The Road To Indy Insider Podcast: Recent Episodes
Rob Howden
Rob Howden, the Voice of the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, discusses the series and the program's events
Now into his sophomore USF2000 season, DE Force Racing's Sebastian Garzon aims to leverage what he learned as a rookie to chase the 2026 title and the crucial career-extending scholarship that comes with it. In this episode, Rob talks with Sebastian about his years in karting, his fantastic two-win start to the season at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, and recent series tests at IMS and Mid-Ohio leading into the month of May.
The 2026 USF Juniors season now has two of its six events in the books with races completed at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Carolina Motorsports Park. Spaniard Ivan Machado Perez (VRD Racing with Pole Position Motorsports) is now the point leader after a strong outing at CMP that added two wins to his season total. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden connected with Ivan from his home in Madrid to discuss his career and this intriguing second opportunity to fulfil his racing dreams.
In this milestone 100th episode of the USF Pro Insider podcast, Rob takes a deep dive into this year's USF Pro 2000 championship. Our host looks at the schedule, breaks down the grid, and provides a team-by-team preview of the series for 2026.
The 2026 USF2000 Championship begins at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg this weekend (February 27-March 1) and USF Pro Insider Rob Howden takes a deep dive into the field that will fight for the title this season.
A massive freshman class is set to tackle this year's USF Juniors challenge, with 21 drivers lining up to begin the chase for the series championship and the scholarship worth almost $250,000 to advance to USF2000 in 2027. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden presents a full team-by-team preview ahead of the opening rounds of the series that are part of the annual USF Pro Championships 'Spring Training' event, which takes place on February 16-18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida.
The 2026 season kicks off with USF Spring Training at Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 16-18, where one of this show's guests will start the season with a tripleheader. Exclusive Autosport's Brenden Cooley will be focused in on race wins this year, as will VRD Racing Joao Vergara, who is graduating up into USF2000 for 2026. Both drivers have a goal of battling for a series championship this season
In Episode 96, the co-owners of the newest USF Juniors team will join USF Pro Insider Rob Howden in the online studio. Allen and Alex Berg from Berg Racing will debut this season with Alex handling the driving duties, although the team is focused on building a two-car program. The trio will discuss both Allen and Alex’s racing resumes and how Berg Racing is part of a vertical driver development program that begins with the Allen Berg Racing School at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
It's an all-VRD Racing line-up for this episode of the USF Pro Insider. USF Pro 2000 driver Frankie Mossman and USF2000 sophomore Ryan Giannetta will sit down with Rob to discuss their respective 2025 seasons before looking forward to what's to come in 2026 in the USF Pro Championships.
Two drivers who will be targeting race wins and championships in the USF Pro Championships join Rob in this episode of the USF Pro Insider. Pabst Racing's Brad Majman and DE Force Racing's Vilho Aatola were both impressive in their rookie seasons in their respective series, and each will return as sophomores and primary title contenders.
Over the years, a majority of drivers winning USF Pro Championships titles have done so in their second or third years in a series. In this episode, Rob will chat with Pabst Racing's Jacob Douglas and Exclusive Autosport's Connor Aspley, two racers coming back for ultimate success in 2026. Douglas will be gunning for the USF Pro 2000 title and Aspley has his sights set on the same in USF Juniors.
As we prepare to head into the new year, just two months from the start of the 2026 USF2000 schedule at St Pete, Exclusive Autosport's Anthony Martella will sit down with Rob. He'll be joined by JT Hoskins from Jay Howard Driver Development, who will need to wait a couple of weeks after St Pete for his USF Pro 2000 debut at the highly-anticipated temp circuit race in Arlington.
While drivers are always working their way up and through the USF Pro Championships ladder, it's the teams that are the constant. They are the foundation of the program. In this edition of the USF Pro Insider podcast, Rob sits down with DE Force team owners David Martinez and Ernesto Martinez. They'll discuss the team's history, what is takes to win at this level, and how they develop their own culture for winning under their tent.
As the 2026 season approaches, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden sat down to chat with USF Pro Championships drivers Maddie Colleran (Zanella Racing) and Thomas Nordquist (DE Force Racing) to discuss how they got into the sport and how they fared in their rookie seasons in USF Juniors. They also looked forward to the 2026 season, as Colleran will return to USF Juniors for her sophomore season while Nordquist will make the jump to USF2000.
With the 2026 USF Pro 2000 season just two months away, teams are beginning to confirm their drivers for next year's campaign. Exclusive Autosport's Joey Brienza and Pabst Racing's G3 Argyros are set to go for 2026, and they joined USF Pro Insider Rob Howden to discuss this past season and how excited they are for next year's schedule.
With the 2025 season now over three months in the rearview mirrors, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden starts the off-season and his look at 2026 by sitting down with the three series champions and scholarship winners who will run the USF Pro Championships livery on their cars next year. Champions Max Garcia (USF Pro 2000), Jack Jeffers (USF2000), and Leonardo Escorpioni (USF Juniors) speak with Rob about the past, present, and future.
