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the USF Pro Championships: The USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires is an evolution of the Road to Indy, one of the most successful driver development programs in the world. Comprised of USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires, USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires and USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires, the ladder system provides a unique, scholarship-funded path to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indianapolis 500. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES grid is comprised of numerous graduates and, in 2022, 20 of the 33 starters in the Indianapolis 500 were alumni. The mission of the USF Pro Championships is to develop and advance, and that includes not only drivers but teams and personnel as well. For more information, visit usfpro2000.com, usf2000.com and usfjuniors.com.

Garcia Claims USF Pro 2000 Points Lead with St. Pete Win

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Florida teenagers have swept this weekend’s Andersen Interior Contracting Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with Max Garcia claiming an emphatic victory this morning for Pabst Racing. Building upon his second-place finish yesterday, the young man from Coconut Grove, Fla., who is still two weeks shy of his 16th birthday, overtook opening round winner Alessandro De Tullio (Turn 3 Motorsport), from Miami, Fla., immediately after a restart to cement an early advantage in the USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire championship chase.


 

Canadian Mac Clark finished a strong second for Exclusive Autosport, followed by Garcia’s teammate Jacob Douglas, from Auckland, New Zealand, who rebounded impressively following an incident in the first race of the weekend.


 

Race Results


 

De Tullio once again started at the head of the field after securing his second Continental Tire Pole Award, and for the second straight day, he was flanked by Garcia for the rolling start.


 

De Tullio continued to hold the upper hand despite a couple of early full-course cautions, but for the fourth year in a row, the winning team from the opening race of the season was unable to back up that success in Race Two. The jinx continues.


 

Yesterday, Garcia had attempted on several occasions to oust De Tullio from the lead by braking a little later on the outside line into Turn One. This time, he tried something different. When De Tullio left a small opening on the inside following a restart on Lap 10, Garcia immediately filled that gap and squeezed through under braking for Turn One. He never looked back.


 

Last year’s USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire champion maintained his advantage after two more full-course cautions during an incident-packed 25-lap race. Garcia then pulled away from the field in the final couple of laps to ensure a clear victory – his third on the challenging 1.8-mile restart after sweeping both USF2000 races in 2024.


 

Clark, who made up three positions on the opening lap, further profited from an early clash in Turn Two between second-row starters Elliot Cox (Turn 3 Motorsport), from Indianapolis, Ind., and Michael Costello (Pabst Racing), from Naples, Fla. Already up to third after having started eighth, Clark then opportunistically followed Garcia past De Tullio to move into second.


 

VRD Racing’s Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., also managed to find a way past De Tullio a couple of laps later, and shortly afterward De Tullio missed his reference marker under braking for Turn Four and slid off into the barriers. His day was done.


 

Taylor later was ordered by Race Control to cede a position to Douglas as a penalty for an over-zealous protection of his position, moving the Kiwi up to third.


 

Up front, Clark was unable to match Garcia’s pace but was still able to fend off the attentions of Douglas. Taylor also finished close behind in fourth, just ahead of French-domiciled Vietnamese teammate Owen Tangavelou and TJ Speed Motorsport’s Jace Denmark, from Brownsburg, Ind.


 

Jorge Garciarce, from Guadalajara, Mexico, claimed the Tilton Hard Charger Award after rising from 18th on the grid to ninth. It marked the second straight day a DEForce Racing driver had taken the honor after his Brazilian teammate Nicholas Monteiro did so on Saturday.


 

The PFC Award as the winning car owner went to Augie Pabst.


 

The chase for this year’s USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire championship and a scholarship valued at almost $600,000 to graduate to INDY NXT in 2026 will continue at NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, La., on April 12-13.


