2026 USF2000 Championship
The 2026 USF2000 Championship presented by Continental Tire is the seventeenth season of the USF2000 Championship since its revival in 2010. The championship serves as the second rung of the IndyCar Series's USF Pro Championships ladder system.
The 2026 season will be held over 18 races across eight race weekends. It started on February 27 around the Streets of St. Petersburg and will end on September 26 at Road America.
Drivers and teams
[edit ]All drivers compete using Tatuus USF-22 racecars with Elite Mazda 2.0-014A engines and Continental tires.[1]
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Team changes
[edit ]After having already entered the season finale in 2025 in preparation for their 2026 campaign, ENVE Motorsports entered the championship as a new team.[6]
USF Juniors team Zanella Racing expanded to add an USF2000 program in 2026.[29]
IndyCar team Ed Carpenter Racing announced a partnership with Jay Howard Driver Development, with JHDD's cars in the USF Pro Championships entering under the Jay Howard Driver Development powered by ECR guise.[14]
One-car teams Benchmark Autosport and Synergy Motorsport both left the series.
Mid-season
[edit ]Zanella Racing did not continue their USF2000 effort past the opening weekend as their sole driver, Leonardo Escorpioni, decided to focus on his USF Pro 2000 campaign.[3]
Driver changes
[edit ]Reigning Teams' Champions VRD Racing saw Thomas Schrage and Christian Cameron leave the championship, while Teddy Musella remained with the team for the opening weekend of 2026 ahead of stepping up to their USF Pro 2000 outfit.[30] To replace them, VRD promoted both João Vergara and Colin Aitken from their USF Juniors outfit, with whom the former came third and the latter 21st in 2025, and signed Formula FARA graduate Jack Mohrhardt.[23] [24] [27]
Exclusive Autosport saw Lucas Fecury, Brenden Cooley and reigning champion Jack Jeffers leave the series. They were replaced by two debutants and a returnee: Brothers Ayrton and Gabriel Cahan, reigning champion and runner-up of the FRP F1600 Championship, joined the team for their USF2000 debuts, while Anthony Martella departed JHDD to return to the team he drove for in USF Juniors in 2024.[12] [11] [10] Kaylee Countryman rejoined Exclusive Racing after a four-race cameo and a USF Juniors campaign with the team in 2025 for a partial schedule.[9] Exclusive Autosport also entered a sixth car at St. Petersburg for their USF Juniors driver Connor Aspley.[2]
Pabst Racing expanded to an all-new three-car lineup in 2026 after they promoted G3 Argyros to their USF Pro 2000 outfit and Caleb Gafrarar left the series.[31] The team signed Brad Majman and Eddie Beswick for their second seasons after they came twelfth with JHDD and tenth with Synergy Motorsport, respectively, in 2025.[19] [20] Pabst's lineup was completed by karting graduate Lucas Nanji.[21]
The newly formed JHDD/ECR partnership recruited Skip Barber Formula Race Series driver Naim Saleh to replace Pabst-bound Majman and signed karting graduate Cal Peter to replace Exclusive-bound Martella.[16] [18] They also promoted 2025 USF Juniors runner-up Liam Loiacono from its outfit in that championship, as well as entering karting graduate Erik Holm in place of Timothy Carel, who left the championship.[15] [2]
DEForce Racing downsized from five to three entries as both Patricio and Rodrigo González moved over to GB3 with VRD and Jeshua Alianell and Vaughn Mishko left the series.[32] [33] The team promoted Thomas Nordquist from their USF Juniors outfit, where he finished the 2025 season in 17th, to their USF2000 outfit, with whom he had already debuted in the championship for two races in 2025, while Brady Golan rejoined the team with whom he competed in the first five rounds of 2025 for the opening two races of 2026.[5] [2]
ENVE Motorsport signed F1600 Championship Series graduate Wesley Gundler for their first full USF2000 season.[7]
New team Zanella Racing promoted reigning USF Juniors champion Leonardo Escorpioni to their newly founded USF2000 program.[29]
Departing team Synergy Motorsport saw their driver Eddie Beswick join Pabst Racing, while Ayrton Houk departed the series together with his Benchmark Autosport team.[20]
Mid-season
[edit ]The weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway saw DEForce racing enter series debutant Elias Vignola in their third car, while Kaylee Countryman moved from Exclusive Autosport to JHDD/ECR to continue her part-time campaign. Naim Saleh meanwhile skipped the weekend, with Aitken and Escorpioni also both not competing to focus on their USF Pro 2000 campaigns.[3] VRD welcomed Oliver Wheldon for a belated start to his campaign after his 15th birthday in March.[28]
Brenden Cooley returned to Exclusive Autosport for the Carb Night Classic.[13]
