The highly successful Cooper Tires Winterfest Championship – a six-race mini-series held in February which offers drivers and teams a head start on their regular season campaigns – has been a staple of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda the past three years. In 2014, series promoter Andersen Promotions will take the concept to a new level with an expanded program to include the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, a testing opportunity for Indy Lights and two new venues.

The World Speed Motorsports team has returned to Sonoma after a tough double header at The Grand Prix of Houston at Reliant Park last weekend.

As part of a multi-level effort by JDC MotorSports in the Mazda Road to Indy program, Juan Piedrahita, Lloyd Read, and Zack Meyer contested the final rounds of the series in Houston, Texas, exited the finale with a podium finish and two-year end awards.

Andersen Promotions has confirmed that the third annual Chris Griffis Memorial Mazda Road to Indy Open Test will take place on December 9 and 10 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. The two-day test features all three levels of the ladder system. The outing, which attracted more than 50 drivers last year, offers teams in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and Indy Lights the opportunity to audition new talent and gain a head start on their 2014 campaigns.

In a year that saw records shattered in the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and a title fight that came down to the streets of Houston in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, the 2013 season was closed in fine fashion with a dual awards banquet held at the St. Regis Houston to honor the outstanding talent in both series. Over 200 people, including 30-plus drivers, were on hand to take part in the ceremonies which recognized the future stars of open-wheel racing and the teams that allowed their talents to shine.