Pabst Racing’s Max Garcia clinched this year’s USF Pro 2000 championship in the opening race in Toronto, scoring his second consecutive USF Pro Championships title. In the first of three ‘2025 Champions’ interviews, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden sat down with the young American to discuss his journey up the ladder and his dream season that will put him on the INDY NXT grid in 2026.
Zanella Racing’s Leonardo Escorpioni leads the USF Juniors championship standings heading into the season finale in Portland on the August 8-10 weekend. The Brazilian-American has delivered a stellar sophomore season, finishing on the podium in 11 of 13 races thus far, and only once outside the top-five. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden caught up with Leo after a crucial weekend at Road America that featured two podiums and three top-fives after qualifying 17th.
Heading into his home race at the Ontario Honda Dealers Toronto Indy, Canadian Mac Clark has been racking up impressive podium performances all season racing with Exclusive Autosport in the USF Pro 2000 series. Clark will be gunning for his first win of the season this weekend, and the 2022 USF Juniors champion would like nothing more to make that happen on home soil. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden caught up with Mac at the beginning of Race Week.
With just five races over two events left on the 2025 USF2000 schedule, VRD Racing’s Thomas Schrage heads to the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto tied for the championship points lead. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden spoke with the two-time race winner about his career, this year’s success, and what it will take to score the title and the scholarship in Portland.
North Carolina’s Caleb Gafrarar became the newest USF2000 race winner at Mid-Ohio when he was victorious in the first race of the tripleheader over the July 4th weekend. The Pabst Racing driver added another podium and another top-five result to advance to fifth in points, keeping himself in the championship discussion heading to Toronto. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden spoke with Caleb about his impressive karting career, his family’s roots in racing, and move to car racing in 2023.
VRD Racing driver Teddy Musella steered his way into the USF2000 title discussion at Road America with a massive first win in Race 2 as the series heads into the stretch run. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden spoke with the young American ahead of the Mid-Ohio weekend to discuss his career and his extremely consistent rookie season.
Australian driver Liam Loiacono scored his first USF Juniors win of the 2025 season at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in early June, mastering the challenging wet conditions in Sunday's Race 2. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden sat down with the 17-year-old Jay Howard Driver Development pilot to discuss the win, his season thus far, and his career.
The hottest driver right now in the USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire is Ariel Elkin from TJ Speed Motorsports. The USF Pro 2000 driver from Israel has won three of the last four events, winning two of three on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course before triumphing in the Freedom 90 at IRP at the Carb Night Classic. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden sat down with Ariel to discuss his career and a streak of success that has brought him into the championship discussion after a tough start to the season in St Pete.
Winning at Indianapolis is a huge achievement for any driver, and when it's your first series victory, it's even more special. Exclusive Autosport's Jack Jeffers know how this feels having scored his maiden USF2000 win in early May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Texan took over the point lead in the process, and USF Pro Insider Rob Howden sat down with Jack after the victory to discuss his career and the start to the 2025 season.
Rookie Ty Fisher from Zanella Racing is the new point leader in the USF Juniors series after scoring his second win of the season in tough conditions at Barber Motorsports Park. Six straight top-five finishes to start his 2025 campaign is the level of consistency that team owners look for, and the 14-year-old Canadian sat down with USF Pro Insider Rob Howden to discuss his early success.
In 2024, VRD Racing's Max Taylor scored wins in both USF Juniors and USF2000, and would eventually take the USF Juniors crown. This year, he's gunning for the USF Pro 2000 title and will also contest five INDY NXT events with HMD Motorsports. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden sat down with Max to discuss the start of his 2025 season and his thoughts on his upcoming races in in NXT.
USF Pro Insider Rob Howden takes a deep dive into the grid and schedule for the 2025 USF Juniors program, the first step on the ladder of the USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire.
After scoring a podium finish in his USF2000 debut at the Grand Prix of St Petersburg, DE Force Racing driver Jeshua Alianell sat down for a chat with USF Pro Insider Rob Howden to discuss his time in the Skip Barber Racing School Formula Car Series, and his move to USF Juniors in 2024. Alianell followed his third-place finish in Race 1 with another top-10, and heads to NOLA Motorsports Park sitting third in the championship standings.
After running three USF Pro 2000 weekends in 2024 to test the waters and log crucial seat time, Florida's Alessandro de Tullio came out of the gate in 2025 with an impressive win at St Petersburg for Turn 3 Motorsports. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden sat down with Alessandro to discuss the intriguing road of experience he's logged to get to where he is today, and how he's evolved over the last three years.
With the 2025 USF Pro Championships season now underway, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden sits down with USF2000 St Pete race winner and current series point leader Liam McNeilly from Jay Howard Driver Development to discuss his career development, his growth throughout his USF Pro debut season in USF Juniors in 2024, and how he's ready to fight for the title this season.
