Jaylan Battley extended his lead in the Skip Barber Race Series with a pair of victories at Circuit of the Americas, continuing his hot start to the season that has now seen the young Texan sweep the opening two rounds. While Battley was a constant figure at the front of the grid, new faces joined him on the podium, and the midfield battle was as fierce as ever. For Battley, this week at COTA was a return to a track where he has already found success with Skip Barber. The native of Houston won the Skip Barber Race Series Winter Shootout in January at the track. He entered the week as one of the favorites following his Sebring sweep to open the season. His performance lived up to those expectations as he topped the charts in practice and qualifying on his way to a drama-free pair of wins. Florida's Charlie Gillespie, the runner-up finisher in the Winter Shootout, also touched down in Texas with high aspirations, seeking a rebound in fortunes following a tough Sebring opener. Gillespie turned his third-place starting position into a second-place result in Race 1 before repeating that success in Race 2. In both cases, fellow rookie Ian Osuna kept Gillespie honest, not letting the Floridian pull too far away. Osuna's pair of third-place finishes means he has now finished on the podium in three of the first four races of the season. He will be a name to keep an eye on as the season heads deeper into the summer. Another driver entering this week with high expectations was Mark Jennes, who completed his Three-Day Racing School at Circuit of the Americas. COTA is his home track and he netted a top-five result in Race 1, his second top-five of the still-young season. Jennes spent much of his week at COTA locked in a battle with Shureed Kabir. The pair of rookies crossed beneath the checkered flag separated by under one second, with Jennes getting the better of Kabir in Race 1. Fortunes flipped, however, as Kabir grabbed his season-best finish, besting Canada's Thaden Van Wong by just half a second in Race 2. Van Wong continues to show impressive growth in his racing career. Despite being the youngest driver on the grid, his hard work to start the 2026 season has him just seven points behind Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series winner Aaron Vazquez, who sits third in the Championship Class standings. Matt Ales, meanwhile, leads the Masters Class championship with four straight wins to open the season. He also scored a pair of overall second-place finishes at Circuit of the Americas and the Hard Charger Award in Race 1. One driver made his Skip Barber Race Series debut this week: Ocean Lopez. His pace steadily improved throughout the sessions and he laid down a nice foundation to build upon later this season. The next round of the 2026 Skip Barber Race Series is set for July 1 – 2 at VIRginia International Raceway’s South Course. For more information on the Skip Barber Race Series, including on how to join the grid, click here.