The 2025 American junior open-wheel championships featured thrilling championship battles and unexpected winners, with two drivers earning promotions to IndyCar. With 2026 fast approaching, Feeder Series looks back on the drivers on the IndyCar ladder who impressed the most in 2025.

By Vincent van der Hoek

Honourable mention: Liam McNeilly (USF2000: P14, 163 points)

Honourable mention: While the ranked drivers competed in the entire seasons of their respective series, this list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Liam McNeilly.

The 19-year-old, racing for Jay Howard Driver Development, appeared to be well on his way to winning the USF2000 Championship but was forced to leave the series over visa issues. The Brit had won all five USF2000 races up to that point.

Later in the year, McNeilly was able to join JHDD in Toronto, Canada, for his first USF Pro 2000 weekend and the only championship weekend held outside the United States. He immediately showed his pace by finishing fifth in race one and fourth in race two. 

10. Ariel Elkin (USF Pro 2000: P2, 347 points)

Ariel Elkin delivered a very solid rookie season in USF Pro 2000 after making the jump from USF Juniors in 2024.

Elkin’s opening round on the streets of St Petersburg did little to suggest he would be the eventual runner-up. He suffered a heavy crash midway through race one, and while the Israeli driver was unharmed physically, his car was written off, and he couldn’t start in race two.

This was the low point for the TJ Speed Motorsports driver, who finished every race in the top 10 thereafter. 

Among this run of top 10s were three race wins, two at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and one at the only oval race of the season at Indianapolis Raceway Park. The latter was the highlight of Elkin’s season, and what made it even more impressive was that this was his first ever oval race.

After the end of the USF Pro 2000 season, Elkin ran the Chris Griffis Memorial Test in Cape Motorsports Indy NXT machinery, finishing 17th.

9. Thomas Schrage (USF2000: P3, 370 points)

To fully understand how challenging 2025 started for Thomas Schrage, go back to the end of 2024, when he started experiencing a nagging shoulder injury. This left the Ohio native with a dilemma – to get surgery or try to let the injury heal naturally. He opted for the former, which meant a very tough off-season. 

After his surgery, the first time Schrage was back in a car was at the USF Pro Championships spring training at NOLA Motorsport Park in February, one week before the opening round of the season. The 20-year-old’s lack of track time and physical limitations were apparent as he finished the test in 15th, 1.5 seconds slower than the fastest driver. 

The season opener on the streets of St Petersburg gave Schrage some light at the end of the tunnel, though. Despite a tricky qualifying session in which he clipped the barrier, both races went well enough, all things considered. In race one, the VRD Racing driver got himself from 19th to 12th place, while in race two, he went from 16th to seventh.

The six weeks between St Petersburg and the next USF2000 event at NOLA gave Schrage more time to recover from his shoulder surgery. As he returned healthier and stronger, so did his speed, which enabled him to start a streak of seven consecutive podiums. Among these were two victories, one at IMS and the other at Road America, which put him right in the mix for the championship battle. 

Going into the final five races of the season, Schrage was tied for the championship lead, but a difficult weekend in Toronto threw a spanner in the works. The VRD Racing driver had the speed to contend, but incidents in both races cost him good results as his primary title rival won both races. By then, the damage was done, and though he won race one and finished second in race two at the season finale at Portland, a drive-through penalty in race three dropped him to the back of the field and out of second place in the championship.

In October, Schrage tested with TJ Speed Motorsports at the USF Pro 2000 fall combine.

8. Teddy Musella (USF2000: P2, 371 points)

Next on the list is the driver who snatched second place in the USF2000 championship from Schrage in the final race at Portland. Teddy Musella’s first season in USF2000 was a tale of two halves. The first half wasn’t bad by any means; Musella kept himself out of major trouble and, apart from the opening race of the season at St Petersburg, managed to take consistent top-10 finishes. He scored his first podium from pole at IMS in the seventh race of the season and sat fourth in the standings after the eighth race at IRP.

Once Musella found his groove in the second half of the season, however, the strong results kept on coming. After finishing sixth at IRP, the VRD Racing driver finished fourth or higher in all 10 remaining races of the season. The streak started at Road America, where the Floridian finished second in race one and took his maiden victory in race two. In the following events at Mid-Ohio and Toronto, Musella finished third in three out of the five races and fourth in the other two. 

The final weekend at Portland capped off a tremendous summer for the 16-year-old. He took third-place finishes in races one and two before claiming his second victory of the season in the final race. As a bonus, he jumped Schrage for second in the USF2000 championship by one point with that win. 

At the end of the season, the 16-year-old took part in the USF Pro 2000 fall combine test, still with VRD Racing.

