Checkered flags are a constant for Parker Thompson this season, as he leads the pack in the Cooper Tires USF2000 circuit.
At the mid-way point of the USF2000 racing tour, the Red Deer teen is emerging as a favourite for the 2016 championship as he sits in first place in the driver standings with 178 points. His nearest competitor, Anthony Martin of Kalgoorlie, Australia, is 26 points behind Thompson.
Thompson and Martin are teammates with Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing.
Of the seven races so far, Thompson has won three and placed second in two of them.
He started slowly finishing 15th in the first race in St. Petersburg, Florida, held on March 12 on the Streets of St. Petersburg. But rebounded in the second race to finish in fourth in St. Petersburg
Thompson swept both races at the next event, held in Birmingham, Ala., at the Barber Motorsports Park on April 22 and 23.
In the first race, he qualified for the pole position and held on to first at the finish line. In the second, he qualified for the second starting spot and finished in first.
In Indianapolis, Ind., at the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit on May 13 and 14, Thompson won the second race after coming in second in the first race.
Staying in Indianapolis, this time at the Lucas Oil Raceway on May 27, Thompson was about one second behind the leader, finishing in second place.
Recently, Thompson took part in the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course test sessions from June 8 to 9 in Lexington, Ohio. Of the 10 test sessions, Thompson took first place in six of them.
Up next for the 18-year-old is the Road America race in Elkhart Lake, Wis., June 24 to 26.