USF2000: Top-15 finish for Kaylee Countryman at Road America
- LIAM REDFORD
- 2 minutes ago
- 5 min read
F1 Academy racer Kaylee Countryman enjoyed a weekend of progress in the latest round of the USF2000 Championship as she scored a top-15 finish at Road America, taking significant steps forward over the course of the weekend as she banked valuable knowledge in her dual single seater campaign.
F1 Academy racer Kaylee Countryman enjoyed a weekend of progress in the latest round of the USF2000 Championship as she scored a top-15 finish at Road America. Countryman took significant steps forward over the course of the weekend as she banked valuable knowledge in her dual single seater campaign.
Fresh from a stunning podium finish in the latest round of the F1 Academy series at Circuit Gilles Villenueve, Countryman was looking to carry this momentum into her USF2000 Championship campaign. Driving in both series during the 2026 season has been hugely beneficial for Countryman with the American racer the highest placed of the ART Grand Prix trio in the F1 Academy standings.
Returning to the USF2000 Championship after missing the sole oval event at IRP, Countryman was looking to build upon her top-10 finish from Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Racing for Jay Howard Driver Development powered by Ed Carpenter Racing, Countryman has continued to develop her racecraft following her step up from USF Juniors.
In 2025, Countryman also competed in select races within the USF2000 Championship with Road America being one such event. Securing a best finish of 15th, Countryman aimed to draw upon this experience, while she also gained valuable mileage prior to the weekend after competing in six official test sessions setting a quickest lap of a 2:09.564.
On-track action within the main race weekend began on Thursday as the drivers took part in two further test sessions. It was a challenging day for Countryman who was only able to complete limited running, setting a quickest time of a 2:10.525 which came during the first session.
The first of two qualifying sessions for the USF2000 drivers was held on Friday morning with Countryman taking strides forward. Bouncing back from a tough Thursday, Countryman set a quickest lap of a 2:09.786 which placed her in 21st position.
Friday’s action concluded with the second qualifying session with Countryman looking to improve from her earlier time. After a red flag period caused by Oliver Wheldon, the session was halted and this disrupted the rhythm of the drivers. At the end of the session, Countryman had set the 23rd fastest time with the JHDD Powered by ECR driver looking to make progress during the three races.
Race one at Road America was held on Saturday morning with Countryman lining up from 21st on the grid. Initially, it was a clean start throughout the field with the drivers going a nice job to negotiate the opening turns without incident. Contact was then made at turn 6 with Countryman doing a superb job to avoid her teammate Callahan Peter who received contact, while Grant Mitchell also suffered damage to his car.
With Peter’s car beached on a kerb, the race entered a safety car period at the end of lap one with Countryman up to 20th spot. Following quick work from the marshals, the race resumed on lap three with Countryman defending from teammate Liam Loiacono who started from the rear of the field. Although the Australian racer moved ahead, Countryman remained inside the top-20 after she passed Naim Saleh.
After battling with Saleh on lap four, this brought Jack Mohrhardt into contention and with Saleh and Mohrhardt beginning to fight, this relieved some pressure on Countryman. On lap five, Countryman was faster than the next quintet of drivers ahead as she looked to push towards the top-15. A personal best lap followed and after clocking a time of a 2:09.816, the JHDD Powered by ECR driver was almost matching her qualifying pace.
Following a strong middle portion of the race where Countryman continued to set fast and consistent lap times, her persistence paid off as on lap eight, she overtook both Thomas Nordquist and Leonardo Serravalle. Now in 18th position, Countryman was holding her own comfortably and on the penultimate lap, she set a new benchmark time of a 2:09.667.
Countryman was now setting a faster pace than she did in qualifying and this speed allowed her to pass Gabriel Cahan on the final tour. Taking the chequered flag in 17th position, it was a promising start to the weekend for Countryman who showed improved pace in race conditions.
Race two of the weekend took place late on Saturday afternoon with Countryman lining up from 23rd on the grid following her result in the second qualifying session. It was a challenging start for the JHDD Powered by ECR driver who spun at first turn. Fortunately, there was no contact and Countryman rejoined the race less than ten seconds behind the midfield pack. Therefore, she was now searching for a safety car to bring herself back into contention.
On lap two, the race did indeed enter a full course yellow period with multiple cars making contact through the first sector. Countryman was now up to 20th position after Callahan Peter, Antonio Serravalle and Liam Loiacano all retired, while Thomas Nordquist rejoined the circuit just behind. The race resumed on lap five and although Countryman initially lost out to a recovering Nordquist, she remained in contention for a strong result.
Now behind Jack Mohrhardt and teammate Naim Saleh, Countryman enjoyed a superb battle with Saleh on lap seven as the drivers ran side-by-side on approach to turn five. Although Saleh retained the position, Countryman began lap eight just one tenth of a second behind her rival. After passing Saleh and overtaking the spun Elias Vignola, Countryman was now up to 19th position with three laps remaining.
On laps 10 and 11, Countryman clocked back-to-back fastest laps with the JHRR Powered by ECR driver setting a time of a 2:09.516 which was her quickest lap of theevent so far. This allowed Countryman to hold off Vignola’s late challenge, securing 19th position in a photo finish with the DEForce Racing driver.
The third and final race of the weekend took place on Sunday morning with Countryman lining up from 20th on the grid. After a clean run through the opening corners, a sizeable incident on the run down to turn five saw Ryan Gianetta, Evan Cooley and Callahan Peter all retire from the race. Countryman did a nice job to avoid the incident as she ended lap one in 17th position.
As a result of a sizeable cleanup required, the race was brought under safety car conditions for an extended period of time. During the neutralisation period, Lucas Nanji’s car stopped with a technical issue with his car also needing recovery. The race resumed on lap six and Countryman passed Thomas Nordquist, while Grant Mitchell moved ahead after an earlier pit stop.
The following lap saw the safety car deployed for a second time after Nordquist was stranded out on track with Countryman remaining in 17th position. The green flags were displayed on lap nine and Cole Medeiros had a spin at turn five with Countryman briefly moving into 16th, before Jack Mohrhardt found a way through.
With three laps to go, Countryman was back into 16th position after Gabriel Cahan pitted. An incident ahead on the penultimate lap saw contact between Connor Aspley and Liam Loiacano with Aspley delayed and Loiacano out of the race. As a result, the safety car was required for a third time and the race finished at a reduced pace with Countryman taking the chequered flag in 15th position.
Countryman took significant strides forward at Road America as she continued to battle within the competitive midfield. Scoring championship points in all three races, Countryman banked valuable knowledge at a challenging circuit as she gains additional mileage alongside her F1 Academy campaign. The next round of the all-female single seater series takes place at Silverstone on the weekend of 4th/5th July.