European Success for Skip Barber Race Series Alumni

After earning his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway, Skip Barber alumni Carson Hocevar returned to victory lane, this time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Hocevar led 76 of the race’s 172 laps, won Stage 2, and completed a daring pass on the outside of turn four to take control of the race coming to the final lap. The overtime finish also benefited Kyle Busch and Brandon Jones who both gained three spots in the closing, and chaotic, laps of the race. Craftsman Truck Series regulars Christian Eckes (8th) and Chandler Smith (10th) rounded out the top ten. Saturday and Sunday yielded quieter results from other Skip Barber graduates. Alex Bowman (3rd), Chris Buescher (5th), Hocevar (7th), and Bubba Wallace (10th) had steady runs. Alumni Parker Retzlaff was the highest-finishing graduate in the NASCAR O’Reilly Autoparts Series race with a fifth-place result. Connor Zilisch won Stage 2 in Saturday’s race. The IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship descended on WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca where alumni Colin Braun finished fourth in the GTP class. In Michelin Pilot Challenge, Gordon Scully finished second in Grand Sport with fellow graduate Robby Foley joining him in the top five while Eduardo Gou was fourth in TCR. Gou began his racing career with a Three Day Racing School. The Lamborghini Super Trofeo was a fruitful weekend for Skip Barber alumni as Daniel Formal swept the weekend in Pro-Am and Lindsay Brewer scored a top-five result and a podium finish in class. Derek Ware netted a pair of top-five finishes in Am while Chris Tasca scored two podium finishes in LB Cup. That success continued into Ford Mustang Challenge where Will Lucas, who graduated from a One Day Racing School, finished third in Race 2. Alumni Joseph Dederichs was third in the Dark Horse Legends class in Race 2. In Miami, McLaren Trophy America was in-action to support the Formula 1 Grand Prix. Deniz Teoman, Cooper Broll, and and Colin Harrison all finished in the top five of the Am class with Teoman taking home the victory and Broll finishing second. Porsche Carrera Cup North America was also in Miami and that saw alumni Alan Metni (4th) and Nikita Lastochkin (5th) finish in the top five. Across the pond, a pair of graduates from the Skip Barber Race Series have been busy and finding success at the same time. 2024 Series champion Sebastian Wheldon scored a trio of podium finishes, including a victory in the opening race of the of Formula Regional European Championship at Red Bull Ring. Alan Orzysnki, meanwhile, was third in Euroformula Cup at Paul Ricard last month.