Garcia, 16, from Coconut Grove, Fla., the winner of last year’s USF2000 crown, claimed maximum points in both 15-lap races to open up a commanding 74-point lead heading into tomorrow’s 12th out of 18 races this season.

Exclusive Autosport’s Mac Clark, from Milton, Ont., Canada, and Garcia’s teammate Jacob Douglas, from Christchurch, New Zealand, shared the other two podium positions in both races.

Garcia cemented his status as the championship leader during the pair of qualifying sessions on Friday, posting the fastest time in both and securing another pair of Continental Tire Pole Awards. 

Last year’s USF Juniors champion, Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., qualified a strong second for this morning’s race for VRD Racing, only for his hopes to be blunted by a gearbox issue which immediately dropped him back into the pack.

Garcia established a handy advantage on the opening lap as teammate Douglas led the charge behind him. Clark also was tucked in underneath the New Zealander’s rear wing.

While Garcia was able to escape the draft and pull clear at the front, Douglas wasn’t so fortunate. On Lap Three, Clark used the additional straight line speed to his advantage by pulling alongside Douglas on the uphill front straightaway and then slotting into second place at Turn One.

Clark, however, had nothing for Garcia, who extended his lead with each lap before turning the fastest lap of the race at two-thirds distance to ensure a maximum score of 33 championship points.

A fine start saw English rookie Joseph Loake vault from seventh place to fourth on the opening lap before ceding the position to Turn 3 Motorsport teammate – and title contender – Alessandro de Tullio, from Miami, Fla.

Joey Brienza, from Golden, Colo., earned his best finish of the season thus far, sixth for Exclusive Autosport, while TJ Speed Motorsports’ Ariel Elkin, from Haifa, Israel, overcame some stubborn electrical gremlins in qualifying to rise from 17th on the grid to seventh. The performance earned Elkin the Tilton Hard Charger Award.

The ambient temperature had increased substantially prior to this afternoon’s race, which began with Garcia once again taking the Continental Tire Pole Award and Clark lining up alongside on the front row of the grid.

The fast Road America circuit generally produces plenty of overtaking excitement as the long straightaways provide a terrific slipstream effect, but there was no catching Garcia today.

Even a brief full-course caution when teammate Michael Costello, from Naples, Fla., ground to a halt in Turn Eight, failed to disrupt Garcia, who calmly held his ground at the restart and then cruised away to his second victory of the day and his fourth of the year.

Taylor led the pursuit of Garcia until the caution, but it was Douglas who profited at the restart, drafting from fourth to second at the first corner and then holding off Clark for the remainder of the race.

Elkin once again provided much of the excitement. Up from 16th on the grid to 10th on the opening lap, Elkin continued his rapid progress by jumping to fifth at the restart and then passing Taylor for fourth. Elkin stayed close to Douglas and Clark for much of the race before slipping back a little in the closing stages. Still, fourth was his reward, along with a second Tilton Hard Charger Award.

Augie Pabst, whose eponymous team is based in nearby Oconomowoc, Wis., pocketed the day’s pair of PFC Awards as the winning car owner.

The USF Pro 2000 contenders will be back in action bright and early tomorrow morning, Sunday, June 22, for a third 15-lap race which is slated to see a green flag at 7:55 a.m. CDT.

Provisional championship points after 11 of 18 rounds:

1. Max Garcia, 297

2. Ariel Elkin, 223

3. Mac Clark, 221

4. Alessandro de Tullio, 217

5. Jacob Douglas, 188

6. Max Taylor, 171

7. Michael Costello, 135

8. Nicholas Monteiro, 126

9. Cooper Becklin, 120

10. Jace Denmark, 118

Race One:

Max Garcia (#18 Advance Auto Parts/USF Pro Championships/Bell/OMP-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “It was pretty simple. I got off to a good lead at the start and then was just managing for a lot of the race and turned it up right at the end. I can’t thank Pabst Racing and (engineer) Tonis (Kasemets) enough. That car was just incredible. It was so easy to drive. I could put it anywhere. I can’t wait to get in it again twice more this weekend.”

Mac Clark (#90 Corpay Cross-Border Solutions/Clubine Motorsports-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus IP-22): “It was an awesome first race here at Road America. I think we really maximized the #90 Corpay Cross-Border Solutions Exclusive Autosport car. It was dialed in. I think we have a little bit more pace to find. The Pabst guys have been tough to chase all weekend, so we'll regroup for Races Two and Three. We are going to be starting on the first row [for the next race], and we'll work from there.”

Jacob Douglas (#19 DouglasFay Group/Fleet Cost & Care-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “I had a good start off of P3. I got into P2 on the first lap. Unfortunately, I made a mistake and went back to P3 and just stayed there the whole race really. I was trying my best to catch Mac and move forward into second and try and make a charge for the win but, unfortunately, I couldn't quite get there. The car felt really, really good so massive thanks to the whole Pabst Racing crew. The car is phenomenal and I'm looking forward to the next two races.”

Race Two:

Max Garcia (#18 Advance Auto Parts/USF Pro Championships/Bell/OMP-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “It was a super great race. Led start to finish again, which is absolutely amazing. It was just managing most of the race really, keeping track of where everyone else was on track. It was super awesome to cross the line first again for Pabst at their home track.”

Jacob Douglas (#19 DouglasFay Group/Fleet Cost & Care-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “It was a great Race Two here at Road America. We started P4, moved up to P2 on the start and then I was shuffled back a little bit to P4. On the restart, I made a great move around the outside challenging for the lead, but couldn't quite get it done and we came home second. Massive thanks to all the Pabst Racing guys. The car's been great all weekend.”

Mac Clark (#90 Corpay Cross-Border Solutions/Clubine Motorsports-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus IP-22): “It's always a good race when you finish on the podium. Starting P2, we were hoping for a little bit more, but not a bad way to end our first day here racing at Road America. Super thankful to the whole team. They gave me a fast race car today. We're starting, I think, P2 again tomorrow so that'll give us another good shot.”