Photo: Gavin Baker Photography
Liam Loiacono topped the second USF Juniors qualifying session of 2025 at NOLA Motorsports Park, with Ty Fisher provisionally also netting a pole position.
Velocity Racing Development’s Andretti Global junior Oliver Wheldon was initially on top with the first flying laps, setting a 1m40.515s to lead team-mate Joao Vergara by 0.245 seconds and Jay Howard Driver Development’s Loiacono by a similar gap.
Late to leave the pits and complete their first flyers were Zanella Racing duo Leonardo Escorpioni and Fisher, and they shot to the top. Escorpioni set a 1m39.688s, and Fisher posted a 1m40.283s.
A 1m39.005s moved Loiacono into first place on his second lap, with Wheldon and Vergara lapping in the 1m31.1s. Escorpioni was shuffled down to sixth, but got his second lap – a 1m38.341s that moved him back ahead – in before red flags waved due to JHDD’s JT Hoskins going off.
Fisher was not so lucky and sat in 10th when qualifying restarted. Exclusive Autosport’s Kaylee Countryman had a high-speed spin and off at turn nine but got going again without hitting anything, but the yellow flags meant Fisher again lost an opportunity to improve his pace.
After nine minutes, Wheldon was back ahead having set a 1m38.283s. Vergara and Loiacono also went sub-1m39s.
In the second half of qualifying, Fisher finally showed his potential. He moved into provisional pole position for race two with a 1m38.043s, and Escorpioni was 0.146s behind.
Exclusive’s Brenden Cooley set several personal bests but remained in sixth, and with seven-and-a-half minutes to go there was a flurry of improvements across the field. Wheldon improved to 1m38.202s in third, Loiacono set a 1m38.327s, Vergara dropped to fifth ahead of the improving Vilho Aatola and Patricio Gonzalez (both DEForce Racing), Cooley and Matan Achituv (VRD).
Zanella’s drivers were again lapping later, and were split by 0.001s as Fisher lowered the pace to 1m38.029s. But with six minutes to go he was usurped by Loiacono, who set a 1m37.976s, and the almost as fast Wheldon. Vergara improved to 1m38.137s in fifth, with the top five all under the previous track record.
Fisher could not quite respond to Loiacono’s pace, as his next lap was a 1m38.038s. But with race three’s grid based on drivers’ second-best laptimes (or from their fastest laps in the first two races if they are quicker), it still provisionally earned him a pole position.
There were few changes to the order after that, and while Loiacono had race two pole in the bag by 0.004s his lack of another rapid lap means he is currently set to start race three in fourth behind Escorpioni and Wheldon.
Qualifying round-up
Race 2 grid
1 Liam Loiacono JHDD 1m37.976s
2 Oliver Wheldon Velocity Racing Development +0.004s
3 Ty Fisher Zanella Racing +0.053s
4 Leonardo Escorpioni Zanella Racing +0.054s
5 Joao Vergara Velocity Racing Development +0.161s
6 Vilho Aatola DEForce Racing +0.474s
7 Patricio Gonzanlez DEForce Racing +0.477s
8 Brenden Cooley Exclusive Autosport +0.591s
9 Rodrigo Gonzalez DEForce Racing +0.667s
10 Diego Guiot Zanella Racing +0.809s
Race 3 grid
1 Fisher 1m38.038s
2 Escorpioni +0.151s
3 Wheldon +0.164s
4 Loiacono +0.280s
5 Vergara +0.442s
6 Aatola +0.464s
7 R Gonzalez +0.694s
8 Cooley +0.747s
9 P Gonzalez +0.808s
10 Guiot +0.826s