Andretti junior Oliver Wheldon to start on pole for USF Juniors debut

Photo: Gavin Baker Photography

Oliver Wheldon put his car on pole position for the opening race of the USF Juniors season at NOLA Motorsports Park.

The Andretti Global junior was announced as joining the series during the pre-event test day for the opening round, with the 14-year-old completing Velocity Racing Development’s line-up.

Wheldon, the American-born son of 2005 IndyCar champion Dan, was signed by Andretti four years ago after impressing in micro karting. He then won the the USA Winter Series for X30 Mini karts in 2022, impressed in junior karting the year after and was 2024 champion in the Formula 4-spec Skip Barber Formula Race Series with nine wins from 14 races as a single-seater rookie.

Earlier this year he got experience of USF Juniors’ car in the YACademy Winter Series, where he claimed two podiums and came fifth in the standings with VRD.

In pre-event testing at NOLA it was Zanella Racing’s Leonardo Escorpioni who set the pace, a 1m38.7481s putting him 0.1612 seconds ahead of VRD’s Joao Vergara. DEForce Racing’s Vilho Aatola also broke the 1m39s barrier.

There was a single free practice session the next day, and Jay Howard Driver Development’s Liam Loiacono set a 1m39.1768s to be 0.45s faster than anyone else. Aatola and Wheldon were second and third.

DEForce’s Rodrigo Gonzalez was first to the top in qualifying with a 1m40.593s, whith Loiacono beat by 0.23s five minutes in. VRD’s Matan Achituv then pipped him by 0.041s, before Escorpioni smashed them out of the park with a 1m39.214s on his second flying lap.

Despite the track gripping up and fuel levels getting lower, Escorpioni was unable to improve but it was also a laptime that looked tricky for others to beat.

Gonzalez set a 1m39.997s to rise back up to second, and International Motorsport duo Hudson Potter and Michael Suco went third and fourth fastest before their team-mate Emma Scarborough got beached in the run-off at turn six and brought out red flags.

Following the restart, Vergara and then Loiacono cut Escorpioni’s advantage by setting 1m39.8s laps at the halfway point of the 20-minute session. Wheldon slashed it further, posting a 1m39.583s with just under nine minutes left as Vergara improved again to 1m39.679s.

Shortly after they were fifth and sixth as a 1m39.376s from Aatola made him Escorpioni’s closest rival, Gonzalez set a 1m39.540s and Zanella’s Ty Fisher recorded a 1m39.565s.

Wheldon found more pace going into the final four minutes, setting a 1m39.383s, and a minute-and-a-half later Escorpioni headed to the pits with pole seemingly secured. There was more life in Wheldon’s tyres though, improving by 0.048s with 35s left of qualifying and on his final effort snatching pole with a 1m39.063s.

Loiacono and Vergara both set 1m39.4s to end the session fourth and fifth, as a second covered the top 10.

Qualifying results