The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is just days away, and with it comes the start of the 2025 USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire. In this show, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden provides a team-by-team, driver-by-driver preview of USF Pro 2000, which is the top series in the USF Pro ladder system. The champion will receive almost $595,000 to move to INDY NXT in 2026, so the fight will start from the first green flag this weekend.
With the start to the 2025 USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire just around the corner at St. Petersburg, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden is back with his first podcast of the year, previewing the USF2000 Championship. Listen now to get up to speed on who will be fighting for the title and the scholarship to move to USF Pro 2000 in 2026.
The USF Juniors drivers put on a show at Road America and in this episode of the podcast, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden reviews the event from ‘America’s National Park of Speed’. Rob also chats with Exclusive Autosport’s Joao Vergara and VRD Racing’s Christian Cameron.
With the 2024 USF Juniors season heading into the home stretch, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden previews the Road America tripleheader, which will set the stage for the finale in Portland at the end of August. Rob also chats with VIR race winner and title contender Augie Soto-Shirripa from Inter MS and 14-year-old Leonardo Escorpioni from Zanella Racing.
USF Pro Insider Rob Howden takes a quick look at the action from the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto and provides his 'takeways' from the event. He also chats with a pair of current USF Pro Championships scholarship winners - USF Pro 2000 Toronto winner Simon Sikes from Pabst Racing and DE Force Racing's Nicolas Giaffone, who's had a strong second half of the USF2000 season.
INDYCAR's race north of the border in Toronto is one of the most popular amongst not only the fans, but the drivers and team as well. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden previews the 2024 edition of the iconic event, which is the biggest of the year for DE Force Racing's Canadian driver Mac Clark. Rob chats with Mac about the event and his season, and also checks in with Exclusive Autosport's Joey Brienza, who remains in the USF2000 title fight.
The Tatuus Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio certainly elevated the excitement in all three series title battles of the USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden provides a quick overview of the event and also chats with USF Pro 2000 point leader Lochie Hughes and Mid-Ohio race winner Evagoras Papasavvas.
With the USF Pro Championships event at Mid-Ohio this weekend, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden previews the weekend, checks in on the championship battles, and speaks with two of the primary combatants, Jace Denmark in USF Pro 2000 and Jack Jeffers in USF Juniors.
Fresh off a wild weekend at VIR, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden details the event and also chats with USF Juniors Race 1 winner Max Taylor and first time podium finish G3 Argyros about their 2024 seasons to date.
With the Carb Night Classic in the rearview mirrors and Road America out in front of the halo, Pabst Racing's Sam Corry and Turn 3 Motorsports' Danny Dyszelski join me as I preview this weekend's event in Elkhart Lake.
USF Pro Insider Rob Howden speaks with the winners of the rain-delayed Carb Night Classic events from Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Rob is joined by Exclusive Autosport's Braden Eves, who won the USF Pro 2000 Freedom 90, and Tanner DeFabis from Jay Howard Driver Development, who was victorious in the USF2000 Freedom 75.
After an exciting and hard-fought event on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden offers a quick synopsis before interviews with two drivers who left IMS with crucial podiums finishes. USF Pro 2000 driver Liam Sceats (TJ Speed) chats with Rob on the heels of two runner-up finishes, while USF2000 Race 2 podium finisher Elliot Cox (Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development) speaks on his career and his new focus for 2024.
The USF Juniors event at Barber Motorsports Park was certainly a wild affair, as USF Pro Insider Rob Howden details in a quick race report. Rob also speaks with DE Force Racing's Leandro Juncos and then checks in with Ava Dobson, who was involved in the massive shunt that ended the opening race of the Friday doubleheader.
With the USF Juniors drivers getting back in action this coming weekend (April 25-26) at Barber Motorsports Park on the same card as both INDYCAR and INDY NXT, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden previews the event. He also chats with VRD Racing drivers Sebastian Wheldon (point leader) and Alabama resident Michael Suco ahead of the second event of their schedule.
With the USF Juniors heading to Barber Motorsports Park next week for their second event of 2024, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden provides a brief preview of the event ahead of interviews with NOLA Motorsports Park race winners Liam McNeilly (USF Juniors) from Jay Howard Driver Development and Max Garcia (USF2000) from Pabst Racing.
All three series of the USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire were on the docket at NOLA Motorsports Park on the April 5-7 weekend, including the 2024 season opener for the USF Juniors program, and USF Pro Insider Rob Howden provides a recap of the action. He also sits down with current USF Pro 2000 point leader Nikita Johnson from VRD Racing, who scored his second and third wins of the season in New Orleans.
With the start of the 2024 USF Juniors calendar beginning on the April 5-7 weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden dives into a team-by-team preview of the drivers in the program this season. Rob starts the show with a quick report on the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, and the opening rounds for the USF2000 and USF Pro 2000 series.
