PALMETTO, Fla. – Andersen Promotions officials have unveiled the schedule for the inaugural USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires season, a professionally managed entry level series with the goal of preparing drivers for the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, the stepping stone to the NTT IndyCar Series.
USF Juniors will feature a prize package exceeding $325,000 which includes a scholarship valued at more than $200,000 to advance to the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, the first step on the driver development ladder.
The schedule will feature six events and 16 races in total, held in conjunction with USAC (Porsche Sprint Challenge North America), IndyCar and NASCAR events. All races will be run to a lap count with extended time windows to ensure competitors a set number of green-flag racing laps.
USF Juniors will kick off the calendar alongside USF2000 and the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires at the annual Road to Indy Spring Training test held on the Homestead-Miami Speedway road course in Homestead, Fla., Feb. 17-18. In addition to track time, the focus will be on classroom training led by the USF Juniors teaching staff comprising Series Driver Coach Gabby Chaves, Race Director Joel Miller, Race Steward Johnny Unser and Series Manager Gustavo Yacaman.Â
On March 21-22, USF Juniors will again team up with USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 for a two-day test at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala.
The series will make its racing debut in a triple-header opener at the new Ozarks International Raceway in the heart of the Ozarks just outside Gravois Mills, Mo., on April 23-24. The new multi-use racing complex features a 3.87-mile road course in addition to a dirt tri-oval, off-road and rally courses. A few days later, the series will return to Barber Motorsports Park for a Thursday/Friday doubleheader on April 28-29 just prior to the NTT IndyCar Series and Road to Indy event weekend on April 29-May 1. A triple-header at Virginia Int’l Raceway in Alton, Va., will round out the first half of the season on June 4-5.
On July 8-9, USF Juniors will head to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, for a double-header in a shared weekend with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Following a triple-header at the scenic Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wis., on July 30-31, the series finale will feature a triple-header round at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 17-18.