The 2025 USF Pro 2000 Championship presented by Continental Tire was the 27th season of the junior series two levels below the IndyCar series. It was the third season under the USF Pro 2000 moniker after the championship's most recent rebrand in 2023.
Pabst Racing's Max Garcia claimed the Drivers' Championship with three races to spare, while his team defended their Teams' Championship title for the third year in a row.
Series news
The scholarship for the champion was decreased by over $100,000 to $546,500. The power output by the Elite Mazda engines on road and street circuits was increased, with a heightened rev limit from 7850 rpm to 8350 rpm resulting in a power increase of up to 40 horsepower.
Drivers and teams All drivers competed using Tatuus IP-22 racecars with Elite Mazda 2.0-014A engines and Continental tires. TeamNo.Driver(s)StatusRound(s) Comet/NCMP Racing21 Logan AdamsAndersen Interior Contracting Grand Prix of St. Petersburg entry list1–8, 10–16DEForce Racing8 Owen Tangavelou 6–89 Nicholas Monteiro1–510 Jorge GarciarceAllExclusive Autosport90 Mac ClarkAll91 Joey BrienzaAll92 Carson EtterAll FatBoy Racing!83 Charles Finelli1–12 Jay Howard Driver Development4 Tanner DeFabis1–2, 6–9 Nick Gilkes13–166 Frankie Mossman1–5 Liam McNeilly15–16Pabst Racing18 Max GarciaAll19 Jacob DouglasAll20 Michael CostelloAllTJ Speed Motorsports26 Jace Denmark1–9 Miles Bromley17–1827 Ariel ElkinAll28 Sebastian MansonAllTurn 3 Motorsport2 Cooper BecklinAll 3 Titus Sherlock1–2 Brady Golan6–9, 13–18 Joseph Loake10–12 22 Elliot Cox1–2 Nicholas Monteiro6–1633 Tyke DurstAll44 Alessandro de TullioAllVelocity Racing Development84 Owen Tangavelou 1–5 Frankie Mossman 6–8, 10–1888 Max TaylorAllIconStatusRookie
Team changes BN Racing, which only returned to competition in the series in 2024, did not confirm its presence in the 2025 championship or any driver signings ahead of the season and did not enter any rounds.
Driver changes Reigning Teams' Champions Pabst Racing took on three new drivers as Jace Denmark moved to TJ Speed Motorsports and Simon Sikes and Christian Brooks left the championship. Reigning USF2000 Champion Max Garcia remained with the team for his move up to USF Pro 2000, while Jacob Douglas returned to Pabst, with whom he came sixth in USF2000 in 2023. Michael Costello, the only newcomer to the Pabst Racing fold, stepped up to USFP2000 after coming ninth in USF2000 with JHDD to complete the team's lineup.
Only one of Turn 3 Motorsport's five drivers remained in the series as Drivers' Champion Lochie Hughes graduate to Indy NXT with Andretti Global, Danny Dyszelski left the team and Adam Fitzgerald and Ethan Ho had already departed mid-way through the 2024 season. Alessandro de Tullio, who entered six races with BN Racing in 2024, replaced Hughes in the No. 44 car, while Cooper Becklin, who entered nine races with TJ Speed Motorsports in 2024, piloted the No. 2 car. Two more drivers joined the team for the first race weekend in Titus Sherlock, who moved over from FR Americas after coming fourth in 2024 driving for Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports, and Elliot Cox, who stepped up from USF2000 after finishing sixth driving for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development.
Velocity Racing Development's Nikita Johnson moved to GB3, where he joined Hitech Grand Prix, while also taking on a part-time Indy NXT campaign with HMD Motorsports. To replace him, VRD promoted Max Taylor after he won the USF Juniors title and came third in USF2000 in 2024 with the team. Eurocup-3 race winner Owen Tangavelou also joined the team for the opening two rounds of the season.
TJ Speed Motorsports took on three new drivers for their three cars. The No. 27 car previously occupied by Hunter Yeany before his mid-season departure was piloted by Formula Regional Japanese runner-up Sebastian Manson on his USFP2000 debut. Turn 3-bound Cooper Becklin, who spent the second half of the 2024 season in the team's No. 28 car, was replaced by Ariel Elkin, who jumped up from USF Juniors after finishing the 2024 season in fourth driving for International Motorsport. Liam Sceats joined HMD Motorsports for a part-time Indy NXT campaign, and USF2000 driver Evagoras Papasavvas was initially announced to replace him in the No. 28 car. Ahead of the season opener, Jace Denmark was instead announced to be the third driver in TJ Speed's lineup, returning to USFP2000 where he finished third in 2024 with Papst Racing after being unable to secure a drive in Indy NXT.
With BN Racing not entering the 2025 season, three of their four drivers left the championship in Nicolás Baptiste, Ricardo Escotto - who joined Andretti Cape in Indy NXT - and Arturo Flores, while Alessandro de Tullio moved to Turn 3 Motorsport.
Jay Howard Driver Development saw Frankie Mossman return for a second season. Tanner DeFabis, who raced for the team at the 2024 season finale, remained with the team for a part-time campaign, entering the events at St. Petersburg, Indianapolis and IRP.
DEForce Racing saw Mac Clark leave the team to join Exclusive Autosport.
Exclusive Autosport, who did not have a full-time driver in 2024 after Braden Eves had to end his campaign early due to budget issues, had three new drivers in 2025. The team promoted two USF2000 drivers to its lineup in Joey Brienza, who came fifth in 2024, also with Exclusive Autosport, and Carson Etter, who came 16th with DC Autosport. Mac Clark completed the team's lineup, embarking on his second year in the series after finishing his 2024 campaign with DEForce Racing in eleventh despite missing the final two races.