As the USF Juniors schedule heads into its final two weekends of 2023, one of the season's highlights has been the steady improvement of VRD Racing's Hudson Schwartz. The 14-year-old rookie has improved each weekend, qualifying on the front row for both Mid-Ohio races ahead of scoring his second podium finish. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden chatted with Hudson and they discussed his young career, his goals, and how he sees himself as a racer.
Jay Howard Driver Development's Evagoras Papasavvas has been one of the drivers to watch in the USF2000 series in 2023, scoring his first victory during a breakout weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in early July. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden sat down with the 15-year-old America driver after yet another strong performance, this time at the Honda Indy Toronto.
USF Pro Insider Rob Howden provides a race report from the USF2000 and USF Pro 2000 events at Mid-Ohio this past weekend (June 29-July 1), and then sits down with USF Juniors driver Carson Etter from DC Autosport, who made his USF2000 debut at the action-packed race.
The resume of Mexican Salvador de Alba is unlike any other driver in the USF Pro Championships system, highlighted by multiple NASCAR Mexico and Super Copa GT titles. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden sat down with the 23-year-old after his second straight USF Pro 2000 oval victory, which came in the Freedom 90 at Indianapolis Raceway Park in May. The win vaulted the Exclusive Autosport driver to fourth in the point standings and has provided him significant momentum heading to the next rounds of the championship at Road America.
Fresh off his win in the third USF Juniors race of the weekend at VIR, Exclusive Autosport's Jack Jeffers sat down to chat with USF Pro Insider Rob Howden to discuss his karting career, his development from the pre-season to now, and what it means to notch that first big USF Pro Championships victory. The 16-year-old Texan also spoke of the family atmosphere under the tent of his chosen race team.
Australian Quinn Armstrong will return to the site of his 2022 American formula car racing debut on the June 2-4 weekend when the sophomore USF Juniors driver and his DE Force Racing team head to VIR for the third stop on the schedule. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden chats with the 16-year-old about the start to his 2023 campaign, his win at Sebring, his thoughts about his VIR return, as well as how fast food differs from USA to his Aussie homeland.
Ahead of this weekend's USF Pro Championship event at VIRginia International Raceway (June 2-4) where the USF Juniors program will be joined on the docket by the Skip Barber Formula Car Series, Rob chats with SBFCS point leader Jaxon Bell. The Miami, FL resident has swept the first four races of the year, and the 19-year-old son of professional driver and NBC commentator Townsend Bell aims to further that streak.
It's been a strong start to the USF2000 season for Australian rookie Lochie Hughes, who leads the series standings heading into the Carb Night Classic Freedom 75 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway on May 26. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden chatted with the Jay Howard Driver Development pilot ahead of this Friday evening's race and discussed Lochie's early success in 2023.
Ahead of next weekend's USF2000 event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden sat down with series rookie, Indiana resident, and Jay Howard Driver Development pilot Al Morey IV to discuss his short career behind the wheel, how his freshman season has played out thus far, and how the 17-year-old is exciting and ready to tackle the iconic IMS facility.
Fresh off his sweep of the USF Juniors doubleheader at Barber Motorsports Park last week (Friday, April 28), DE Force's Nicolas Giaffone joined Rob from his home in Sao Paulo, Brazil to discuss the start of the season as well as the motivation for his decision to focus on the USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires. Giaffone's target is set firmly on INDYCAR and the Indianapolis 500 and the 18-year-old has impressed as he begins his journey.
With the second season of USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires beginning on Thursday (March 23) at Sebring International Raceway, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden sat down with expected title contender Joey Brienza to discuss his expectations, as well as his last few years of focused driver development with Exclusive Autosport
Heading into the second weekend of the USF Pro 2000 schedule, USF Pro Insider Rob Howden checks in with reigning USF2000 champion and USF Pro 2000 rookie Michael d'Orlando. The Turn 3 Motorsports drivers talks about his championship journey in 2022, his off-season focus, and the start to this new season.
Two-time SCCA National Championship Runoffs winner Simon Sikes has all the potential to be an American open-wheel superstar, if not for his lack of funding. It's an age-old story in motorsports. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden sits down with Simon to discuss his dream opportunity with USF2000 powerhouse Pabst Racing in 2023 and his weekend of highs and lows at the season opener at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
2022 USF Juniors champion Mac Clark is fired up and ready to tackle his freshman USF2000 season, supported by the scholarship provided by Andersen Promotions. USF Pro Insider Rob Howden chatted with the Canadian ahead of the series' Spring Training event at Sebring on February 27-28
With the 2023 USF Pro Championships season opener just under two weekends away, Rob sits down with USF2000 sophomore and New Zealander Jacob Douglas to discuss his rookie season and his mindset heading into this year's series. The Exclusive Autosport driver is focused on race wins and championships, and building on the experience he gained in 2022.