Schedule
[edit ]The 2026 schedule was revealed on October 25, 2025. The championship will visit two street circuits, four road courses and one oval. It followed its parent series in moving its Canadian rounds from Exhibition Place to the Streets of Markham, while it replaced the round at NOLA Motorsports Park it held in 2024 and 2025 with a second round at Road America.[34] All rounds except the weekends at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and the second weekend at Road America will run in support of the IndyCar Series.[35]
| Icon | Legend |
|---|---|
| O | Oval/Speedway |
| R | Road course |
| S | Street circuit |
| Rd. | Date | Race name | Track | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | February 27–March 1 | Foundation Building Materials Grand Prix of St. Petersburg | S Streets of St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| 2 | Andersen Interior Contracting Grand Prix of St. Petersburg | |||
| 3 | May 7–9 | Tatuus USF Pro Championships Indy Grand Prix | R Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course | Speedway, Indiana |
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | May 21–22 | Carb Night Classic presented by Marelli | O Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park | Brownsburg, Indiana |
| 7 | June 18–21 | TBA | R Road America | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin |
| 8 | ||||
| 9 | ||||
| 10 | July 2–5 | TBA | R Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio |
| 11 | ||||
| 12 | August 6–9 | TBA | R Portland International Raceway | Portland, Oregon |
| 13 | ||||
| 14 | August 14–16 | TBA | S Streets of Markham | Markham, Ontario |
| 15 | ||||
| 16 | September 24–26 | TBA | R Road America | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin |
| 17 | ||||
| 18 |
Race results
[edit ]Season report
[edit ]First half
[edit ]The 2026 USF2000 Championship's first weekend was a double-header around the Streets of St. Petersburg, where DEForce Racing's Sebastián Garzón topped the qualifying session to claim pole position for the first race. Exclusive Autosport's Anthony Martella overtook him entering the first turn, but a spin and subsequent contact saw him eliminated as Garzón resumed the lead ahead of VRD's João Vergara and Zanella's Leonardo Escorpioni. The race resumed on lap four, but no further changes to the podium positions followed.[36] Pole position for the second race went to Pabst Racing's Eddie Beswick. Garzón started third and moved past Pabst's Brad Majman right away before using a safety car restart to claim the lead on lap six. Escorpioni followed him through, but ran wide and lost the place again. Garzón managed the race to end the weekend with two wins.[37]
A triple-header at Indianapolis Motor Speedway followed, where VRD's debutant Oliver Wheldon claimed pole position for all three races. However, Martella took the lead at the first corner and led every lap to secure his second career USF2000 victory. His teammate Evan Cooley slotted into second early on before Garzón eventually overtook him on lap 11 to claim the place. Wheldon's debut race ended early following contact with Pabst's Brad Majman.[38] Race two was held in heavy rain and Wheldon initially held on to the lead. Garzón started fourth but had moved into second by turn 4 before taking the lead exiting turn 9. He pulled away to win as Wheldon had to defend from Martella, before Cooley overtook both cars on lap 8 to claim second place. The third race was dry again, and for the third time, Wheldon was unable to hold on to his pole position advantage past the first lap. This time, it was Majman who took the lead away from him in turn 7, but Wheldon kept close throughout the race. He tried retaking first place on the final lap, but Majman prevailed to take victory. Garzón took third after rising up the order through the latter part of the race, thereby extending his championship lead to 47 points over Majman.[39]
Championship standings
[edit ]Drivers' Championship
[edit ]- Scoring system
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 30 | 25 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Points (O) | 45 | 38 | 33 | 29 | 26 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
- The driver who qualifies on pole is awarded one additional point.
- One point is awarded to the driver who led the most laps in a race.
- One point is awarded to the driver who set the fastest lap during the race.
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Teams' championship
[edit ]- Scoring system
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 22 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
- Single car teams receive 3 bonus points as an equivalency to multi-car teams.
- Only the best two results are counted for teams fielding more than two entries.
