2008 grads Newgarden and Daly at Silverstone. (Team USA photo)
It’s getting to be a tradition, kind of like Jimmie Johnson hoisting the NASCAR Sprint Cup trophy, Graham Hill winning at Monaco . . . or Mario slowing down on the backstretch at Indy. “It” would be another remarkable success story for the Team USA Scholarship. In case your surname is “Van Winkle,” over the past 18 years the Team USA Scholarship has arguably done more than any other driver development program to advance the careers of talented, deserving young American racers.
Team USA’s alumni list reads like a Who’s Who of American driving talent – open wheel, sports cars, stock cars – since 1990: Jimmy Vasser. Bryan Herta. Jerry Nadeau. Memo Gidley. Buddy Rice. Paul Edwards. Andy Lally. Joey Hand. Phil Giebler. Bryan Sellers. A.J. Allmendinger. And, more recently, Charlie Kimball, J.R. Hildebrand and Dane Cameron, among others.
Be it the Formula Ford Festival, the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy, the Formula Palmer Audi Winter Series, the Formula Opel Nations Cup or the Talley’s New Zealand Formula Ford Championship, Team USA’s drivers have generally distinguished themselves in their first real taste of international competition. Not everyone has covered himself in glory – ask Vasser whose ‘90 Formula Ford Festival lasted only as far as the second turn of his heat race. But with numerous race wins and championships like the Talley’s Formula Ford Championship and both the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy and Winter Series to their credit, it’s fair to say the Team USA Scholarship drivers have enjoyed an impressive run of success flying the team’s red, white and blue banner.
It’s also fair to say that, win, lose or DNF, every one of the nearly 30 drivers who have raced for Team USA owes a debt of gratitude to program founder and journalist/TV commentator (and in the interest of full disclosure, my close friend) Jeremy Shaw and those who have supported the Scholarship program (monetarily and otherwise) over the years.
Still, even Mr. Shaw could have barely imagined a fortnight such as 2008 Team USA “scholars” Conor Daly and Josef Newgarden recently enjoyed in England. Newgarden never put a wheel wrong from the moment he took to the track at Brands Hatch and became the first American to win the Kent class at the fabled Formula Ford Festival.
“We went with Cliff Dempsey Racing,” says the 17-year-old Newgarden, who hails from Hendersonville, Tennessee. “They proved to be a really super team. We got fitted to the cars then headed straight to Brands Hatch for some testing, which went really well. There was some great chemistry right away within the team and between Conor and myself. He and I were right on the pace and while Conor had some technical problems, things just kept rolling my way right through to winning the finals.
“The Formula Ford Festival was our introduction to European-style racing. We’ve all heard how aggressive the driving is, but until you experience it you don’t quite know what to expect. It’s different for sure, but really there’s no right way or wrong way, it’s just racing. But it was pretty cool for Conor and myself to be on their turf, learning their style of racing and really catching-on right away.”
Indeed. Newgarden caught on quickly enough to add his name to an illustrious list of Formula Ford Festival winners, one that includes the likes of Mark Webber, Jenson Button and a fellow named Derek Daly. If you’re wondering whether Conor Daly is any relation to Derek Daly, wonder no more. The son of the 1976 Formula Ford Festival champion, Conor was little short of overwhelmed by the reception he received at Brands Hatch.
“So many people came up to me and said they were at Brands Hatch when my father won the Festival and they hoped I’d win it too,” he says. “It was definitely a special experience. I almost felt exhalted to be the son of a former Formula Ford Festival winner.”
Unfortunately, after qualifying on the front row for his semi-final heat (as did Newgarden) Daly suffered a broken throttle linkage in his semi-final heat race and had to start the final from 12th on the grid. Undeterred, Daly climbed to sixth at the finish.
“I had to start from the back of the pack in the semi-final and I learned all about the cut-throat Formula Ford driving,” says the 16-year-old Daly. “I’m glad I went through all that. I learned a lot and I think it will definitely help me throughout the rest of my career.”
