ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Jay Howard Driver Development’s Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires driver pairing of Braden Eves and Salvador De Alba finished strong with a double podium at Road America this weekend.
Eves and De Alba raced each other hard, each securing a top-five finish in Race 1, with De Alba leading them home in fourth position. In Race 2, it was Eves’ turn to lead the way, scoring his first win of the season from fourth on the grid. De Alba finished third, securing the first double podium on the Road To Indy in JHDD history. Eves’ brilliant drive places him fifth in the points standings with eight rounds remaining.
In the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, Evagoras Papasavvas returned to action after missing a number of months due to injury. Teammates Danny Dyszelski and Jorge Garciarce each made progress with their qualifying pace, and all three drivers continued to learn and grow as they crossed the halfway point in their rookie seasons.
“Overall, a very good weekend for the team,” said team owner Jay Howard. “The USF2000 boys qualified in the top 10. For Evagoras, it was his first time back in six months and having him place sixth in practice was very strong. It was a solid effort in qualifying on the Indy Pro side. We were hoping for a little better, but we knew we had really good race pace. The races didn’t go as planned on the USF2000 side of things, but they’ll bounce back stronger in Mid-Ohio. In Indy Pro, it was a super solid finish to the weekend with the double podium. We really needed that, as a team, and it makes a statement. Great drive from both boys, great execution by the team, we’re happy, and we move onto Mid-Ohio. With some of our competitors not having a great weekend, it tightens the championship battles up. The next few tracks are historically successful for us, and we need to keep our heads down and keep focusing on the next session. If we do that, the results will come.”
The Indy Pro 2000 and USF2000 championships return to action at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 30-July 3. Catch live streams on RoadToIndy.TV, the Road to Indy TV App and the series’ respective websites, indypro2000.com and usf2000.com. Find @followJHDD on social for news, updates and highlights.
WHAT THE USF2000 DRIVERS SAID:
#6 Evagoras Papasavvas
Round 9 – P20; Round 10 – DNS
“It was really good to be back in the car after spending six months out with an injury. My back felt good being in the car which was great. Obviously, there were things to reacclimate to, but I was happy with the pace in practice. We didn’t get the clean qualifying that we hoped for, starting in the back for Race 1, and damage from an incident meant we couldn’t run in Race 2. But, overall, it was great to be back in the car and I can’t wait for Mid-Ohio.”
#8 Danny Dyszelski
Round 9 – P12; Round 10 – P20
“It was a good weekend at Road America. It was my first weekend here, so I had to get up to speed with the track, but we practiced well and had our best qualifying of the year. The races didn’t go as well as we had hoped. A couple of incidents prevented us from moving up, but I’m happy with the pace we showed this weekend and looking forward to Mid-Ohio.”
#9 Jorge Garciarce
Round 9 – P15; Round 10 – P16
“This weekend was a bit like a rollercoaster. There were ups and downs. We had our best qualifying of the year and our pace was good in the first race, but a moment with another car meant we finished 15th. In Race 2, we finished in a similar position. All-in-all, it was a weekend with pretty good pace. I loved the track, it’s one of my favorites that I’ve driven in the U.S. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car at Mid-Ohio.”
WHAT THE INDY PRO 2000 DRIVERS SAID:
#4 Braden Eves
Round 9 – P5; Round 10 – P1
“Very happy with the way the weekend went. To get our first win of the season, it came at the right time. We had a couple of issues to sort out after Race 1. After the issues were sorted, I was able to drive straight to the front. Incredible job by the team. Looking forward to Mid-Ohio!”
#6 Salvador De Alba
Round 9 – P4; Round 10 – P3
“I am so glad to get my second podium and contribute to a great team result. We’re getting better every weekend and that’s positive. I am working hard and pushing myself to keep improving. Next up is Mid-Ohio, a track I know well and have previous experience at, so I’m excited for it.”