| Pos. | Team | STP | IMS | IRP | ROA1 | MOH | POR | MAR | ROA2 | Points | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exclusive Autosport | 8 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 137 | ||||||||||||
| 11 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | DEForce Racing | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 132 | ||||||||||||
| 13 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 9 | |||||||||||||||
| 3 | Pabst Racing | 4 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 127 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | 4 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | VRD Racing | 2 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 92 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 10 | |||||||||||||||
| 5 | JHDD powered by ECR | 10 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 49 | ||||||||||||
| 12 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 12 | |||||||||||||||
| 6 | Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing | 6 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 39 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Zanella Racing | 3 | 3 | 36 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | ENVE Motorsports | 9 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 32 | ||||||||||||
| Pos. | Team | STP | IMS | IRP | ROA1 | MOH | POR | MAR | ROA2 | Points | ||||||||||
See also
[edit ]References
[edit ]- ^ "Tatuus USF-22". www.usf2000.com. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Foundation Building Materials Grand Prix of St. Petersburg" (PDF). USF2000 Championship . February 24, 2026. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
- ^ a b c d "USF2000 Tatuus Grand Prix of Indianapolis Entry List" (PDF). USF2000 Championship . May 1, 2026. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ "DEForce Racing on Instagram: '🚨 DRIVER ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨'". Instagram . January 3, 2026. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
- ^ a b "DEForce Racing on Instagram: '🚨 DRIVER ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨'". Instagram . October 27, 2025. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
- ^ a b "Introducing ENVE Motorsports – Where Innovation Meets Speed". USF2000 Championship . July 1, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ^ a b "ENVE Motorsports Announces Wesley Gundler as its First Official Driver". www.usf2000.com. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
- ^ "Evan Cooley Primed for USF2000 Title Campaign with Exclusive Autosport". USF2000 Championship . January 22, 2026. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
- ^ a b Hodapp, Alycia (December 29, 2025). "KAYLEE COUNTRYMAN CONTINUES JOURNEY UP USF PRO CHAMPIONSHIP LADDER WITH EXCLUSIVE AUTOSPORT". Exclusive Autosport. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ a b "Martella Returns to Exclusive Autosport for 2026". USF2000 Championship . October 23, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ^ a b Hodapp, Alycia (January 12, 2026). "GABRIEL CAHAN JOINS EXCLUSIVE AUTOSPORT FOR THE 2026 USF2000 SEASON". Exclusive Autosport. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
- ^ a b "Reigning F1600 Champion Ayrton Cahan Joins Exclusive Autosport in 2026". USF2000 Championship . January 12, 2026. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
- ^ a b "USF2000 Carb Night Classic Presented by Marelli - Entry List" (PDF). USF2000 Championship . May 18, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ^ a b Pruett, Marshall (October 24, 2025). "Carpenter aligns with Cape, Howard | RACER". racer.com. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ^ a b "USF Pro Championships on Instagram: '📣 2026 DRIVER ANNOUNCEMENT 📣'". Instagram . February 19, 2026. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ a b "JHDD on Instagram: 'Happy to announce @naimsaleh_official will be joining the 2026 USF2000 roster! '". Instagram . February 20, 2026. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
- ^ "JHDD powered by ECR is excited to announce Erik Holm joins their 2026 USF2000 driver line up!". USF Pro Championships on X. February 27, 2026. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
- ^ a b "JHDD on Instagram: 'We are excited to announce Cal Peter will be joining the team in USF2000 for 2026!'". Instagram . December 19, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ a b "USF Pro Championships, Brad Majman and Pabst Racing on Instagram: '📣2026 DRIVER ANNOUNCEMENT📣'". Instagram . December 3, 2025. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Eddie Beswick Signs With Pabst Racing". USF2000 Championship . February 6, 2026. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
- ^ a b "Canadian Lucas Nanji Signs with Pabst Racing for USF2000 in 2026". USF2000 Championship . December 12, 2025. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ^ "SFHR Development Welcomes Back Wian Boshoff for USF Championship Campaign". USF2000 Championship . January 20, 2026. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
- ^ a b "João Vergara Joins VRD Racing for 2026 USF2000 Championship". USF2000 Championship . January 16, 2026. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
- ^ a b "Colin Aitken Steps Up to USF2000 with VRD Racing for 2026". USF2000 Championship . January 27, 2026. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
- ^ "Foundation Building Materials Grand Prix of St. Petersburg" (PDF). USF2000 Championship . February 26, 2026. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ "Ryan Giannetta Returns to VRD Racing for 2026 USF2000 Season". USF2000 Championship . January 12, 2026. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
- ^ a b "Jack Mohrhardt Joins VRD Racing for 2026 USF2000 Championship". USF2000 Championship . Retrieved February 2, 2026.
- ^ a b van der Hoek, Vincent (February 26, 2026). "USF2000: 2026 season guide". Feeder Series. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ a b c d "Zanella Racing Adds USF2000 Program for 2026 USF Pro Championships". USF2000 Championship . September 4, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ^ "Teddy Musella to Step Up to USF Pro 2000 with VRD Racing for 2026 Season". USF Pro 2000 Championship . February 4, 2026. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
- ^ "G3 Argyros Signs with Pabst Racing for USF Pro 2000 in 2026". USF Pro 2000 Championship . December 5, 2025. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
- ^ "VRD Racing confirms GB3 comeback for Patricio Gonzalez". GB3 Championship . December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ "Rodrigo Gonzalez returns to GB3 with VRD Racing". GB3 Championship . December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ "USF Pro Championships Announces 2026 Schedules". USF2000 Championship . October 25, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ^ "USF Pro Championships announces 2026 schedules | RACER". racer.com. October 25, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ^ Wood, Ida (February 27, 2026). "Sebastian Garzon converts pole into victory in USF2000 opener". Formula Scout. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
- ^ Wood, Ida (March 2, 2026). "DEForce's Garzon doubles up in USF2000's second St. Pete race". Formula Scout. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
- ^ "Martella Turns It Around In USF2000". SPEED SPORT. May 8, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ^ "Feeder Series weekend review, results and standings: 07–10 May 2026". Feeder Series. May 11, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.