Jake Eidson: Proud and True

Littleton, Colo. – Well, that’s it! All done. I still can’t believe that the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda season is over. It seemed like just a few weeks ago we were driving down to St. Petersburg anxious to see what this year had in store for us.

We got off to a good start by dominating the first round of the season, winning both races in Florida and jumping into the points lead. Our weekends at NOLA Motorsports Park and Barber Motorsports Park were filled with ups and downs but we still managed to lead the championship until the GP of Indy in May. In the second race I made contact with another car, losing my front wing and, ultimately, the championship points lead.

The victory at Lucas Oil Raceway.

We didn’t let this affect us though as we came back to Lucas Oil Raceway aiming for a win and doing just that. It was my first win on an oval track, which also happened to be on my birthday. To add more to its significance, two of my best friends drove all the way out from Colorado just to come see me race. Looking back, I can say this was one of my favorite memories of this year and I’m so blessed to have friends and family that support me through this very stressful sport.

A few weeks later we were racing through the streets of Toronto where we grabbed another win keeping ourselves in the championship battle. After Toronto there were only two more race weekends (five races) left in the season and three of those races were going to be at Mid-Ohio. We spent several days testing before Mid-Ohio because we knew how important it was to have a good car going into this race. Unfortunately, no matter what we threw at the car, we weren’t able to leave with any wins and didn’t have any practical chance of winning the championship in the final two races of the season.

It was tough going to one of my favorite tracks, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, knowing that we didn’t have a good chance of winning the championship. However, we still gave it everything we had and left with two more podium finishes.

All in all, we ended the year with four wins, 14 podiums, two pole positions and second place in the championship standings. Even though we didn’t win the title, I’m still very proud of what we accomplished. I’m extremely grateful to be able to do what I love, which would not be possible without the help and support of my family, friends, the Pabst Racing Team, including everyone with Andersen Promotions, Mazda and Cooper Tires, as well as the Team USA Scholarship.

Also check out my end of the year highlight video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtNZSa2hZ7A

Thanks for reading!
Jake Eidson