 

Provisional championship points after 2 of 18 rounds:

1. Max Garcia, 57

2. Mac Clark, 44

3. Alessandro De Tullio, 37

4. Max Taylor, 36

5. Jace Denmark, 28

6. Owen Tangavelou, 27

7. Tanner DeFabis, 25

8. Michael Costello, 23

9. Jacob Douglas, 23

10. Nicolas Monteiro, 22


 

Max Garcia (#18 Advance Auto Parts/USF Pro Championships/Bell/OMP-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “It was a good race. You know, it was the same situation as yesterday behind De Tullio for a while and then I ended up getting by him in Turn One and never really looked back after that. So, just really excited that we were able to pull it off.”


 

Mac Clark (#90 Corpay Cross-Border Solutions/Clubine Motorsports-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus IP-22): “It was an awesome race. The 90 Exclusive Autosport Corpay Cross-Border Solutions car was on rails. From eighth to second, lots of fun and some crazy racing out there. It's always fun on the streets of St. Petersburg. I'd really like to thank my sponsors for getting me here. You know, this deal came together really last minute – Clubine Motorsports/TNG Exotics/Actuarial Risk Management – this couldn’t have been done without them. And, as well, to [team owners] Mr. Duncalfe and Mr. Cooley. They’ve welcomed me in like one of their own and I couldn’t be more excited to start chasing this championship.”


 

Jacob Douglas (#19 DouglasFay Group/Fleet Cost & Care-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “Starting out in P5, I went back a little bit on the start, but then managed to work our way forward capitalizing on everything going on in a crazy race. I got into P3 for a nice recovery after a DNF yesterday.”


 

 

McNeilly Sweeps USF2000 Season Openers at St. Petersburg

 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Liam McNeilly today ensured an almost perfect start to his USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire season by claiming his second win for Jay Howard Driver Development. McNeilly, 18, from London, England, also secured two of the three available bonus points after qualifying on pole position and leading all 20 laps in the second leg of The Foundation Building Materials Grand Prix of St. Petersburg to capture a total of 64 points – out of a maximum possible 66 – from the opening weekend of his rookie campaign.


 

Jack Jeffers, from San Antonio, Texas, once again followed McNeilly to the checkered flag. On this occasion he also claimed the one remaining bonus point for setting fastest lap of the race in his Exclusive Autosport Tatuus USF-18. Caleb Gafrarar, from Charlotte, N.C., rebounded from an accident in the opening race to finish a strong third for Pabst Racing.


 

Race Results


 

Yesterday’s winner McNeilly earned the Continental Tire Pole Award for today’s second race by virtue of posting the fastest of each drivers’ second-fastest lap during the lone qualifying session on Friday. He was flanked on the front row by Gafrarar, who had taken the pole for Race One and was looking to make amends for a mistake which ended his day early in the opening 20-lap race.


 

Weather conditions today once again were warm and dry, and the 19-strong field – with an average age of just 17 – obliged with a thrilling and clean race from the green flag to the checkered flag.


 

McNeilly took full advantage of his pole position to lead into the first corner, while an opportunist start from Jeffers saw him leapfrog both Colombian Sebastian Garzon (DEForce Racing) and Gafrarar to vault from fourth to second.


 

McNeilly inched away during the middle of the race, extending his lead to almost two seconds, and even though the young Texan fought back in the closing stages, McNeilly once again dug deep to take the checkered flag 2.7672 seconds ahead of his rival.


 

Gafrarar was relatively content to finish third after edging clear of Garzon, last year’s Lucas Oil Formula Car Series champion, in the final laps.


 

Australian Brad Majman also bounced back from an early disappointment on Friday – taken out by another driver’s over-exuberance at the first corner. He finished a strong fifth today for Jay Howard Driver Development.


 

Evan Cooley, from Mokena, Ill., backed up his fourth position on Friday by finishing sixth for Exclusive Autosport, narrowly ahead of VRD Racing’s Thomas Schrage, from Bethel, Ohio. Schrage, one of the preseason favorites, blotted his copybook by collecting a concrete wall early in qualifying yesterday which consigned him to the back of the grid for both races.



