The 2026 USF2000 Championship presented by Continental Tire was 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 season was held over 18 races across eight race weekends. It started on February 27 around the Streets of St. Petersburg and ended on September 26 at Road America.
Colombian driver Sebastián Garzón, driving for DEForce Racing, won the Drivers' Championship in the final race of the season at Road America. Pabst Racing, the team which fielded Garzón's two closest competitors, won the Teams' Championship for the seventh time in its history.
Drivers and teams All drivers competed using Tatuus USF-22 racecars with Elite Mazda 2.0-014A engines and Continental tires. TeamNo.Driver(s)StatusRound(s)DEForce Racing10 Brady Golan1–2 Elias Vignola3–5, 7–9, 14–1512 Sebastián GarzónAll17 Thomas NordquistAllENVE Motorsports46 Wesley GundlerAllExclusive Autosport87 Leonardo Serravalle7–990 Evan CooleyAll 91 Kaylee Countryman1–2 Connor Aspley7–13, 16–1892 Anthony Martella1–15 Brenden Cooley16–1893 Gabriel CahanAll94 Ayrton CahanAll95 Brenden Cooley6, 14–15 97 Connor Aspley1–2 Cole Medeiros7–9, 14–15JHDD powered by ECR5 Kaylee Countryman3–5, 7–9, 12–156 Liam Loiacono1–137 Naim Saleh1–2, 7–188 Erik Holm1–6 Max Cuthbert12–159 Cal PeterAllOlivia Racing25 Karol Pasiewicz12–13Pabst Racing22 Brad MajmanAll23 Eddie BeswickAll24 Lucas NanjiAllPeterman Fisher Hartman Racing67 Wian BoshoffAllVRD Racing3 João VergaraAll19 Colin Aitken1–221 Dean Pedersen14–1525 Teddy Musella 1–244 Ryan GiannettaAll78 Jack MohrhardtAll98 Oliver Wheldon 3–18 Zanella Racing28 Grant Mitchell 7–929 Maddie Colleran7–955 Leonardo Escorpioni1–2IconStatusRookie
Team changes After having already entered the season finale in 2025 in preparation for their 2026 campaign, ENVE Motorsports entered the championship as a new team.
USF Juniors team Zanella Racing expanded to add an USF2000 program in 2026.
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.
One-car teams Benchmark Autosport and Synergy Motorsport both left the series.
Mid-season Zanella Racing only entered the opening event before their sole driver Leonardo Escorpioni decided to focus on his USF Pro 2000 campaign. The team then entered two more drivers on one-off appearances for the first round at Road America.
Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development underwent a change in ownership ahead of the second weekend of the season: entrepreneurs Chad and Emily Peterman joined the team as new owners and the outfit was rebranded to Peterman Fisher Hartman Racing from round three onwards.
The one-car Olivia Racing outfit joined the series for the Grand Prix of Portland.
Driver changes 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. 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.
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. Kaylee Countryman rejoined Exclusive Racing after a four-race cameo and a USF Juniors campaign with the team in 2025 for a partial schedule. Exclusive Autosport also entered a sixth car at St. Petersburg for their USF Juniors driver Connor Aspley.
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. 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. Pabst's lineup was completed by karting graduate Lucas Nanji.
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. 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.
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. 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.
ENVE Motorsport signed F1600 Championship Series graduate Wesley Gundler for their first full USF2000 season.
New team Zanella Racing promoted reigning USF Juniors champion Leonardo Escorpioni to their newly founded USF2000 program.
Departing team Synergy Motorsport saw their driver Eddie Beswick join Pabst Racing, while Ayrton Houk departed the series together with his Benchmark Autosport team.
Mid-season 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. VRD welcomed Oliver Wheldon for a belated start to his campaign after his 15th birthday in March.
Brenden Cooley returned to Exclusive Autosport for the Carb Night Classic.
Vignola returned to DEForce Racing for the round at Road America, while Saleh returned to JHDD/ECR and Aspley to Exclusive Racing. The latter team's lineup grew to seven cars as they took on series debutants Leonardo Serravalle and Cole Medeiros for one-off outings. Zanella Racing returned to the series after sitting out the previous two weekends, fielding their USF Juniors drivers Grant Mitchell and Maddie Colleran at Road America. Erik Holm meanwhile left the series.
