Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography

Liam McNeilly was able to put his Jay Howard Driver Development car in victory lane not just once, but twice, during the opening weekend of the 2025 USF2000 season on the Streets of St. Petersburg.

He does exactly what Pabst Racing’s Max Garcia was able to pull off in 2024, a weekend sweep, to kick off the USF2000 year. Garcia went on to win the title when the season concluded.

McNeilly’s win comes off of a 2024 season in USF Juniors where he finished second in the championship and took multiple wins, showing immediately how ready he was to compete in America after years of proving himself in his home country of England, where he won races in the GB4 Championship.

Taking the win to open the USF2000 season proved even further that no matter what series you put him in, he will continue to win races. Even with sustained pressure behind from Exclusive Autosport’s Jack Jeffers in both races, McNeilly held on.

“It was a good race from my side, I made very minimal mistakes,” McNeilly said. “Jack was always there, so if I made a mistake, he’d be there to pounce on it.”

The race was McNeilly’s first on the Streets of St. Petersburg and only his second race weekend on a street circuit, after having made his USF2000 debut last summer on the Streets of Toronto. McNeilly finished second in the final race of that weekend, picking up hsi first career podium.

That keeps up the performance he has put together over these two years in America, all of which he has spent with Jay Howard Driver Development.

“(Liam) was flawless, very good,” team owner Jay Howard said. “We never know what to expect when we come to these street courses and he executed and did a mega job.”

McNeilly and the rest of the USF2000 grid will take a six-week break now before returning to compete at NOLA Motorsports Park in April.