2017 U.S. F2000 National Championship
The 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda will be the eighth season – since its revival in 2010 – of the U.S. F2000 National Championship, an open wheel auto racing series that is the first step in INDYCAR's Road to Indy ladder, operated by Andersen Promotions. A 14-race schedule was announced on September 14, 2016.
The 2017 season will see the introduction of the Tatuus USF-17 car for the Championship class. SCCA Formula Continental chassis were slated to compete in National Class, but after the first weekend there were no race entries in that class and it was abandoned.
2016 Mazda Road to Indy Shootout champion Oliver Askew of Cape Motorsports came out strong, winning five of the first six races. However, he faltered at the Road America round and Dutch driver Rinus Veekay won both races there, opening the door to a tighter championship fight. Askew won two more races down the stretch while Veekay won only one more, the final race at Watkins Glen International, where Askew finished second, good enough to claim the championship. Canadian Parker Thompson won three races in the second half of the season and finished third in points. Robert Megennis won the season's first race at St. Petersburg and was the only other driver to win a race. He finished sixth in points, as he did not finish on the podium again the rest of the season.
Drivers and teams
Race calendar and results
Rnd | Circuit | Location | Date | Pole position | Fastest lap | Most laps led | Winning driver | Winning team |
1 | Streets of St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg, Florida | March 11 | Robert Megennis | Oliver Askew | Robert Megennis | Robert Megennis | Team Pelfrey |
2 | Streets of St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg, Florida | March 12 | Parker Thompson | Oliver Askew | Oliver Askew | Oliver Askew | Cape Motorsports |
3 | Indy Grand Prix of Alabama | Birmingham, Alabama | April 21 | Oliver Askew | Kaylen Frederick | Oliver Askew | Oliver Askew | Cape Motorsports |
4 | Indy Grand Prix of Alabama | Birmingham, Alabama | April 22 | Oliver Askew | Kaylen Frederick | Oliver Askew | Oliver Askew | Cape Motorsports |
5 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course | Speedway, Indiana | May 12 | Oliver Askew | Oliver Askew | Oliver Askew | Oliver Askew | Cape Motorsports |
6 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course | Speedway, Indiana | May 13 | Oliver Askew | Oliver Askew | Oliver Askew | Oliver Askew | Cape Motorsports |
7 | Grand Prix of Road America | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin | June 23 | David Malukas | Oliver Askew | Rinus VeeKay | Rinus VeeKay | Pabst Racing Services |
8 | Grand Prix of Road America | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin | June 24 | Rinus VeeKay | Calvin Ming | Rinus VeeKay | Rinus VeeKay | Pabst Racing Services |
9 | Iowa Speedway | Newton, Iowa | July 9 | Oliver Askew | Oliver Askew | Oliver Askew | Oliver Askew | Cape Motorsports |
10 | Grand Prix of Toronto | Toronto, Canada | July 16 | Parker Thompson | Rinus VeeKay | Parker Thompson | Parker Thompson | Exclusive Autosport |
11 | Grand Prix of Toronto | Toronto, Canada | July 17 | Oliver Askew | Rinus VeeKay | Parker Thompson | Parker Thompson | Exclusive Autosport |
12 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio | July 28 | Oliver Askew | Oliver Askew | Oliver Askew | Oliver Askew | Cape Motorsports |
13 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio | July 29 | Parker Thompson | Parker Thompson | Parker Thompson | Parker Thompson | Exclusive Autosport |
14 | Watkins Glen International | Watkins Glen, New York | September 2 | Oliver Askew | Rinus VeeKay | Rinus VeeKay | Rinus VeeKay | Pabst Racing Services |