The Grand Prix of Portland saw USF Juniors drivers Karol Pasiewicz and Max Cuthbert make their series debuts: Pasiewicz entered the round with his one-car Olivia Racing outfit and Cuthbert joined JHDD/ECR for Portland and Markham in the car previously piloted by Holm.
Brenden Cooley, Cole Medeiros and Elias Vignola made another one-off appearance for the Grand Prix of Markham, while Liam Loiacono, who had already withdrawn from the round at Portland, was forced to end his season early due to budget issues, Connor Aspley left Exclusive Autosport and F4 CEZ driver Dean Pedersen made his series debut in a one-off appeareance with VRD Racing.
Connor Aspley rejoined Exclusive Autosport for the season finale as Anthony Martella cut his season short to graduate to USF Pro 2000, with Brenden Cooley taking over his No. 92 entry.
Schedule The 2026 schedule was revealed on October 25, 2025. The championship visited 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. All rounds except the second weekend at Road America were run in support of the IndyCar Series. The Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park round was officially also independent from the IndyCar Series, but run in support of the Dave Steele Classic and Hoosier Hundred events on the weekend of the Indianapolis 500.
Icon Legend Oval/Speedway Road course Street circuit
Rd.DateRace nameTrackLocation1February 27–March 1Foundation Building Materials Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Streets of St. PetersburgSt. Petersburg, Florida2Andersen Interior Contracting Grand Prix of St. Petersburg3May 7–9Tatuus USF Pro Championships Indy Grand Prix Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road CourseSpeedway, Indiana456May 20–21Carb Night Classic presented by Marelli Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway ParkBrownsburg, Indiana7June 18–21The Andersen Companies Grand Prix of Road America presented by Elite Engines Road AmericaElkhart Lake, Wisconsin8910July 2–5USF Pro Patriot 250 Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio Sports Car CourseLexington, Ohio1112August 6–9Continental Tire Grand Prix of Portland Portland International RacewayPortland, Oregon1314August 14–16Continental Tire Grand Prix of Markham Streets of MarkhamMarkham, Ontario1516September 24–26USF Pro Championships Grand Prix of Road America Road AmericaElkhart Lake, Wisconsin1718
Race results Rd.TrackPole positionFastest lapMost laps ledRace winnerDriverTeam 1 Streets of St. Petersburg Sebastián Garzón Brad Majman Sebastián Garzón Sebastián Garzón DEForce Racing 2 Eddie Beswick Leonardo Escorpioni Sebastián Garzón Sebastián Garzón DEForce Racing 3 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Oliver Wheldon Brad Majman Anthony Martella Anthony Martella Exclusive Autosport 4 Oliver Wheldon Liam Loiacono Sebastián Garzón Sebastián Garzón DEForce Racing 5 Oliver Wheldon Eddie Beswick Brad Majman Brad Majman Pabst Racing 6 Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park Evan Cooley Anthony Martella Anthony Martella Evan Cooley Exclusive Autosport 7 Road America Brad Majman Brad Majman Eddie Beswick Eddie Beswick Pabst Racing 8 Brad Majman Sebastián Garzón Anthony Martella Anthony Martella Exclusive Autosport 9 Sebastián Garzón Eddie Beswick Brad Majman Brad Majman Pabst Racing 10 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Ryan Giannetta Brad Majman Eddie Beswick Eddie Beswick Pabst Racing 11 Anthony Martella Ryan Giannetta Anthony Martella Anthony Martella Exclusive Autosport 12 Portland International Raceway Oliver Wheldon Oliver Wheldon Oliver Wheldon Oliver Wheldon VRD Racing 13 Oliver Wheldon Sebastián Garzón Oliver Wheldon Oliver Wheldon VRD Racing 14 Streets of Markham Sebastián Garzón Sebastián Garzón Sebastián Garzón Sebastián Garzón DEForce Racing 15 Sebastián Garzón Sebastián Garzón Brad Majman Brad Majman Pabst Racing 16 Road America Eddie Beswick Brad Majman Eddie Beswick Eddie Beswick Pabst Racing 17 Oliver Wheldon Ayrton Cahan Eddie Beswick Ryan Giannetta VRD Racing 18 Oliver Wheldon Wesley Gundler Eddie Beswick Eddie Beswick Pabst Racing
Season report
First half 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. 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.