Mid-season changes Turn 3 Motorsport only ran three cars at NOLA Motorsports Park, with Titus Sherlock and Elliot Cox both leaving the team. For the third round at Indianapolis, they were replaced by Brady Golan, who stepped up from the USF2000 Championship, and DEForce Racing driver Nicholas Monteiro respectively. Velocity Racing Development also welcomed a new driver in Frankie Mossman, who departed Jay Howard Driver Development to replace Owen Tangavelou for the remainder of the season. Tangavelou in turn moved to DEForce Racing for the Indianapolis event.
Comet/NCMP Racing's Logan Adams and VRD's Frankie Mossmann both skipped the oval event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Adams and Mossmann returned for the Grand Prix of Road America, while Golan was absent and both DeFabis and Denmark had to end their seasons early due to budget issues. The latter two were not replaced by their teams, leading to JHDD fielding no cars for the weekend, while Golan's No. 3 Turn 3 Motorsport was piloted by ex-FIA F3 driver and series debutant Joseph Loake.
JHDD returned to the championship at Mid-Ohio after announcing that Nick Gilkes would take over the team's No. 7 car for that and the following event. Turn 3 Motorsport saw Loake depart as Golan returned to the team, while Charles Finelli ended his 2025 campaign ahead of the Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio.
Ahead of the Grand Prix of Toronto, JHDD announced that Liam McNeilly would make his series debut in Canada, returning the USF Pro ladder after winning the first five races of the 2025 USF2000 Championship before being forced out of competition due to visa issues.
JHDD did not enter any cars at Portland as McNeilly and Gilkes were both absent, while both Logan Adams and Nicholas Monteiro also missed the season final, with the latter stepping up to Indy NXT with HMD Motorsports. TJ Speed meanwhile saw the series debut of AFO competitor Miles Bromley in the No. 26 car previously piloted by Denmark.
Schedule The 2025 schedule was revealed on September 17, 2024. The championship visited the same eight circuits as it did in 2024: two street circuits, five road courses and one oval. All rounds except the weekends at NOLA and Indianapolis Raceway Park ran in support of the IndyCar Series.
Icon Legend Oval/Speedway Road course Street circuit
Rd.DateRace nameTrackLocation1February 28 – March 2Andersen Interior Contracting Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Streets of St. PetersburgSt. Petersburg, Florida23April 11–13Continental Tire Grand Prix of Louisiana NOLA Motorsports ParkAvondale, Louisiana456May 8–10VP Racing Grand Prix of Indianapolis Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road CourseSpeedway, Indiana789May 22–23Continental Tire Freedom 90 Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway ParkBrownsburg, Indiana10June 19–22Elite Engines Grand Prix of Road America Road AmericaElkhart Lake, Wisconsin111213July 3–6PFC Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio Sports Car CourseLexington, Ohio1415July 18–20Continental Tire Grand Prix of Toronto Exhibition PlaceToronto, Ontario 1617August 7–10Continental Tire Grand Prix of Portland Portland International RacewayPortland, Oregon18
Race results Rd.TrackPole positionFastest lapMost laps ledRace winnerDriverTeam1 Streets of St. Petersburg Alessandro de Tullio Alessandro de Tullio Alessandro de Tullio Alessandro de TullioTurn 3 Motorsport2 Alessandro de Tullio Max Garcia Max Garcia Max GarciaPabst Racing3 NOLA Motorsports Park Max Garcia Max Garcia Alessandro de Tullio Alessandro de TullioTurn 3 Motorsport4 Alessandro de Tullio Ariel Elkin Alessandro de Tullio Alessandro de TullioTurn 3 Motorsport5 Max Garcia Jacob Douglas Max Garcia Max GarciaPabst Racing6 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Ariel Elkin Max Garcia Ariel Elkin Ariel ElkinTJ Speed Motorsports7 Ariel Elkin Alessandro de Tullio Ariel Elkin Jacob DouglasPabst Racing8 Ariel Elkin Jacob Douglas Ariel Elkin Ariel ElkinTJ Speed Motorsports9 Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park Mac Clark Ariel Elkin Ariel Elkin Ariel ElkinTJ Speed Motorsports10 Road America Max Garcia Max Garcia Max Garcia Max GarciaPabst Racing11 Max Garcia Max Garcia Max Garcia Max GarciaPabst Racing12 Max Garcia Max Garcia Max Taylor Max TaylorVelocity Racing Development13 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Max Garcia Max Garcia Max Garcia Max GarciaPabst Racing14 Max Garcia Max Garcia Max Garcia Max GarciaPabst Racing15 Exhibition Place Max Garcia Max Garcia Max Garcia Max GarciaPabst Racing16 Alessandro de Tullio Max Garcia Frankie Mossman Alessandro de TullioTurn 3 Motorsport17 Portland International Raceway Frankie Mossman Max Garcia Max Garcia Max GarciaPabst Racing18 Max Garcia Max Garcia Max Garcia Max GarciaPabst Racing
Season report
First half St. Petersburg hosted the season-opening double-header for the 2025 USF Pro 2000 Championship, and Turn 3 Motorsport’s Alessandro de Tullio claimed pole position for both races. He spent the first race resisting attacks from Pabst Racing’s Max Garcia throughout three caution periods and subsequent restarts, with the pair colliding on Garcia’s final attack. Still, de Tullio was able to hold on and win the race, while Pabst’s Michael Costello was handed third after a penalty for Exclusive Autosport’s Mac Clark. Race two saw de Tullio initially continue defending his lead, but this time, Garcia and Clark were able to both pass him on a restart. De Tullio then fell behind VRD’s Max Taylor before crashing into the Turn 4 barriers. Garcia secured victory and with it the lead in the standings, with Clark second and Pabst’s Jacob Douglas completing the podium after a penalty for Taylor.