CLERMONT, Ind. – Exclusive Autosport’s USF2000 drivers were the powerhouses of the USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire Freedom 75 last Thursday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. After three top-five finishes with two podiums at IMS just two weeks ago, second-year driver Evan Cooley maintained his momentum as he set a new track record in qualifying ahead of scoring his first series victory. Cooley also delivered the team’s first USF2000 win at the event to accompany their five previous USF Pro 2000 victories.

Rookie Gabriel Cahan delivered his best performance of the season, taking home the runner-up finish behind Cooley to make it an Exclusive Autosport one-two. The results could have been even better, as Indy GP winner Anthony Martella dominated the first 45 laps of the 75-lap contest, with the team running one-two-three, but a lapped car spun on his own exiting Turn Four on Lap 43, collecting Martella in the process. The Canadian had the race in hand, leaving Cooley to pick up the EA banner when the race went back to green. The fourth driver in the EA quintet, Ayton Cahan, raced hard and was in a spirited battle all race, finishing 12th. Brenden Cooley, who is focused on a full-time USF Juniors program this year, made his USF2000 oval debut at IRP and after a set-up adjustment following qualifying, he drove a calculated race to finish 15th.

“The Freedom 75 was truly a bittersweet event for our team,” said Michael Duncalfe, Co-Owner and CEO of Exclusive Autosport. “I’m incredibly proud of our crew and technical staff for giving our drivers exceptionally quick race cars all weekend long. Our drivers also did a fantastic job, and seeing three of our cars running one-two-three at the front of the field was an incredibly proud moment for our entire organization. Anthony was doing an outstanding job leading the race and, through absolutely no fault of his own, was unfortunately caught out and eliminated by a lapped car. While we’re absolutely gutted for Anthony because he deserved a shot at the win, I’m also extremely happy for both Gabe and Evan. This was by far Gabe’s strongest performance. He raced with tremendous composure, handled multiple challenges for second place, and drove home to a very dominant P2 finish. As for Evan, I’m absolutely thrilled for him and his family. Evan has worked incredibly hard over the past few years and has come so close to victory so many times. To see him finally earn his first USF2000 win is very special. What makes it even sweeter is that he also secured the pole position and a track record on the oval. It was a huge weekend for him and a well-deserved result.”

After two days of testing and practice on the tough 5/8ths-of-a-mile oval, the Exclusive Autosport drivers performed well in the two-lap qualifying runs. Martella was first to break the long-standing track record, but Evan Cooley went 0.023 seconds faster to lock down the pole, setting up the EA front row lockout. Gabriel Cahan posted the fifth quickest time while Ayrton timed in 11th. Brenden struggled with pace in testing, but thankfully, the team diagnosed a major issue heading into qualifying. The adjustment gave the young driver a much different car for the short qualifying run. Cooley used the four laps – two warm-up and two at-speed – to understand the new ‘feel’ of the car and timed in 19th as the first driver on the track.

The race went green in the early evening and Martella took the lead at the start and stretched to a cushion of over two seconds with just over 30 laps to go, only to get taken out by the lapped car error. On the restart, Cooley assumed the point and was never challenged, extending the cushion to 1.47 seconds at the checkered flag. Cahan held off series point leader Sebastian Garzon to his best finish of the season in second, putting two Exclusive Autosport drivers on the podium. Ayrton Cahan was embroiled in his own battle for the final position in the top 10, bringing home a strong 12th-place finish, gaining crucial oval experience. Cooley settled into the race with his new set-up and made a number of passes, finishing 15th in the final tally.

The results moved Exclusive Autosport to the top of the Team Championship standings and also elevated Cooley to third in the driver standings. The Freedom 75 paid 150 percent of the points, adding 45 points to the winner’s season total. Paired with his point for the pole, Cooley vaulted up the order. The Cahans’ consistency through the first three events of the year have placed them seventh and eighth in the championship, with Gabriel just four points out of fifth. Martella has shown race-winning pace all year, but he’s been plagued by bad luck due to the errors of others, and his results still have him placed 13th in the standings with many races still on the schedule.

The next stop on the schedule will take the team and the drivers to the iconic Road America on the June 19-21 weekend.

Qualifying: 1st – 20.818 (New Track Record)

Freedom 75: Start – 1st / Finish – 1st

Driver Quote: “It was a great race. It’s unfortunate what happened to Anthony. I held the lead off to the end and got the win, my first win. I couldn't do it at a better place. I just want to give a huge thanks to the team, my engineer Lou D’Agostino, my mechanic David Clubine, my team owners Michael Duncalfe and Josh Cooley, and all my sponsors for their support.”

Qualifying: 2nd – 20.842

Freedom 75: Start – 2nd / Finish – 18th (Contact)

Driver Quote: “Honestly, this one is really difficult to process. We put ourselves in such a strong position all night long, leading more than half the race and showing the kind of pace that nobody could match. It felt like we were on our way to something really special before everything changed in a split second with a lapped car spinning directly in front of me, leaving nowhere to go. Situations like that are one of the hardest parts about racing because sometimes you can do everything right and still have the result taken away by circumstances completely out of your control. Even with the disappointment, I’m incredibly proud of the entire Exclusive Autosport team for the work, preparation, and belief they gave me all weekend. We built a car capable of winning the Freedom 75, and although the final result won’t show what we were truly capable of, I know the performance we had. Moments like these hurt, but they also build resilience and motivation to come back even stronger the next time we hit the track.”

 

Qualifying: 5th – 21.035

Freedom 75: Start – 5th / Finish – 2nd

Driver Quote: “Amazing week at the oval. We had a strong pace all week, and a strong qualifying put us P5 for the race. The crew at Exclusive Autosport gave me an amazing car to race with. Finishing second and snatching my first-ever podium in USF competition. Hopefully the first of many. It’s Unfortunate what happened to Anthony. We were aiming for a full EA podium. Thanks to my mechanic, Rod, and my engineer, Poodles. My coach, Oliver, and my spotter, Carson. As well as my sponsors and parents.”

Qualifying: 11th – 21.137

Freedom 75: Start – 11th / Finish – 12th

Driver Quote: “The oval had moments of brilliance. A little mistake in qualifying put me on the back foot for the race, and it didn’t show the true speed we had. Absolutely gutted I couldn’t get the result, we knew we could achieve. However, super proud of the team on their one two finishes. Taking everything I’ve learned onto Road America next.”

 

Qualifying: 19th – 21.674

Freedom 75: Start - 19th / Finish – 15th

Driver Quote: “I’m glad to have my first oval race under my belts. There were a lot of turning left and lots of experience gained. Thank you Michael Duncalfe and Josh Cooley for giving me this opportunity, as well as my mechanic, Remington Tarr, for working all night converting my Juniors car into a USF2000 with the oval package. This was such a fun opportunity to move up into a higher category, and I feel confident in what we can show next year.”

Exclusive Autosport is pleased to be able to partner with a great company - Corpay Cross-Border Solutions (https://cross-border.corpay.com/exclusive-autosport/), which specializes in helping companies of all sizes power their international payments, manage their currency risk and support their global growth.

Exclusive Autosport is also happy to partner with the state-of-the-art establishment of Autobahn Country Club and their Autobahn Driver Academy (https://autobahncc.com/driver-academy/). This collaboration will offer aspiring racers comprehensive training in open-wheel racing, leveraging EA’s proven track record of success in developing talent from grassroots levels to professional racing careers. The academy will benefit from EA’s innovative coaching techniques and its commitment to driver excellence.