7. Lochie Hughes (Indy NXT: P3, 466 points)

In almost any other season, Lochie Hughes would’ve claimed rookie of the year honours in Indy NXT, but another rookie outshone him. Still, the Australian’s first season in Indy NXT was nothing to scoff at, with wins at the IMS road course and Gateway and six additional podiums in 14 races proving his versatility across every type of track Indy NXT visits.

Two difficult races at Iowa and Laguna Seca all but curtailed his championship ambitions. At Iowa, Hughes was in the battle for a podium until he was given a drive-through penalty for blocking while battling Myles Rowe early in the race. In race two at Laguna Seca, meanwhile, he collided with championship leader and teammate Dennis Hauger, taking both out of contention for victory.

At the end of the day, third place in the championship as a rookie was still impressive. Hughes was in the mix for good results in almost every race and even remained in championship contention until the end. 

After the season finished, Andretti announced that Hughes would continue with the team for the 2026 Indy NXT season, making him an immediate pre-season favourite for the championship. The 23-year-old also participated in the IndyCar post-season test at the IMS road course with Andretti, showing the team’s belief in his ability to fill a future spot at the team. 

6. Jack Jeffers (USF2000: P1: 438 Points)

Having finished fifth with no victories in his second USF Juniors season last year, Jack Jeffers was not an obvious title contender going into the USF2000 season. He still hadn’t won after five races this year, but with early dominator Liam McNeilly dropping out after five races because of visa problems, other drivers had an opportunity to pick up the championship mantle, and Jeffers did so with aplomb.

Consistent podium finishes were the backbone of Jeffers’ campaign. In the 18-race USF2000 season, Jeffers only missed out on the podium five times. This strong run of podium finishes started with three consecutive second-place finishes in the two races at the St t Petersburg season opener and in race one at NOLA Motorsports Park. 

The 19-year-old took his first win of the season in race one at the IMS road course, the first race McNeilly missed. He added another podium that same weekend with third in race two, but his real push for the USF2000 championship started from Mid-Ohio two months later. Having changed chassis at the previous round in Road America following a heavy accident in race one, Jeffers took five victories and three second-place finishes in the final eight races. 

Jeffers clinched the USF2000 championship in grand style with a race to spare by winning race two in Portland by 3.68s. He ended the year with a commanding 67-point gap in the championship over runner-up Musella. WIth the help of an $405,050 scholarship, the 2025 champion will move up to USF Pro 2000 with Exclusive Autosport for 2026. 

5. Caio Collet (Indy NXT: P2, 527 points)

In 2024, Caio Collet successfully made the transition into American motorsports after spending six years in European single-seaters on the road to F1. The Brazilian won Indy NXT Rookie of the Year honours in 2024 by finishing third in the championship, and he went into the 2025 season as a contender for the Indy NXT title. While the eventual champion turned out to be just a bit too strong, Collet still delivered an excellent season. 

The former Alpine Academy driver finished on the podium nine times, three times as the winner. In the entire 14-race Indy NXT season, the 23-year-old was outside the top five only twice, one occurrence of which was due to a mechanical issue at Barber. Collet’s title rival, however, started the season with four wins in the first five races, and despite consistently scoring strong results, the Brazilian was unable to claw back much of the deficit over the rest of the season.  

While Collet was in peak form on road courses, with his sweep of the double-header at Laguna Seca a clear highlight, his biggest improvement in his second year came on short ovals. In 2024, the Brazilian failed to finish at both Iowa and Gateway. This season, he finished on the podium at Gateway and took fourth at Iowa. 

Following the season, Collet ran the IndyCar post-season test at Mid-Ohio with A.J. Foyt Racing. Last November, he was announced as a full-time entry for the 2026 IndyCar Series with the team.

4. Liam Loiacono (USF Juniors: P2, 332 points)

Any driver who wins five races in their rookie season would already be marked as impressive, but doing so in your first year in American motorsport takes it up a notch.

Liam Loiacono made the leap to the United States with Jay Howard Driver Development from the Australian Formula Ford Championship across the Pacific Ocean. While he didn’t manage to take home the championship, Loiacono made an ostensibly challenging transition appear seamless.

The 17-year-old got off to a good start by finishing second in race two of the first weekend at NOLA. The second event at Barber Motorsports Park was more difficult for Loiacono, who failed to score a top five in any of the three races. Success soon followed, though, as Loiacono took his maiden victory in race two of the third event of the season at Mid-Ohio. 

When the second half of the season kicked off with another weekend at Mid-Ohio, the Australian really showed his muscle. After barely missing out on a podium in race one of the fourth weekend of the season, the 17-year-old went on to win four races in a row – race two at Mid-Ohio and all three races at Road America. This run of form put him just 14 points off the USF Juniors championship lead, but a difficult final weekend at Portland, with 11th in race one and a non-finish in race three, left him unable to close the deal. 