Undaunted, he made up five positions on the opening lap today, then continued his march toward the front. His final victim was VRD teammate and USF2000 debutant Teddy Musella, from Orlando, Fla., whom he passed for seventh place on Lap 13. Schrage then whittled a deficit of more than four seconds to Cooley to just a quarter of a second at the finish line. Schrage’s performance comfortably netted him the Tilton Hard Charger Award.


 

Jay Howard claimed his second PFC Award of the weekend as the winning team owner. Jay Howard Driver Development has taken an early lead in the chase for the coveted Team Championship with a six-point edge over Exclusive Autosport.


 

The USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire challengers now have a brief hiatus before returning to action at NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, La., for a tripleheader event on the weekend of April 12/13.


 

Provisional championship points after 2 of 18 races:

1. Liam McNeilly, 64

2. Jack Jeffers, 51

3. Jeshua Alianell, 34

4. Evan Cooley, 34

5. Sebastian Garzon, 29

6. G3 Argyros, 28

7. Caleb Gafrarar, 26

8. Thomas Schrage 23

9. Anthony Martella, 21

10= Christian Cameron, 20

10= Teddy Musella, 20


 

Liam McNeilly (#9 Acclaim Contracts/Wolf International-Jay Howard Driver Development Tatuus USF-22): “I had a good start. I didn't have to defend into Turn One so I managed to get a bit of a gap, and then it was just about managing really. Jack was still there and, if I made a mistake, he was there to pounce. I just had to keep off of the wall and bring it home. I am looking forward to NOLA in a few weeks with the championship lead”


 

Jack Jeffers (#92 Corpay Cross Border Solutions-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus USF-22): “It was a good race. We are starting off the season with two second places, good points and good momentum to build on for NOLA It was just a consistency race. I was there in the beginning, and then he pulled away. I was trying to reel him back in and just make sure I stayed consistent with myself and stayed consistent with the car. If he made a mistake, I could pounce but he drove perfectly. He never made that mistake that I was looking for and so he beat us today, but we'll be back stronger for NOLA.”


 

Caleb Gafrarar (#24 Circle K/Bell/Racing Electronics/Molecule-Pabst Racing Tatuus USF-22): “We started P2. Liam got out ahead of me and then we ended up sitting third about the whole race and I was getting pressure from behind from the DEForce car. It was a pretty solid race. I stayed my ground after yesterday getting into the wall. I just tried to stay where I was and keep all four wheels on the car. At the end, we were third and I'm happy with it because this is the first time I raced in this car and I can't wait to see what the season brings.”


 

###

 

 

De Tullio Finds Perfection for Maiden USF Pro 2000 Victory


 

Turn 3 Motorsport Team on Top Again on Streets of St. Petersburg

 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Alessandro De Tullio has found his stride. After making his USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire debut toward the end of last season following an 18-month hiatus from car racing due to a lack of funding, the 18-year-old university student from Miami, Fla., joined forces with the defending series champion team Turn 3 Motorsport over the winter. He came out of the blocks strongly by setting the pace in last week’s Spring Training test at NOLA Motorsports Park and translated that form into an emphatic victory in today’s first leg of the Andersen Interior Contracting Grand Prix of St. Petersburg doubleheader.


 

Remarkably, De Tullio became the fourth driver in as many years to win the opening race of the season for Turn 3 Motorsport.


 

Last year’s USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire champion Max Garcia, from Coconut Grove, Fla., stepped up a level to claim second in his debut USF Pro 2000 race for Pabst Racing, while teammate Michael Costello, from Naples, Fla., ensured a home state sweep of the podium following a post-race penalty for Canadian Mac Clark, who had to settle for fourth for Exclusive Autosport.


 

Race Results


 

De Tullio began the race weekend as he left off from Spring Training, posting the fastest lap in qualifying yesterday to snag his first Continental Tire Pole Award. However, with no fewer than 19 of the 22 cars blanketed by less than a second, he knew to expect plenty of challenges during the first of two 25-lap races that would kick off the 18-race season.


