter during his rookie campaign for JHDD powered by ECR, Cardenas grasped the lead from yesterday’s winner Jack Jeffers on lap 10 and held on to win by just 0.6487s.

Thomas Schrage also secured an overdue first podium finish for TJ Speed Motorsports.

With qualifying having been canceled on Friday, the grid for today’s race was determined by each driver’s best lap set during yesterday’s race. Consequently, points leader Jeffers earned one more championship point and his fifth Continental Tire Pole Award of the year.

Jeffers maintained his lead in the opening stages, but Cardenas never allowed him any respite as the two leaders soon put some daylight between themselves and third-place runner G3 Argyros (Pabst Racing) who remained under siege from a close-following Schrage.

JHDD powered by ECR’s JT Hoskins ensured a very brief full-course caution when he ran into the escape road at Turn 7 on the fifth lap, but the race was under way again just one lap later with Cardenas continuing to pile the pressure on race leader Jeffers.

The championship leader did what he could to defend, including a major lock-up under braking for the Turn 5 hairpin on lap 8, until, finally, on the 10th lap, Cardenas found a way through at the end of the long, meandering straightaway heading toward Turn 6.

Another couple of caution periods interrupted the second half of the 25-lap race, firstly when Turn 3 Motorsport’s Brady Golan collected the tire wall in Turn 10, and then, immediately following the restart, third-placed Argyros crashed heavily in Turn 2. The Californian was taken to the infield care center but released shortly thereafter.

The race went green again with three laps remaining, and even though this time it was Jeffers who was on the attack, Cardenas held on to secure a well-earned victory. He also claimed a new lap record and the GhostLap Fastest Race Lap of the Weekend Award. Cardenas’ win was not unexpected given the speed he has shown this season, but he was fortunate insofar as his visa to enter Canada had been granted merely one day before he was due to the trip north of the border.

“It's been a year where we didn't have the circumstances to win. We've been quick always, but finally to achieve it and to get the race win I'm very happy, especially for my team and for my family for all the effort they put in," Cardenas said. "We made some changes in terms of car setup from yesterday. It worked very, very well. The things that I could improve from yesterday, I applied them and got past him. It was a great race and, again, super happy to get the win.”

Jeffers had to be content with his seventh podium position of the season, while Schrage profited from Argyros’ demise and barely survived a fraught battle with Turn 3 Motorsport’s Sebastian Manson over the final few laps to finish third.

Manson therefore took fourth and his second Tilton Hard Charger Award in as many days.

Jay Howard picked up his first PFC Award of the season as the winning team owner.

Just four races remain in the USF Pro 2000 season, with a scholarship valued at almost $600,000 to advance in 2027 to Indy NXT at stake. Jeffers’ strong weekend has left him with a relatively comfortable 33-point edge over Leonardo Escorpioni (Turn 3 Motorsport), who was unfortunately forced to skip the weekend due to visa issues. Next on the docket is a second visit to an oval track, the Milwaukee Mile, once again in support of the NTT IndyCar Series, on Aug. 28-29.