MOUNT VERNON — Mount Vernon racer Jason Wolfe is just not your average 17-year-old. He is driven by a passion to race at the Indianapolis 500 one day. For Wolfe, it is more than just a dream. With 15 wins in 40 starts, Wolfe continues to climb toward his goal of driving the big time Indy cars.
This will be a huge weekend at Mid-Ohio and Wolfe will be a part of it. He will run on Saturday and Sunday in the U.S.F2000 National Championships Powered by Mazda. Both of those races will be on a very busy card that will include a pair of nationally televised races: The Honda Indy 200, along with the American LeMans Series.
“It’s one of my favorite tracks,” said Wolfe of Mid-Ohio. “That and Road America (Wisc.) because of the elevation change, nicer corners and just a good variety of everything. They do a really good job with the whole facility.”
Wolfe has made some big strides this summer.
“I’ve been racing in USAC midgets and SCCA or Formula Enterprise,” said Wolfe. “Our main focus is the U.S.F2000 series where we’re running in the top 10, consistently.”
Formula SCCA, or Formula Enterprise, comprises a class of open-wheel race car, which is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America. The U.S.F2000 series is part of the “Road to Indy” series. The U.S.F2000 National Championship, which ran in the 1990s, returned to Mid-Ohio in 2010. It is a stepping stone to higher calibers of professional open wheel racing in the United States.
“They’re not a whole lot smaller,” said Wolfe of the Formula Enterprise cars. “They are two liter cars, pretty much like any formula car. (Big time Formula One cars are 2.4 liter) They’re like the beginning step. They’re like a smaller version of a Formula One or Indy car. They’re in the ladder program to Indy.”
Wolfe won at Mid-Ohio last Saturday from the pole position. Sunday, he went to Beaver Run, Pa., to compete in their U.S.F2000 National. Wolfe missed qualifying and had to start in the back row. Amazingly, he jockeyed his way into contention and won on the race’s final lap.
“We’re racing everywhere,” said Wolfe, who hadn’t raced at Beaver Run in three years. “(Saturday’s race) was at Mid-Ohio in the Enterprise car. We won that race. It was just more of a test session for us. It was a regional race. On Sunday, we went up to Beaver Run. I set a new track record there for that race,” said Wolfe.