 

Three relatively brief full-course cautions due to some midfield incidents served to break up the first half of the 25-lap race around the unforgiving 1.8-mile, 14-turn street course. But De Tullio held his nerve and his lead, despite the best efforts of Garcia, who on each restart attempted to brake deeper on the outside line at Turn One, at the end of the longest straightaway.


 

De Tullio hit his marks perfectly on every restart, leaving Garcia no opportunity to make a move for the lead. De Tullio even cemented his authority on the proceedings by setting what was to stand as the fastest lap of the race – worth an additional championship point – with three laps remaining.


 

Clark made up two positions on the opening lap to run in fourth behind De Tullio’s Turn 3 teammate Elliot Cox, from Indianapolis, Ind., then pulled off a nice pass immediately following a restart on Lap 10 to move into third.


 

Clark couldn’t match the leading pace and had to work increasingly hard to hold off not only Cox but also Costello, who had risen from ninth on the grid, and VRD Racing’s Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., who had been only 13th fastest in qualifying.


 

The foursome circulated almost as one for the final stages of the race. Clark appeared to have done enough to maintain his third place, although unfortunately for him, race officials deemed he had overstepped the limits of defense – making a move to defend his position in reaction to a pursuer – on the final lap. Clark therefore had to relinquish the final podium position to Costello, who had also profited when Cox made one slight error and clipped the wall at Turn Nine with just two laps to go.


 

Taylor, last year’s champion in USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire, took the checkered flag in fifth ahead of Turn 3 Motorsport’s Cooper Becklin, from Portland, Ore., and Brazilian Nicolas Monteiro, who made up two positions at the final restart to net a seventh-place finish for DEForce Racing.


 

Monteiro also earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award after having started 19th.


 

The PFC Award as the winning car owner went to Peter Dempsey of Turn 3 Motorsport.


 

The second race of the weekend will see a green flag bright and early tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. ET, immediately prior to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES prerace warmup.


 

Provisional championship points after 1 of 18 rounds:

1. Alessandro De Tullio, 33

2. Max Garcia, 25

3. Michael Costello, 22

4. Mac Clark, 19

5. Max Taylor, 17

6. Cooper Becklin, 15

7. Nicolas Monteiro, 14

8. Jace Denmark, 13

9. Logan Adams, 12

10. Tanner DeFabis, 11


 

Alessandro De Tullio (#44 AstroPay/Sport Summa/DTI Group/InterMS-Turn 3 Motorsport Tatuus IP-22): “I'm very happy to win the first race here at St. Pete. It's my first time here, so definitely had some getting used to yesterday and then we put it on pole. That was a good start. Winning the race and also having the fastest lap to start on pole for tomorrow's race too is amazing. I want to thank everyone that helped me to get to this point.”


 

Max Garcia (#18 Advance Auto Parts/USF Pro Championships/Bell/OMP-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “It was a fun race for sure. Tricky at the start, not a lot of grip, but I had a lot of fun. A lot of cautions, a lot of restarts were tricky as well, but once we got in a groove, the car was fast. I just made a little mistake with two to go, but definitely had more than enough speed. We're going to come back tomorrow for it all.”


 

Michael Costello (#20 Proguard Automotive/EDA Eyewear-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “The race today went very well. The car was just on fire the entire race. I just kept to myself, made sure I didn't do what I did last year and just kept it a clean race the whole time. I made positions up every lap one by one. I can't thank the team enough for giving me the car today. So far the move (from USF2000) has been awesome. I just want to thank Pabst Racing, Proguard Automotive and EDA Eyewear for putting all the support they have been all season. We'll see how it goes tomorrow, but again, just an amazing race.”

 

  

 

 

McNeilly Takes Early USF2000 Points Lead with St. Petersburg Win

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The new USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire season began today on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. Jay Howard Driver Developments’ Liam McNeilly, from London, England, secured an early points lead by winning the first of two 20-lap races which will comprise The Foundation Building Materials Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.


