USF Juniors
The USF Juniors championship, also known as USF Juniors presented by Continental Tire for sponsorship reasons, is an American auto racing series running with USF2000 cars. The series was inaugurated in 2022 as a new first rung of the Road to Indy, below the USF2000 Championship. The series is owned by Andersen Promotions and sanctioned by the United States Auto Club.
History
The USF Juniors championship was formally announced in September 2021. Series founder Dan Andersen cited the need for an additional step up above karting luxe to the increasingly competitive nature of the USF2000 Championship. He further established the want to provide "a true entry level series that is professionally managed where drivers, teams and parents can focus on training and racing via shorter, more economical events, while also lowering the spotlight on young drivers that often occurs on IndyCar race weekends." The series was also made as a direct competitor to the Formula 4 United States Championship. To allow champions of the series to progress in their careers, winners will receive a scholarship valued at $200,000.For the series' inaugural season, a six-event scheduled was planned featuring all road courses. USAC, which already handled duties for the USF2000 Championship and USF Pro 2000 Championship, was named the sanctioning body for the series. Former driver Gustavo Yacamán was hired as the series manager, while another two former drivers, Joel Miller and Johnny Unser, were hired as race stewards.