Jackson Lee: That was fun!

The USF Pro Fall Combine went well (Gavin Baker Photography).

AVON, Ind. – The 2022 combine is in the books! The USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires put on a good event last weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And, with help from Miller Vinatieri Motorsports, I was able to get my first “official” taste and significant seat time in a USF Pro 2000 car.

I came into the weekend with just one unofficial test day behind me in a USF Pro 2000 car. So Saturday’s first session was designed for me to get comfortable since it was only my second time in the car. Even with that limited time, the team gave me a fast car and I was able to get up to speed by the second session, ending in P7 and only .3 behind the leaders.

The Miller Vinatieri cars were really quick all weekend and by Sunday morning, I found myself near the top of the chart for several laps, running P2 right behind my teammate, Jack William Miller. Jack was able to grab P1 for the weekend during that session and I stayed in the top five for several laps. Unfortunately, I was on a flyer with new tires on the last lap when I ran out of fuel just three corners from the line. Even so, I was still only .3 off the leaders, which is a huge accomplishment given my limited experience in these cars. Unfortunately, a mechanical meant that I was only on track for seven laps in Sunday’s second session, but that left me with a full set of new sticker tires for the last session of the weekend, so my learning continued.

Checking out the lap times with my Dad.

Overall, I ended the weekend in 10th place on the speed chart, just .3 behind the leaders. By the end of the weekend, I was definitely feeling the difference in grip level. This car is much more physical than the USF2000 car I drove last year. I’ll definitely be spending more time in the gym. But I stayed in the top 10, which was my goal for the weekend.

I am really happy with how the weekend went and very grateful to Dr. Jack Miller, Jack William Miler (for showing me the quick way around the track), and the entire Miller Vinatieri crew for a great weekend. I think I showed that I am ready to take the next step and advance to USF Pro 2000. In the coming weeks we will be evaluating our funding options, talking to our current partners, and looking for some new partners as we work to make this happen for 2023. We hope to make some good progress and announce our plans soon.

A big thank-you to all my supporters, as always.

Once again, I wanted to again say a big thanks to Miller Vinatieri Motorsports for welcoming me to the team for the weekend. It was a blast! Also, thanks to Spencer Pigot for the great coaching all weekend and Brent Cox from Cox, Beckman, Goss for letting us entertain guests in their Turn 2 Suite. We were excited to host some of our partners from Subway of Valparaiso and Hobart, High Alpha, and others both days. We are so thankful for all of our partnerships and are looking forward to great things to come.

Stay Fast,
Jackson