Sebastian Wheldon brought the title fight in the 2023 Skip Barber Race Series even closer, as he swept the Road America weekend, converting both of his pole positions to wins while leading every lap of the dual-race event in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Heading into the second half of the season, Wheldon is just eight points behind fellow second-generation driver Jaxon Bell. In a testament to the field of sixteen drivers, the Skip Barber Race Series was the only program on the weekend to not have a full course yellow in one of its races. The drivers, ranging in age from 14 to 65, even managed to navigate a torrential rainstorm that swept over the track just minutes into their first on-track session. With the rain washing out both of Friday’s free practices, Series Director Ken Fukuda and Race Series President Gerardo Bonilla opted to splice Friday evening’s qualifying session into a dual practice and qualifying session that would set the grid for Race 1. This would allow the field to get more track time before embarking on their qualifying runs. It was in that session that Wheldon began to stamp his name on the weekend. The 14-year-old laid down a lap 2.3 seconds quicker than the rest of the field, placing him on pole position in convincing fashion. On Saturday, he proved his qualifying pace to be no fluke as he opened a two-second gap after just one lap. Jeshua Alianell, who started on the outside of row one, was able to clear himself of the pack but could not match the pace of Wheldon, who cruised to a 16.220-second victory. The final spot on the podium of the 25-minute race would be decided in the last 100 feet as Jaxon Bell, Gabe Tesch, and Caleb Gafrarar wrestled third place from each other, all exhibiting excellent race craft. It was clear that passing the other two competitors and driving off into the distance would not be a viable strategy. The final trophy would go to the one who positioned themselves the best through the final corners. Coming to the checkered, Tesch ducked out from behind Bell who was leading the trio. Gafrarar, now looking at two cars, drafted to the back of Bell, hoping Tesch, now without a draft would fall back. The three drivers could’ve been covered by a blanket as they crested the hill, but it was Bell who beat out Tesch by just 0.025 seconds while Gafrarar was 0.605 seconds behind Tesch. Sunday morning’s Race 2 offered a similar story with Wheldon blasting away from pole position and winning the race by 15.002 seconds ahead of Gafrarar, who this time around got the best of Bell. Alianell’s fourth place in Race 2 ended his streak of podium finishes, but his consistency has him in the conversation for the title. Alianell, the two-time runner up in the series, is just four points behind Wheldon. 
In the Master’s class, the twin duo of Thomas and Rob Tarlton dominated the weekend with Thomas getting the better of his brother in both races. Quentin Wahl finished third on the Master’s class podium in both races. Elsewhere on the grid, tenth place turned out to be a great place to start as both Lincoln Day in Race 1 and Violet Townsend in Race 2 climbed the order to finish seventh. The biggest movers on the weekend were Spencer Schmidt and Barrett Wolfe who started Race 2 in 14th and 15th, respectively. The duo drove into the top ten together, each gaining five spots by the end of the race. The 2023 Skip Barber Race Series now heads to Lime Rock Park on August 23 and 24.
In the Master’s class, the twin duo of Thomas and Rob Tarlton dominated the weekend with Thomas getting the better of his brother in both races. Quentin Wahl finished third on the Master’s class podium in both races. Elsewhere on the grid, tenth place turned out to be a great place to start as both Lincoln Day in Race 1 and Violet Townsend in Race 2 climbed the order to finish seventh. The biggest movers on the weekend were Spencer Schmidt and Barrett Wolfe who started Race 2 in 14th and 15th, respectively. The duo drove into the top ten together, each gaining five spots by the end of the race. The 2023 Skip Barber Race Series now heads to Lime Rock Park on August 23 and 24.