Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda driver Braden Eves of Gahanna, Ohio, was nominated as a 2018 Team USA Scholarship candidate. In the first stage of the selection process, Eves, along with nine additional candidates two of whom are former F4 U.S. competitors, will undergo a series of interviews conducted before a panel of seasoned auto racing professionals this weekend during the Honda Indy 200 Verizon IndyCar Series event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
Ultimately, two winners will follow in the footsteps of a long line of accomplished professional drivers – headed by Jimmy Vasser and Bryan Herta who claimed the first two scholarships in 1990 and 1991, respectively – by gaining an opportunity to take part in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone later this year.
"I am thrilled to be selected as one of the nominees for this year's Team USA scholarship selection process," said Eves. "This season the drivers come from various racing disciplines. The esteemed panel of judges are going to have a hard time making a decision. It is an honor just to be nominated."
The 2017 F4 U.S. National Champion Kyle Kirkwood received one of two Team USA Scholarships in 2016, granting him entry into his first international race at the Formula Ford Festival in Brands Hatch, England, and the opportunity to compete for the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone. The F4 U.S. points leader finished in the top-10 in both events.
The first-round selection panel will include Pigot, Miller, Askew and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires race winner (and 2014 Team USA alum) Aaron Telitz; Chip Ganassi Racing Managing Director Mike Hull; Harding Racing VP Vince Kremer and Executive Consultant – and two-time Indy 500 winner – Al Unser Jr., Indy Lights team owner Brian Belardi; Cooper Tires Technical Consultant and five-time Indy 500 starter Johnny Unser; Mazda Motorsports’ Operations Manager Kyle Kimball; Mazda Road to Indy promoter Dan Andersen; American Honda Motorsports Manager T.E. McHale; Bell Racing USA Director of Motorsports Chris Wheeler; PitFit Training President Jim Leo; and RaceCraft1 Principal Kelly Jones.
The judges will be tasked initially with selecting six finalists who will be invited to attend a shootout in conjunction with the Lucas Oil School of Racing at a date and venue yet to be determined.
The Team USA Scholarship is one of the most successful and longest established driver development programs in the world. Nearly a quarter of the drivers in the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series (five out of 21 full-season campaigners: Charlie Kimball, JR Hildebrand, Josef Newgarden, Conor Daly and Spencer Pigot), plus IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship stand-outs Dane Cameron, Joel Miller, Joey Hand, Andy Lally and Bryan Sellers, along with IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Championship leader Trent Hindman, are all Team USA alumni.
This year’s Team USA Scholarship candidates are (with age, hometown and current racing affiliation):
• Dario Cangialosi, 18, Chester, N.J., F1600 Championship Series
• Jake Craig, 20, Mission Viejo, Calif., F1600 Formula Tour Championship (Canada)
• Courtney Crone, 17, Corona, Calif., Formula Car Challenge Presented by Goodyear
• Braden Eves, 19, New Albany, Ohio, F4 U.S. Championship powered by Honda
• Joey Essma, 21, Charlotte, N.C., F1600 Championship Series
• Nicky Hays, 16, Huntington Beach, Calif., SCCA Formula F
• Hunter McElrea, 18, Gold Coast, Qld., Australia, Australian Formula Ford Championship
• Colin Mullan, 16, Danville, Calif., IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge
• Tyler O’Connor, 21, New Hartford, Conn., F1600 Championship Series
• Simon Sikes, 17, Martinez, Ga., F2000 Championship Series