USF Pro Insider Rob Howden sits down with TSOLadder.com's Steve Wittich to look at the current driver line-ups for the newly-renamed USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires
Ahead of the opening round of the inaugural USF Juniors series at Ozarks International Raceway next weekend (April 22-24), RTI Insider Rob Howden connected with expected title contender Nick d'Orlando from DC Autosport with Cape Motorsports to discuss his karting career and his championship success in F1600 in 2021. As part of the 'Getting To Know' segment, Rob and Nick talk about a track day with Daniel Ricciardo, pizza, and Marvel movies.
Illinois' Jason Pribyl will be one of the many drivers on the inaugural USF Juniors grid for the 2022 season, running with IGY6 Motorsports. Unlike other drivers who started their motorsports journey in sprint karting, Jason developed his racecraft in enduro karting, running full-sized racetracks like Mid-Ohio, Gingerman, and Grattan Raceway. Rob spoke with Jason about his move to cars in F1600 and the SCCA Formula Enterprises 2 category, and his excitement and expectations for USF Juniors in 2022.
American karter Evagoras Papasavvas will make his Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship debut in 2022, after having spent this past season immersed in a focused testing program with Jay Howard Driver Development. Rob sat down with Evagoras to discuss his years of karting that have led him to this season's move to the Road to Indy, as well as an incident that occurred in a late-season karting event that will sideline him for the first two events of 2022.
After making his Indy Pro 2000 debut at the Road to Indy season finale at Mid-Ohio, Exclusive Autosport's Christian Brooks is primed and ready to take a run at the title in his freshman season. Rob and Christian discuss his years in the Red Bull Global Rallycross program, and his first two seasons in USF2000. Rob also pitches Christian with some fun and intriguing 'Getting To Know' questions.
With Andersen Promotions debuting their new USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires series in 2022, Rob begins his 'RTI Insider' interview from that paddock with Georgia's Noah Ping, who will compete this season with Velocity Racing Development. A former hockey goaltender, the 19-year-old comes to the USF Juniors program after a season of Radical Cup and SCCA Spec Racer Ford competition.
After two seasons in USF2000 with Cape Motorsports and Turn 3 Motorsport, New York's John Green will make the step to Indy Pro 2000 with Turn 3 in 2022. Green scored his first USF2000 win in the season finale and his three-year racing career is an intriguing study is rapid yet consistent development. Rob and Josh hit on all of these points, before allowing him to tackle the 'Getting to Know' questions.
In this second edition of the new format, Rob talks with USF2000 driver Dylan Christie, who is preparing to enter his sophomore season in the series. Christie will run for DE Force this season. In addition, Rob and Dylan discuss their love of sushi and homemade burgers.
In the first 'Road to Indy Insider' podcast of the year, Rob speaks with Indy Lights sophomore Benjamin Pedersen about his rookie campaign in 2021, prepping for the upcoming schedule during the off-season, and the culture of success at HMD-Global Racing Group. Rob caps off the interview by asking the Danish-born, Seattle native a series of fun questions to get to know the championship contender.
RTI Insider Rob Howden sat down with Indianapolis racer Michael Myers on Thursday, July 29 to discuss his transition from off-road ATV racing to open wheel formula car racing in 2018, as well as his second year in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, running with his family operation.
Road To Indy Insider Rob Howden talks with the most recent Indy Pro 2000 race winner Hunter McElrea of Pabst Racing. They discuss Hunter's season-to-date, his thoughts on the opening oval race at World Wide Technology Raceway, what he'll need to do to win the title, and his goals for 2022.
RTI Insider Rob Howden chats with Legacy Autosports' Simon Sikes, who is on a tear in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship with four straight podium finishes at Road America and Mid-Ohio.
Road To Indy Insider Rob Howden sits down with the 'Winning Christians' of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Exclusive Autosport's Christian Brooks swept the action in USF2000 and Jay Howard Driver Development's Christian Rasmussen backed up a runner-up finish on Saturday with his first Indy Pro 2000 win on Sunday. The drivers discuss their weekends and how this success has set the tone for the season.
Road To Indy Insider Rob Howden talks with the newest winners in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, Yuven Sundaramoorthy and Prescott Campbell. The duo broke through with their first career Road To Indy wins at Barber Motorsports Park on the April 16-18 to sit third and first in the championship, respectively, heading into the next event on the 2021 schedule.
Road To Indy Insider Rob Howden is joined by Steve Wittich from TSOLadder.com for their annual 'Season Preview' podcast. Rob and Steve work through the USF2000, Indy Pro 2000, and Indy Lights grids and discuss who they expect to see race for wins and championships in 2021.
Road To Indy Insider Rob Howden talks with USF2000's newest team - Force Indy - and their team owner Rod Reid and driver Myles Rowe ahead of the start of the 2021 season.