Though he missed out on the scholarship for winning the title, Loiacono is nonetheless rumoured to be moving up to USF2000 with Jay Howard Driver Development. He tested for the team in the USF Pro Fall combine at Indianapolis, where he was 16th fastest over the span of six sessions, 0.9s behind the fastest time set by Evan Cooley.

3. Leonardo Escorpioni (USF Juniors: P1, 403 points)

Leonardo Escorpioni drove a stellar USF Juniors season for Zanella Racing. In 16 races, the Brazilian finished on the podium 14 times, six of them as the winner. Aside from a non-finish in race three at NOLA Motorsports Park, Escorpioni’s worst finish was a fourth place in race one at Road America. Yet even in his worst result, he showed his class by starting 17th and working his way back to the front.

The season started off strong for Escorpioni with a third place in race one at NOLA and his first victory of the season in race two. The lowest point then came in race three, when a mechanical issue struck his Zanella Racing machine while he was leading the race. The Brazilian took revenge at the next event at Barber by winning two races and finishing third in the other. 

Even with these strong results, the championship battle with Loiacono came down to the wire. Ultimately, it was the 15-year-old’s ice-cold consistency that won him the championship. In the five races won by Loiacono, Escorpioni finished on the podium four times, minimising any points losses.

Escorpioni clinched the USF Juniors championship over Loiacono at Portland with victories in races one and two. With the title secured, and the $249,675 scholarship in his pocket, Escorpioni will make the step-up to USF2000 with Zanella Racing. This also means Zanella Racing will make their debut in USF2000 in 2026.

2. Dennis Hauger (Indy NXT: P1, 599 points)

Coming into 2025, Dennis Hauger was the overwhelming favourite for the Indy NXT championship. Andretti Global gave the former F2 driver a chance, and he took it with both hands and then some. 

The start of the season was a statement of intent by Hauger, who started from pole position and led all 44 laps around the streets of St. Petersburg. The 22-year-old went on to do the same at Barber, giving him the impressive feat of having led all 79 laps of the opening two rounds. 

A low followed in race one of a doubleheader at the IMS road course, where an opening-lap incident dropped him to the back of the field, but the 22-year-old still clawed his way back to eighth position and maintained the championship lead. In race two, Hauger was back on top with a decisive victory.

Hauger went on to win six races from 14 starts in 2025. The only weakness in his arsenal was his oval prowess. At Gateway, he started from pole position but fell back to fifth place after experiencing higher tire wear, while at Iowa, difficulties in overtaking lapped traffic gave Myles Rowe the chance to capitalise and take the race win. 

The lowest point of the season for Hauger was race two at Laguna Seca, where a collision with Andretti teammate Hughes took the Norwegian out of the race and left the Australian three laps down. 

This doesn’t take away from the fact that the former Formula 2 driver dominated the championship.  He wrapped up the title a round early in Milwaukee, and in the end, the gap in the points standings between him and his nearest rival, Collet, was 72 points, earning him the $850,000 scholarship to put towards IndyCar events.

Not long after clinching the Indy NXT championship, Hauger was announced by Dale Coyne Racing as a full-time entry for the 2026 IndyCar season, aided by his scholarship and a partnership with Andretti. He will become the first Norwegian to compete in IndyCar since 1916.  

1. Max Garcia (USF Pro 2000: P1, 495 points)

Dominant barely begins to describe how good Garcia was in USF Pro 2000. In his rookie season, the 16-year-old won nine of the 18 races, becoming the first driver to win at least half of the races in a season in IndyCar’s third tier since Kyle Kirkwood in 2019. To further highlight his dominance, Garcia’s gap over runner-up Elkin was 148 points, the biggest margin among all American open-wheel junior series in 2025. 

Having graduated to USF Pro 2000 after winning the USF2000 title in 2024, Garcia started out with a second place in the opening race of the season at St Petersburg and took the championship lead after winning race two. From this point forward, the 16-year-old never looked back. In the next three races at NOLA Motorsports Park, the Pabst Racing driver scored two second-place finishes and a win in race three.

In the month of May, a short winless streak followed, with Elkin winning three of the four races at the IMS road course and IRP. At Road America, however, order was restored, with Garcia dominating in qualifying by being the fastest in both qualifying sessions and taking two wins and a fourth place. 

The best event of Garcia’s season came at Mid-Ohio, where he won race one by 7.3s and race two by 9.6s. The day after he wrapped up the championship in race one on the streets of Toronto, Garcia took a season-worst ninth place in race two. But the Floridian was back on top at Portland, where he won the two races by 3.76 and 6.95 seconds – the type of dominance that earned the 2025 USF Pro 2000 champion the top spot in our ranking.

With a second consecutive championship in his pocket and a scholarship worth $594,500, Garcia will join Abel Motorsports to move up to Indy NXT in 2026. 

Header photo credit: Josh Hernandez / Penske Entertainment