The Future of IndyCar Fights Here: USF Juniors Title Race Heats Up
It has become increasingly clear who the champion will be in each of Indycar’s top four series, but the fifth step on the Road to Indy Ladder system remains wide open heading into the penultimate weekend of the season at Road America. Five championship protagonists will all continue their quest for the title, and for the vital scholarship money that comes with it.
A mere 47 points cover the five drivers who all find themselves in very different situations, yet still all doing battle week in and out for the prize in Indycar’s first step towards becoming American open wheel racing’s next superstar. Leonardo Escorpioni leads, but within striking distance are João Vergara, Liam Loiacono, Oliver Wheldon, and Ty Fisher.
Perhaps the urgency is highest for the pair of Brazilian drivers who find themselves first and second in the standings entering the Road America weekend. Of the bunch, they are the only ones who find themselves in their second season of USF Juniors competition. After a rookie season that presented just a singular combined podium (Escorpioni at Virginia International Raceway), and season results of 8th and 9th, both drivers put in the effort to rise to the level of championship contender for year two, and now find themselves as each others’ main competition for the final sets of races in 2025.
Escorpioni’s choice to remain with Jose Zanella’s driver development program for year two has paid off heavily, with the fifteen year old driver leading the series in pole positions (3), most laps led (5), and wins (4). Perhaps Escorpioni’s greatest feat of the season is his consistency. Only once this season has he finished outside of the podium positions, an accomplishment no competitor has come even close to. Even on the day Escorpioni didn’t find himself in the top three, it was the result of an unlucky mechanical failure suffered while he was leading the third race in New Orleans. Escorpioni’s near perfect form has landed him in the lead of the standings, 24 points clear of the closest rival with six races to go.
Perhaps the biggest advantage to Escorpioni in the final stretch of the season is the promise he has already shown at Portland International Raceway, the venue where the champion will be crowned next month. As a rookie, he was able to claim a pole position and a fastest lap, despite going head to head against a strong group of competitors. If Escorpioni can back the speed up with good finishes unlike in his 2024 campaign, it will be hard for one to say he isn’t set to put one hand on the trophy before the final race.
For Vergara, a late surge to claim the title is anything but unattainable. Though he has not made nearly as many visits to the podium as Escorpioni, his high number of fourth and fifth place finishes mean that he has gone from a single top five finish as a rookie, to having just a single finish outside the top five to this point in 2025.
A change from Exclusive Autosport to VRD Racing has brought good things the way of Vergara, who finds himself in second position heading into Road America. The Elkhart Lake race weekend falls at a good time for Vergara, as he earned two of his best three finishes in 2024 at the 4.1 mile circuit. A strong showing there could close the 24 point gap to Escorpioni in a hurry, setting up for an epic showdown at Portland in August. After VRD Racing put two drivers in the top three a season ago, the pressure will be on for Vergara, who is the team’s best shot at repeating as champions in 2025.
Found not far away from his teammate Vergara, rookie Oliver Wheldon sits in the fourth position of the championship. Though the only member of the championship picture to not claim victory yet in USF Juniors, Wheldon has put together a respectable rookie campaign. The season opened with a pole and fastest lap in St. Pete, as well as three podiums over the weekend. Wheldon would then put together podium finishes in seven of the season’s first eight races, before finishes of sixth and nineteenth at Mid-Ohio halted the fourteen year old’s momentum.
Still, Oliver finds himself as maybe the most likely among the group to become a future star in open wheel racing. With heavy backing from Andretti Global sponsor Gainbridge, and the desire to carry on the legacy of his father, Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon, Oliver is among the top prospects in single seater racing. Oliver enters the Road America weekend tied for third in points but scored fourth based on best finish, and 43 points behind Escorpioni. Though this gap cannot be erased in a singular race, and realistically, in the three making up the Road America weekend, it can be narrowed enough to give Oliver a very realistic shot at claiming the title.
Australian rookie Liam Loiacono finds himself dead even with Wheldon after the first ten races of the season, and third place overall. Though the seventeen year old did not open the season with a particularly flashy start, with just a singular top five in the first six races, he has rallied recently to take four top fives (including two wins) at the recent Mid-Ohio race weekends.
Despite his lack of top fives in the opening two weekends, Loiacono remains the only driver to finish in the top ten of every race. This consistency, despite lacking spectacular results, kept him alive in the early rounds of this championship, which now will allow for the Jay Howard Development Driver to pounce in the closing two rounds, and perhaps have a shot at winning it all.
Fourteen year old Ty Fisher sits in possibly the most interesting spot of the championship contenders, currently fifth place and 47 points away from the top spot. The Zanella Racing driver hasn’t gotten there without controversy, however. At the most recent race in Mid-Ohio, Fisher was the first to reach the flag, and was originally presented the trophy before being disqualified later in the day for a technical infringement. This relegated Fisher to last place, and cost him 30 critical points in the championship. In the wake of the disqualification, Zanella Racing expressed their displeasure with the series and demanded a review into the penalty. No final decision has been made yet, however it is unlikely that Fisher will receive his win and points back.
Still, Fisher, in just his first season of open wheel racing, has already proven to have an elite level of raw ability and racecraft. He has two wins, just two results lower than fifth, and several poles and fastest laps as well. The Canadian driver may find himself a fair distance behind his veteran teammate for the championship right now, but come the other end of the Road America weekend and he may yet find himself alive in the battle for the title.
Six races separate one of five drivers from taking home the USF Juniors championship. The Elite Engines Grand Prix of Road America weekend will take place July 24-26, with the season closing Portland tripleheader taking place on August 7-10.
Though the series itself is young, winning the title indeed is a good sign for the future of any driver. Two of the three champions thus far have progressed up to USF Pro 2000, now both sitting within the top half dozen of the standings (and both rumored to be transitioning to Indy NXT for 2026). The time for a career changing championship is now for one of these drivers. In just a few short weeks, the all important scholarship money will be given out to boost the career of one of the five, and aid in their aspirations to become a superstar of the sport.
written by Owen White / Media Credit: USF Juniors (https://www.usfjuniors.com/multimedia/photos)