Escorpioni sets the pace as USFP2000 field get first taste of Arlington

Photo: Gavin Baker Photography

Turn 3 Motorsport’s Leonardo Escorpioni set the pace in the first USF Pro 2000 practice session of the season on the new Arlington streeet circuit.

Two red flags periods disrupted running, including one that left the field with time for just one one flying lap before the chequered flag.

Escorpioni was one of many drivers to find improvements on that final lap, posting a 1m48.115s to edge Jay Howard Driver Development by Ed Carpenter Racing’s Andres Cardenas by 0.0568 seconds.

USF Juniors champion Escorpioni had topped the times early in the session. Teddy Musella (Velocity Racing Development) and Michael Costello (Turn 3) traded second place before the first red flag period of the day was triggered by an issue for JHDD’s Tanner DeFabis.

Running resumed with 13 minutes left. Over the next five minutes, multiple drivers improved, including Cardenas. He moved to the top of the timesheet with a 1m48.1683s, while Costello and Musella also set personal bests to demote Escorpioni to fourth.

Before Escorpioni could respond, a problem for Pabst Racing’s Jacob Douglas brought out red flags again, this time with just seven minutes to go. Less than two minutes remained when green flags waved once more.

None of the top three could improve with their final flying laps, all losing a position when Escorpioni took the chequered flag.

Others further down the order also found improvements, but were not close to matching Escorpioni’s pace as a second split the top eight on a circuit that teams had no detailed simulator model of in advance of the weekend.

TJ Speed’s Thomas Schrage was one of the late improvers, pipping Pabst’s G3 Argyros to fifth by 0.0119s.

Douglas ended practice in eighth, while Exclusive Autosport’s Mac Clark was 1.5s off the pace in 11th. The pair are the highest-placed returnees from the 2025 season.

Free practice results