SEBRING, Fla. - Joel Granfors delivered his first podium in U.S. motorsport by powering to second place at this weekend’s USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires round at Sebring International Raceway.
The Swedish rookie backed up his convincing pace from the opening round of the season, where he recorded the fastest lap of the weekend, with another strong performance in round two – pulling all the way onto the podium.
The effort came in the opening race of the double-header meeting, where Granfors ran third for much of the duration. Heading out on the penultimate lap, however, the 17-year-old made a move stick on second-placed Jace Denmark, snatching P2 to cement his – and his Exclusive Autosport team’s – first podium of the season.
“I’m thrilled with my first podium here, and also to give the team their first this year,” says Joel Granfors. “It was a strong race throughout, and it’s great to see the pace we’re having transform into a proper result. Next, we just have to aim for that top step!”
In the concluding Race 2, staged on Saturday, Granfors appeared set for a P7 finish, trying to battle back from a more challenging qualifying session earlier in the day. However, contact on the very final lap damaged Granfors’ front wing, dropping him to ninth as he nursed the car home for the last mile.
“It wasn’t the ideal end to the weekend, but these things happen,” Granfors concludes. “We struggled a bit in qualifying and started in the midfield, and that’s always tricky. I made a good start again and P7 would have been decent, but unfortunately the cars ahead of me made contact on the last lap and I got entangled in that.
"It was a very small touch, but enough to break the wing, and so I lost a couple of places limping to the flag. All in all, though, it’s been a positive weekend with our first podium and many important points.”
Granfors remains in sixth place overall in the USF Pro 2000 standings following this weekend, but has just 11 points up to second.
Racing resumes on May 12-13 on the hallowed grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The USF Pro 2000 field will battle it out around the famed track’s road course iteration, laid out on the infield of the legendary Indy 500 oval.