Road To Indy Insider Rob Howden talks with Indy Lights rookie Linus Lundqvist, who will make his RTI debut in 2021 with HMD Motorsports and Global Racing Group. Lundqvist dominated the FR Americas Championship in the US last year, and also won the 2018 BRDC British F3 title, so he arrives with impressive credentials and a ton of momentum. Many tab the young Swede as a primary championship contender.
Road To Indy Insider Rob Howden sits down with USF2000 rookie Trey Burke to discuss his unique career path from Mini Sprint and Sprint Car racing through the Lucas Oil School of Racing and F1600 to the Road To Indy with Joe Dooling Autosport in 2021
Road To Indy Insider Rob Howden speaks with Turn 3 Autosport's James Roe Jr, who was recently announced as their first Indy Pro 2000 Championship driver for the 2021 season. The Irishman finished seventh in the 2020 Formula Regional Americas Championship, and will make his IP2K debut at Barber Motorsports Park in April.
Road To Indy Insider Rob Howden spends time talking with members of the new Ignite Autosport team, which will run with Cape Motorsports in the 2021 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship. Drivers Spike Kohlbecker and Evan Stamer will be joined by Margay Racing owner and Ignite Autosport Team Manager Keith Freber to discuss the origin of the program and the expectations for 2021.
Road To Indy Insider Rob Howden had his first opportunity to chat with 2021 Indy Lights rookie Alex Peroni on February 22, 2021. The Australian will run with Carlin Racing this season, coming off a strong overall performance in the 2020 FIA F3 Championship.
Road To Indy Insider Rob Howden sits down with Indy Pro 2000 driver Jacob Abel from Abel Motorsports to discuss the 2021 season. Abel ran a full season in Indy Pro 2000 in 2019 and attended four weekends in 2020, finishing on the podium at Mid-Ohio. The Kentucky resident will be back for the full schedule this season, and he and Rob dove into his career thus far, including his intro to the sport and his aspirations for the future.
Road To Indy Insider Rob Howden talks with 2020 F4 US Championship title winner Hunter Yeany, who will make his Road To Indy debut this season with Velocity Racing Development in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires.
The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship grid will be both strong and expanded in 2021. Road to Indy Insider Rob Howden chats with USF2000 rookie Ely Navarro on this episode of 'RTI Insider Live'. The 16-year-old from Fishers, IN was the 2020 Lucas Oil School of Racing Formula Car Series champion and will compete with DEForce Racing this season.
Road to Indy Insider Rob Howden kicks off the 2021 season of interview shows with Turn 3 Motorsport's Josh Green, who will contend his sophomore season in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship.
As part of his 2020 season review shows, Road to Indy Insider Rob Howden spent some time chatting with Indy Pro 2000 champion Sting Ray Robb from Juncos Racing. The American had a spectacular second half of the season and put an exclamation point on the campaign, winning in St. Petersburg while also resetting both the qualifying and race lap track records.
Rob sat down with newly-crowned USF2000 champion Christian Rasmussen just a week after finishing up the Road To Indy season to discuss his 2020 campaign, with its highs and lows, as well as the Dane's plans for the 2021 season.
Following Wednesday's official confirmation of the return of the Indy Lights program in 2021, Road to Indy Insider and series voice Rob Howden sat down with Andersen Promotions CEO Dan Andersen to discuss the announcement, the enhancements added to the scholarships, and the new IndyCar test for the top-three drivers in the 2021 championship.
Juncos Racing's Sting Ray Robb broke through with his first win at Mid-Ohio in late July, and followed this with a sweep of the tripleheader at IMS just over a month later. Sting Ray joins Rob on the RTI Insider podcast to discuss what getting these wins meant to him and how his team and these performances have help strengthen his confidence and momentum heading back to Mid-Ohio.
The USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 series took to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course last week (September 3-4) and Pabst Racing's Eduardo Barrichello scored his first RTI win in the opening race of the tripleheader, and then backed it up with a win in the second race as well. The Brazilian joined Rob to talk about his IMS victories, his relationship with his legendary father, his development time in karting, his road to USF2000 and what he see as his future goals.
It was quick turn-around for the Indy Pro 2000 Championship teams as the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires were back racing on the IMS road course on Thursday and Friday. Before heading to the next event, Road To Indy Insider Rob Howden spoke with World Wide Technology Raceway winner Devlin De Francesco, as well as two young drivers who were set to make their USF2000 debuts that weekend with Legacy Autosport - Michael Myers and Simon Sikes.
With the next Road to Indy event over a week away at Lucas Oil Raceway, Rob sat down with Pabst Racing's Hunter McElrea and Miller Vinatieri Motorsports' Jack William Miller to debrief on their runs at Mid-Ohio. They capped the show with a look forward to the first oval event of the year.
The Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires held a mid-week event at Mid-Ohio on July 29-30 and a pair of drivers delivered breakout performances. Sting Ray Robb of Juncos Racing and Reece Gold from Cape Motorsports each enjoyed career finishes in their respective series. The duo joined RTI Insider Rob Howden to 'debrief' their performances and look forward to the upcoming oval event at Lucas Oil Raceway on August 21.
With a Mid-Ohio tripleheader as part of the reworked Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires calendar just a week away, Rob takes the opportunity to look back at the series opener at Road America and forward to the first of two Mid-Ohio events with USF2000 point leader Christian Rasmussen from Jay Howard Driver Development and Indy Pro 2000 freshman Nate Aranda from Juncos Racing.
The Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires completed its first event of the 2020 season at Road America on July 9-10 and RTI Insider Rob Howden reviews the weekend's action in USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000. In this edition of the 'Debrief', Rob is joined by Turn 3 Motorsports' Danial Frost and Cape Motorsports' Josh Green.
With the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires firing up the 2020 season at Road America on July 9-10, Rob sat down with both of the RTI scholarship drivers - Braden Eves (Indy Pro 2000) and Prescott Campbell (USF2000) from Exclusive Autosport - to discuss the Mid-Ohio test from last week as well as their expectations for the season opener at Road America.
In this second episode of his new Road To Indy Insider Live show, Rob dives into the time charts from the official Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tire series test from the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Monday, and then discusses the test with Indy Pro 2000 driver Sting Ray Robb and USF2000 driver Michael D'Orlando. They cap the show with a look forward to the opening rounds of 2020 Road To Indy at Road America next week.
With the opening round of the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires at Road America now just two weeks away, Rob is pleased to debut the new RTI Insider Facebook Live show. In this first episode, Rob welcomed Steve Wittich from TSOLadder.com to discuss the current status of the RTI, and to bring everyone up to speed on several topics, including a series-by-series preview for Road America. In addition to the podcast version of the show, you can also see the live edition on Facebook and Rob's YouTube channel.
The 2020 Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires season is about to kick off at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in Florida. The 'RTI Insider' Rob Howden works through the entry lists, discusses the speeds at the recent official 'Spring Training' test at Homestead and provides his thoughts on the potential championship challengers in Indy Lights, Indy Pro 2000 and USF2000.
TSOLadder.com's Steve Wittich returns to join Road to Indy Insider Rob Howden for an early look at the 2020 Road to Indy season. We go through each of the three series, team-by-team, detailing the drivers who are already confirmed and those who we expect to be competing this season.
TSOLadder.com's Steve Wittich joins Road to Indy Insider Rob Howden for this 'Breakdown' podcast reviewing the RTI's 2019 visit to Portland International Raceway. The USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 races were both swept by the new championship point leaders (McElrea and Kirkwood) while Indy Lights enjoyed its seventh different winner of the season (Sowery). Rob and Steve discuss the on-track competition along with many nods to the 2020 season.
The RTI Insider Rob Howden welcomes IndyCar Radio Network Indy Lights anchor Nick Yeoman to the 'Insider Breakdown', as the duo takes a deep dive into the Indy Lights race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. Rob begins the show with his review of the Indy Pro 2000 race, and he also previews the upcoming Road to Indy event at Portland International Raceway on Labor Day weekend.
Steve Wittich from TracksideOnline.com and TSOLadder.com joins Rob Howden to review the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires events at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course from the July 26-28 weekend. In this show, they discuss the on-track action as well as the current championship battles heading into the final events of the season.
Fresh off a street battle at Toronto's Exhibition Place, the Road to Indy Insider Rob Howden breaks down the action in Canada with Chris DeHarde from MotorsportsTribune.com. The action from the July 12-14 weekend was thrilling, packed with wheel-to-wheel racing, driver errors and more than a little chaos.
Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship point leader Braden Eves joins the Road to Indy Insider Rob Howden on this new podcast interview. The two discuss the Ohio resident's karting and open wheel formula car career, his 2019 season to date, and how he's developed as a driver since joining Cape Motorsports.
TSOLadder.com's Steve Wittich joins Rob Howden for the 'Breakdown' discussion of the events from Road America on the June 21-23 weekend. They discuss the on-track action from 'America's National Park of Speed' and touch on the current championship battles, then look forward to the upcoming event on the streets of Toronto.
Road to Indy Insider Rob Howden talks with the talented winners of the Freedom races on Carb Day in Indianapolis. Oliver Askew, Danial Frost and Cameron Shields discuss their big victories in Indy Lights, Indy Pro 2000 and USF2000 and how they're focused on the upcoming rounds at Road America.
Road to Indy Insider Rob Howden is joined by Joey Barnes from MotorsportsTribune.com to review the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires events from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Lucas Oil Raceway on Carb Day in May. Andretti Autosport's Oliver Askew won the 17th running of the Freedom 100, while Exclusive Autosport's Danial Frost and Newman Wachs Racing's Cameron Shields won the Freedom 90 and Freedom 75, respectively.