 

Jack Jeffers, from San Antonio, Texas, finished close behind in second place on the devilishly tricky 1.8-mile temporary circuit which makes its way around city streets and the adjacent Albert Whitted Airport runway. Jeshua Alianell, from The Woodlands, Texas, completed the podium for DEForce Racing.


 

Provisional Race Results


 

The first Continental Tire Pole Award of the new season had been claimed earlier in the day by Pabst Racing rookie Caleb Gafrarar (pronounced “guh-fair-uh”). Just! The former karting star from Charlotte, N.C., ended the 20-minute session a scant 0.0566 of a second ahead of McNeilly with Alianell and Jeffers also within a mere one tenth of a second of the pacesetter. The fact that the top eight positions on the grid were blanketed by a mere 0.2331 of a second – and all of them rookies – suggested an exciting race was in prospect.


 

It did not disappoint. After the first half of the race was interrupted by a few incidents and full-course cautions, the closing stages featured an intense battle for the lead which left a sun-drenched crowd cheering in appreciation.


 

Gafrarar held the lead from the rolling start, but the race soon went under caution following an incident at Turn One which left fifth fastest qualifier Bradley Majman (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Melbourne, Australia, on the sidelines with a broken right-rear suspension.


 

Soon after the restart, with Gafrarar defending his lead on the wide main straightaway – which for 362 days of the year doubles as an airport runway – McNeilly took the opportunity to brake deeper on the preferred outside line heading into Turn One and take a lead he never relinquished.


 

McNeilly maintained his advantage through a couple more restarts, but remained under constant pressure from Jeffers. The two leaders were both front-runners last year in USF Juniors before stepping up this season to USF2000. They also had in common the fact they had tasted the USF2000 waters in a one-off event last year to prepare for their graduation along the USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire ladder.


 

McNeilly’s previous experience had come on the Streets of Toronto last fall, when he finished second. He used that knowledge to excellent effect as he held off an impressive challenge from Jeffers, whose own previous outing at this level had come one year ago in St. Petersburg.


 

Alianell’s performance in finishing third was especially meritorious given that this was his very first USF2000 race – and his first time on a street course.


 

Jeffers’ teammate Evan Cooley, from Mokena, Ill., finished a strong fourth ahead of Pabst Racing’s G3 Argyros, from Newport Beach, Calif., with Canadian Anthony Martella (Jay Howard Driver Development), Brazilian Lucas Fecury (Exclusive Autosport) and 14-year-old Christian Cameron (VRD Racing), from Sonoma, Calif., hard on their heels.


 

Martella earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award after fighting his way from 13th on the grid to sixth, while Jay Howard claimed the PFC Award as the winning team owner.


 

The second race of the weekend will take place tomorrow with the green flag set to fly at 12:30 p.m. EDT.


 

Provisional championship points after 1 of 18 races:

1. Liam McNeilly, 32

2. Jack Jeffers, 25

3. Jeshua Alianell, 22

4. Evan Cooley, 19

5. G3 Argyros, 17

6. Anthony Martella, 15

7. Lucas Fecury, 14

8. Christian Cameron, 13

9. Ayrton Houk, 12

10. Eddie Beswick, 11


 

Liam McNeilly (#9 Acclaim Contracts/Wolf International-Jay Howard Driver Development Tatuus USF-22): “The race was pretty hectic. We had three full-course yellows that really shook things up a little bit. On one of the first cautions, I managed to get a good restart and passed Caleb into Turn One. Then I really just had to control the race with two further full-course yellows and managed to do so. Jack put some pressure on mid to end of the race. I just had to hold on really and brought it home. Good points and a good start to the championship.”


 

Jack Jeffers (#92 Corpay Cross Border Solutions-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus USF-22): “It went well. We were able to start on new tires versus other people who weren't. We were able to take advantage of the start and get up to third place. Then an incident happened, and we were able to avoid it and get up to second. And from there, I was just trying to put pressure on Liam to try to get by him. But he drove well. He made no mistakes, and we weren't able to get by. We got P2 in the first race of the season, a good way to start it off. We can definitely build on this momentum. We'll go back to the drawing board, fix a few things up and then hit the track tomorrow.”


 

Jeshua Alianell (#11 BTEC Turbines/TWFG Insurance-DEForce Racing Tatuus USF-22): “It was an exciting race. I lost a position in the beginning, but we were able to soon bring it back and keep third the whole way. It was challenging to hold third, but it was a lot of fun. I was able to manage the race from there. With the [fading] sunlight, it was kinda hard to spot the braking zones. It was a little bit challenging, but I was able to bring it home. I have to thank DEForce Racing for everything and my family. I wouldn't be here without them.”

 

 

 

Streets of St. Petersburg to Host USF Pro Championships Season Openers

 

PALMETTO, Fla. – A new season of competition for USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire will commence this weekend on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. The top two rungs on the world-renowned open-wheel driver development training ladder, USF Pro 2000 and USF2000, have attracted a strong entry list of over 40 talented young drivers.


 

Uniquely in the world of motorsports, the USF Pro Championships offer substantial scholarships which will enable each series’ champion to progress to the next level of the sport. And the quest to claim two of those coveted prizes, valued at close to $1 million, begins with this weekend’s Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, held on a challenging and unforgiving 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary circuit comprised of downtown streets and one of the runways at the adjacent Albert Whitted Airport.


 

Big Shoes to Fill for USF Pro 2000 Field

What do current top-tier drivers Conor Daly, Patricio O’Ward, Rinus VeeKay, Sting Ray Robb, Christian Rasmussen and Nolan Siegel have in common? In addition to being among the starting field for this weekend’s opening round of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, all six have previously won a USF Pro 2000 race on the streets of St. Petersburg.


 

There is long list of ambitious youngsters with a realistic aim of following in their footsteps, arguably headed by 20-year-old Jace Denmark, who is one of only two returning drivers to finish in the top 10 of last year’s title chase. Denmark, from Brownsburg, Ind., has joined TJ Speed Motorsports after scoring nine podium finishes in 2024, when he took third in the final points table. He experienced a difficult weekend in St. Petersburg one year ago, with only one seventh-place result to his name, but he did earn a podium finish in his rookie USF Pro 2000 campaign in 2023, and one year earlier scored a victory in one of the two USF2000 races on the downtown streets.


 

Entry List


 

Home state teenagers Alessandro De Tullio and Max Garcia also will have high expectations. De Tullio, 18, from Miami, Fla., was comfortably fastest in last week’s Spring Training test, driving for defending champion team Turn 3 Motorsport, while Garcia, from Coconut Grove, Fla., was a dominant force last year in St. Petersburg.



Garcia won both USF2000 races from the pole position, taking a championship lead which he held throughout the 18-race campaign to snag a scholarship valued at $458,400. Garcia remains with Pabst Racing as he seeks to emulate current NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers Kyle Kirkwood and Christian Rasmussen in securing back-to-back USF Pro Championships titles.


 

For the first time in USF Pro Championships history, two reigning champions will go toe to toe as Garcia lines up opposite Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., who is stepping up with VRD Racing after not only winning the USF Juniors championship but also finishing third in the USF2000 title-chase last year with four race wins to his name.


 

The Andersen Interior Contracting Grand Prix of St. Petersburg kicks off with 35 minutes of official practice at 9:10 a.m. ET on Friday, February 28, followed by qualifying at 11:35 a.m. The first 25-lap race will take place at 11:35 a.m. on Saturday, March 1, with Race Two set for a green flag at 8:00 a.m. Sunday, March 2.


 

Rookies set to Shine in USF2000

With most of the top 10 finishers from last year’s USF2000 series moving up the racing ladder, the door is wide open for a fresh group of rookies to take their place, starting with this week’s Foundation Building Materials Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.


 

Entry List


 

Early bragging rights have been captured by USF Juniors graduate Liam McNeilly, from London, England, who emerged fastest for Jay Howard Driver Development in last weekend’s Spring Training test. McNeilly, 18, narrowly missed out on last year’s USF Juniors championship, but added to his credentials by taking a pole position and a second-place finish on his USF2000 debut last summer on the streets of Toronto, Canada.


 

McNeilly ended the test less than half a tenth of a second clear of fellow USF Juniors graduate Jack Jeffers, from San Antonio, Texas, who also dipped a toe into the USF2000 waters last year when he notched a solid top-10 finish for Exclusive Autosport on his debut in St. Petersburg.


 

EA teammate Evan Cooley, from Mokena, Ill., was third fastest at NOLA. Cooley already has a championship tucked under his belt this year, having narrowly claimed the YACademy USF Juniors Winter Series title which comprised six races earlier this month at two different tracks, Homestead-Miami Speedway and NOLA Motorsports Park. Cooley also shone during a pair of USF2000 outings in 2024, snagging a pair of pole positions at the Indianapolis Grand Prix road course and a fourth-place finish in Toronto.


 

After winning the past two USF2000 championships with Simon Sikes and Max Garcia, Pabst Racing has nabbed the services of a pair of strong rookies in former karting star Caleb Gafrarar and G3 Argyros.


 

Gafrarar, from Midland, N.C., last year became the youngest ever winner of a British Formula Ford championship race, a mere three days after his 16th birthday, while 15-year-old Argyros, from Newport Beach, Calif., will arrive in St. Petersburg with momentum still on his side after scoring his maiden victory in the final USF2000 race of last season at Portland International Raceway.


 

The USF2000 schedule will comprise practice, qualifying and the first of two 20-lap races on Friday, with the green flag set for 4:45 p.m. Race two will start at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.


 

Live steaming coverage can be found on the free USF Pro Championships App, YouTube channel and respective series’ websites, usfpro2000.com and usf2000.com.


 

###

 
 

 

PALMETTO, Fla. – A new season of competition for USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire will commence this weekend on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. The top two rungs on the world-renowned open-wheel driver development training ladder, USF Pro 2000 and USF2000, have attracted a strong entry list of over 40 talented young drivers.


 

Uniquely in the world of motorsports, the USF Pro Championships offer substantial scholarships which will enable each series’ champion to progress to the next level of the sport. And the quest to claim two of those coveted prizes, valued at close to $1 million, begins with this weekend’s Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, held on a challenging and unforgiving 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary circuit comprised of downtown streets and one of the runways at the adjacent Albert Whitted Airport.


 

Big Shoes to Fill for USF Pro 2000 Field

What do current top-tier drivers Conor Daly, Patricio O’Ward, Rinus VeeKay, Sting Ray Robb, Christian Rasmussen and Nolan Siegel have in common? In addition to being among the starting field for this weekend’s opening round of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, all six have previously won a USF Pro 2000 race on the streets of St. Petersburg.


 

There is long list of ambitious youngsters with a realistic aim of following in their footsteps, arguably headed by 20-year-old Jace Denmark, who is one of only two returning drivers to finish in the top 10 of last year’s title chase. Denmark, from Brownsburg, Ind., has joined TJ Speed Motorsports after scoring nine podium finishes in 2024, when he took third in the final points table. He experienced a difficult weekend in St. Petersburg one year ago, with only one seventh-place result to his name, but he did earn a podium finish in his rookie USF Pro 2000 campaign in 2023, and one year earlier scored a victory in one of the two USF2000 races on the downtown streets.


 

Entry List


 

Home state teenagers Alessandro De Tullio and Max Garcia also will have high expectations. De Tullio, 18, from Miami, Fla., was comfortably fastest in last week’s Spring Training test, driving for defending champion team Turn 3 Motorsport, while Garcia, from Coconut Grove, Fla., was a dominant force last year in St. Petersburg.



Garcia won both USF2000 races from the pole position, taking a championship lead which he held throughout the 18-race campaign to snag a scholarship valued at $458,400. Garcia remains with Pabst Racing as he seeks to emulate current NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers Kyle Kirkwood and Christian Rasmussen in securing back-to-back USF Pro Championships titles.


 

For the first time in USF Pro Championships history, two reigning champions will go toe to toe as Garcia lines up opposite Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., who is stepping up with VRD Racing after not only winning the USF Juniors championship but also finishing third in the USF2000 title-chase last year with four race wins to his name.


 

The Andersen Interior Contracting Grand Prix of St. Petersburg kicks off with 35 minutes of official practice at 9:10 a.m. ET on Friday, February 28, followed by qualifying at 11:35 a.m. The first 25-lap race will take place at 11:35 a.m. on Saturday, March 1, with Race Two set for a green flag at 8:00 a.m. Sunday, March 2.


 

Rookies set to Shine in USF2000

With most of the top 10 finishers from last year’s USF2000 series moving up the racing ladder, the door is wide open for a fresh group of rookies to take their place, starting with this week’s Foundation Building Materials Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.


 

Entry List


 

Early bragging rights have been captured by USF Juniors graduate Liam McNeilly, from London, England, who emerged fastest for Jay Howard Driver Development in last weekend’s Spring Training test. McNeilly, 18, narrowly missed out on last year’s USF Juniors championship, but added to his credentials by taking a pole position and a second-place finish on his USF2000 debut last summer on the streets of Toronto, Canada.


 

McNeilly ended the test less than half a tenth of a second clear of fellow USF Juniors graduate Jack Jeffers, from San Antonio, Texas, who also dipped a toe into the USF2000 waters last year when he notched a solid top-10 finish for Exclusive Autosport on his debut in St. Petersburg.


 

EA teammate Evan Cooley, from Mokena, Ill., was third fastest at NOLA. Cooley already has a championship tucked under his belt this year, having narrowly claimed the YACademy USF Juniors Winter Series title which comprised six races earlier this month at two different tracks, Homestead-Miami Speedway and NOLA Motorsports Park. Cooley also shone during a pair of USF2000 outings in 2024, snagging a pair of pole positions at the Indianapolis Grand Prix road course and a fourth-place finish in Toronto.


 

After winning the past two USF2000 championships with Simon Sikes and Max Garcia, Pabst Racing has nabbed the services of a pair of strong rookies in former karting star Caleb Gafrarar and G3 Argyros.


 

Gafrarar, from Midland, N.C., last year became the youngest ever winner of a British Formula Ford championship race, a mere three days after his 16th birthday, while 15-year-old Argyros, from Newport Beach, Calif., will arrive in St. Petersburg with momentum still on his side after scoring his maiden victory in the final USF2000 race of last season at Portland International Raceway.


 

The USF2000 schedule will comprise practice, qualifying and the first of two 20-lap races on Friday, with the green flag set for 4:45 p.m. Race two will start at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.


 

Live steaming coverage can be found on the free USF Pro Championships App, YouTube channel and respective series’ websites, usfpro2000.com and usf2000.com.


 

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USF2000 USF /JUNIORs SERIES

 

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the USF Pro Championships: The USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires is an evolution of the Road to Indy, one of the most successful driver development programs in the world. Comprised of USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires, USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires and USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires, the ladder system provides a unique, scholarship-funded path to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indianapolis 500. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES grid is comprised of numerous graduates and, in 2022, 20 of the 33 starters in the Indianapolis 500 were alumni. The mission of the USF Pro Championships is to develop and advance, and that includes not only drivers but teams and personnel as well. For more information, visit usfpro2000.com, usf2000.com and usfjuniors.com.

 

 

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