PALMETTO, Fla. – USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire will return to the historic Milwaukee Mile race track this weekend for the first time since 2014. The 45-minute VP Racing Grand Prix of Milwaukee will run on Saturday afternoon, August 29, in support of an NTT INDYCAR SERIES doubleheader. The event has attracted a strong field of 18 cars and will represent the second and final visit to an oval track as the 2026 season reaches toward its climax.
A scholarship valued at almost $600,000 to advance to INDY NXT in 2027 remains up for grabs with four races remaining and Jack Jeffers holding a 33-point advantage. A win and a second-place finish in the most recent event on the streets of Markham, Ont., Canada, enabled Jeffers, 20, from San Antonio, Texas, to regain the points lead from 16-year-old Florida-based Brazilian Leonardo Escorpioni, who was unable to make the trip north of the border due to visa constraints.
The pair of impressive rookies have traded the championship lead back and forth since sharing the victory spoils at the inaugural doubleheader in Arlington, Texas, in March.
Jeffers, the reigning USF2000 champion, has won three times for Exclusive Autosport, notching four poles and four fastest race laps. Escorpioni, who made the leap to USF Pro 2000 after claiming top honors last year in USF Juniors, has amassed five wins, five poles and five fastest race laps for Turn 3 Motorsport. The number of podium finishes to date tips in Jeffers favor with seven to Escorpioni’s six.
Escorpioni qualified on pole for his only other oval race – at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in May – although he had to be content with a second-place finish after slipping behind Turn 3 Motorsport teammate Michael Costello. The pair also topped the time sheets during a series test at Milwaukee in June, with Jeffers mere fractions of a second behind in third.
Jeffers will be joined this weekend by regular Exclusive Autosport teammate Joey Brienza, from Golden, Colo., while proven USF2000 race winners Evan Cooley, from Mokena, Ill., and Anthony Martella, from Woodbridge, Ont., Canada, will continue to gain experience at the more senior level in advance of their anticipated progression in 2027.
G3 Argyros and Andrew Cardenas also remain in title contention. Argyros, from Newport Beach, Calif., stands only eight points shy of Escorpioni after claiming three wins for Pabst Racing, while Cardenas, from Lima, Peru, scored his sixth podium finish – and long overdue maiden victory – for JHDD powered by ECR in the most recent race in Markham.
Other contenders will include VRD Racing’s Frankie Mossman, from Newport Beach, Calif., and Teddy Musella, from Orlando, Fla., and TJ Speed Motorsports’ Thomas Schrage, from Bethel, Ohio. All three have podium finishes to their credit this year.
Logan Adams, from Indianapolis, Ind., will make his return to the fray with the small family run team headed by grandfather and former INDYCAR racer Mark Dismore. Fellow Indianapolis native Tanner DeFabis also will be back with JHDD powered by ECR, while rookie Jeshua Alianell, from The Woodlands, Texas, will make his second appearance in a second TJ Speed Motorsports entry.
A pair of 30-minute practice sessions at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. CDT on Friday will allow the teams to make final preparations for single-car qualifying at 9:05 a.m. on Saturday with the race due to start at 4:30 p.m., immediately after the first NTT INDYCAR SERIES race.