Road to Indy Insider Rob Howden breaks down the action from the INDYCAR Grand Prix weekend on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which took place on May 9-11, including USF2000, Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights.
Road to Indy Insider Rob Howden discusses the Indy Lights action at the Circuit of the Americas in this edition of the 'Breakdown' podcast. Andretti Autosport's Oliver Askew swept the wins in Austin to take over the championship point lead. Rob breaks down the action and offers insight into the track and the ongoing growth of the drivers competing in the series in 2019.
TSOLadder.com's Steve Wittich joins Road to Indy Insider Rob Howden on the first 'Breakdown' podcast of the 2019 season. Rob and Steve review the season opener at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, which took place on March 8-10, 2019. The driver line-up is strong in USF2000, Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights, as four different drivers scored wins, including weekend sweeps by Parker Thompson and Braden Eves. Listen to the show to get up to speed on the action from the first weekend of the year.
Road to Indy Insider Rob Howden provides an overview of the current and potential driver line-ups for all three of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires series - USF2000, Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights. With the opening rounds of the program set to go on the March 8-10 weekend at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, this podcast will bring all of the RTI and IndyCar fans up to speed.
TSOLadder.com's Steve Wittich joins MRTI Insider Rob Howden on this 'Breakdown' episode, as they work through the Road to Indy events from this past weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (July 27-29). This year's USF2000 title was clinched in the first race of the tripleheader by Cape Motorsports' Kyle Kirkwood, but the Pro Mazda and Indy Lights championships are still up for grabs. Get up to speed on all the action!
The MRTI champioship chases are heating up, new drivers are testing the waters for 2019, and the series has arrived at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for what is always a pivotal weekend in the schedule. In this Preview podcast, Rob discussed the championship battles, details the new competitors in USF2000 and Pro Mazda, and gives his thoughts on the unique stories of the top-four drivers in the Indy Lights point standings.
The streets of Toronto offered up a true challenge to the drivers of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, mixing in new and old pavement, concrete corners and a narrow racetrack. MRTI Insider Rob Howden goes solo with this Breakdown show, detailing the on-track action at the season's only trip north of the border. Rob discusses some of the chaos that characterized the event, as well as some of the behind-the-scenes storylines that make the MRTI so intriguing. Make sure to subscribe to the Road to Indy Insider Podcast on iTunes so that you don't miss an episode.
Ahead of what we expect to be an epic battle on the Streets of Toronto, the MRTI Insider Rob Howden delves deep into the paddock and the USF2000, Pro Mazda and Indy Lights line-ups to discuss this weekends' events, the season, the title battles and the future prospects of the competitors. In this late Thursday recording, Rob runs with some tangent thinking on a few drivers and the sport itself. Motorsport, and the MRTI, is anything but boring.
The Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires hit the fast 7/8-mile Iowa Speedway in early July, providing the Indy Lights drivers with their second oval race of the year. Andretti Autosport's Pato O'Ward came away with the win, and MotorsportsTribune.com's Joey Barnes joined Rob on this edition of 'The Breakdown' to discuss the Mazda Iowa 100 and the drivers, ahead of a quick preview look at the Honda Indy Toronto.
After an exciting and enjoyable week at 'America's National Park of Speed', the MRTI Insider Rob Howden is joined by MotorsportTribune.com's Chris DeHarde to breakdown the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tire events at Road America.
The 'MRTI Insider' Rob Howden previews this weekend's Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires event at Road America, discussing new drivers, team staffing changes, and the championship battles. Rob also provides his insight on who to watch in Elkhart Lake in all three MRTI series - USF2000, Pro Mazda and Indy Lights.
For my first post-race 'review' podcast, I invited respected journalist Tony DiZinno from Trackside Online and TSOLadder.com to join me to discuss the Freedom events from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Lucas Oil Raceway. We delve into the events, discussing the highlights and our thoughts on each race.
Kyle Kirkwood has arrived on the MRTI scene with Cape Motorsports in USF2000 as the 2017 F4 US Championship title winner, and the highly-rated American karting graduate sits down to talk with MRTI Insider Rob Howden about the start of the 2018, his transition from karts to cars, and what he looks forward to for the remainder of the season.
We take an opportunity to connect with recent Pro Mazda Championship race winner Parker Thompson from Exclusive Autosport and discuss his karting career, his initial years in USF2000, his developing relationship with Michael and Kimberly Duncalfe from EA, and his dedication to his career.
In what was initially intended to be the first episode of our new Road to Indy Insider Podcast, Rob Howden chatted with Team Pelfrey Pro Mazda driver Sting Ray Robb in early April to discuss his karting career and his journey into the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires.
MRTI Insider Rob Howden reviews the opening round of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires in St. Petersburg, and previews this weekend's event at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama