The brand-new 2.19-mile, 12-turn street course will play host to a pair of races for both USF Pro 2000 and USF2000 – once again in support of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and less than a week after another doubleheader event for both series some 2,600 miles to the west in Portland, Ore.

After a hectic trip for the teams and drivers, the highly anticipated Continental Tire Grand Prix of Markham sees both USF Pro Championships still up for grabs, along with a pair of scholarship prizes valued collectively at over $1 million.

A disappointing weekend at Portland left Jack Jeffers trailing USF Pro 2000 series leader Leonardo Escorpioni by 25 points, but with immigration issues preventing the Florida-domiciled Brazilian from making the trip to Canada, Jeffers now has a golden opportunity to regain the points lead with six of this season’s 18 races remaining.

Jeffers, from San Antonio, Texas, is chasing a second successive championship after scooping USF2000 honors in 2025. One of his two wins this year for the Exclusive Autosport team – and two of his three poles – came at another inaugural temporary circuit event based around AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in March.

G3 Argyros, from Newport Beach, Calif., also will be licking his chops at his prospects for this weekend. Argyros claimed his first two victories on successive days in June  when he swept the Road America weekend at Pabst Racing’s home venue in Wisconsin, and now lies only 18 points adrift of Jeffers after securing a win and a second last week in Portland.

Argyros’ runner-up finish in Race Two was achieved by courtesy of brand-new teammate Colin Aitken, from Jacksonville Beach, Fla. After finishing a fine second to Argyros in the opening race, Aitken, who is not in the championship fight, wisely deferred to his teammate on the final lap. Aitken will be seeking to build upon that momentum this week.

Frankie Mossman, also from Newport Beach, Calif., holds fourth in the title chase for VRD Racing, just one point ahead of Peru’s Andre Cardenas, who has developed into a regular podium contender for JHDD powered by ECR.

Thomas Schrage, from Bethel, Ohio, also remains in the mix with TJ Speed Motorsports and has high hopes of matching the youngest driver in the series, 16-year-old teammate Christian Cameron, from Sonoma, Calif., who secured an overdue maiden podium finish last week.

In Escorpioni’s absence, Brady Golan, from Austin, Texas, and Tyke Durst, from Charlotte, N.C. – both of whom claimed season-best finishes at Portland -- will join New Zealand’s Sebastian Manson in flying the flag for Turn 3 Motorsport, which continues to hold a healthy lead in the Team Championship.

The weekend will kick off with just half an hour of practice at 10:00 a.m. EDT on Friday, August 14, to learn the new track layout prior to a single 20-minute qualifying session at 1:00 p.m. The two 45-minute races are set to start at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday and on Sunday, immediately prior to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES headline event, at 10:25 a.m.

Sebastian Garzon has led the chase for a scholarship valued at $409,816 to advance next year to USF Pro 2000 ever since securing pole position for the opening race of the season on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. The talented 16-year-old from Neiva, Colombia, has won three times for DEForce Racing and has scored at least one podium finish at all six events – comprising 13 races – held so far.

With five races remaining, including this weekend’s Continental Tire Grand Prix of Markham doubleheader, Garzon’s lead over Pabst Racing’s Brad Majman, from Melbourne, Australia, stands at 29 points. A total of 33 points (30 for a win, plus one each for pole position, fastest lap and leading most laps) are available at every race.

Majman and teammate Eddie Beswick, from Sydney, Australia, who lies third in the standings, have two wins apiece this season to their credit.

The main focus of attention this weekend, however, will be Exclusive Autosport’s Anthony Martella, who hails from nearby Woodbridge, Ont., Canada. Martella has won three times, while several more have slipped through his fingers – notably at the lone oval race on the schedule, at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in May, where he held a comfortable lead before a backmarker spun directly in front of him and took them both into the wall.

The primary beneficiary that day was teammate Evan Cooley, from Mokena, Ill., who has notched four additional podium finishes, including one last Saturday at Portland.

VRD Racing also is expected to challenge at the front. Second-generation racer Oliver Wheldon, from St. Petersburg, Fla., was too young to contest the opening event in his hometown, but he burst onto the scene at the Indianapolis Grand Prix road course by claiming all three pole positions. Wheldon had to be content with a pair of podium finishes during his debut weekend, but he finally broke through to Victory Lane last Friday at Portland – and promptly won again the following day.

VRD Racing teammates Joao Vergara and Ryan Giannetta also have momentum on their side. Vergara, from Brazil, has posted a series of strong finishes after placing third in last year’s USF Juniors championship, while Giannetta, from Redondo Beach, Calif., has developed into a regular podium contender.

Dean Pedersen, from Orem, Utah, is set to make his USF2000 debut with VRD Racing after competing in various European F4 events this year.

Lucas Nanji, from Montreal, Que., has been edging closer toward the front in his debut season of car racing with Pabst Racing, while fellow Canadian Cole Medeiros, from Ayr, Ont., will make the step up from USF Juniors for a second time with an eye toward the future.

The USF2000 schedule mimics that of USF Pro 2000 with practice at 8:00 a.m. on Friday followed by qualifying at 12:00 p.m. and a pair of races at 8:50 a.m. on Saturday and 9:25 a.m. on Sunday.