Liam McNeilly from Jay Howard Driver Developments claimed victory in the opening race of the 2024 USF2000 season at the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. The 20-lap Foundation Building Materials Grand Prix saw intense competition among a field of talented rookies.

McNeilly, who started second, overtook pole-sitter Caleb Gafrarar on an early restart and maintained his lead through multiple caution periods. Jack Jeffers finished second, while Jeshua Alianell secured third place in his first-ever street course race.

The qualifying session highlighted the competitive nature of the field, with the top eight positions separated by just 0.2331 seconds. Gafrarar had claimed pole position by a mere 0.0566 seconds over McNeilly.

Key race highlights:

• Multiple full-course cautions, including an early incident that eliminated Bradley Majman
• McNeilly executed a decisive pass for the lead on the airport runway straight
• Strong defensive driving from McNeilly against consistent pressure from Jeffers
• Anthony Martella earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award, advancing from 13th to 6th

The second race of the weekend is scheduled for Saturday at 12:30 p.m. EDT, where competitors will once again tackle the challenging 1.8-mile temporary circuit.

Final top positions:

1. Liam McNeilly (Jay Howard Driver Developments)
2. Jack Jeffers
3. Jeshua Alianell (DEForce Racing)
4. Evan Cooley
5. G3 Argyros (Pabst Racing)

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