Douglas Rejoins Pabst Racing for 2026 title challenge

Jacob Douglas will reunite with championship-winning outfit Pabst Racing for the 2026 USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Continental Tire.

Following a standout rookie campaign in 2025 that produced eight podiums from eighteen starts, including a breakthrough victory on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, Douglas finished fifth in the standings. He remained in contention for a top-three result until the season finale.

With six of his eight top-three finishes coming in the second half of the year, Douglas is aiming to start 2026 with the same momentum, with one ambition clearly in mind: a championship challenge.

“I’m really excited to continue with Pabst Racing in the upcoming year,” said the 20-year-old Kiwi.

“They’re a team who continue to set the benchmark high, and since joining their ranks in the 2023 USF 2000 Series, we’ve done nothing but continue to grow.

“This is a really big year for us, and we’re in it to win it. We showed we’ve got what it takes last season, time and time again, which has set the foundation for a massive 2026 campaign.

“I have full belief that we have what it takes.”

That belief is echoed by Pabst Racing owner Augie Pabst, who is looking forward to the Kiwi’s return to the United States for another title push.

“We are delighted to welcome Jacob back for the 2026 season,” he said.

“He is already a proven front-runner and race winner, and he is poised to contend for the championship throughout the year.”

Douglas’s 2026 campaign will mark his second season in USF Pro 2000, building on a breakout rookie year in which he was a key contributor to Pabst Racing securing the Teams’ Championship. He also earned the series ‘Move of the Year’ for a spectacular fourth-to-first overtake in a single corner at Road America.

His achievements in 2025 extended beyond the racetrack as well, with Douglas claiming both the Bruce McLaren Trophy and Ian Snellgrove Trophy as part of the Elite Motorsport Academy Class of 2024.

The 2026 season presents an entirely new calendar compared with Douglas’s rookie campaign, featuring several unfamiliar circuits and a second oval event, double the oval mileage he faced in 2025.

“I’ve taken a good look at the schedule, and it’s definitely a big shift from what I had as a rookie,” Douglas added.
“There are new tracks, new challenges, and that second oval added into the mix. I’m prepared to embrace all of it. That’s what excites me. I feel ready, and I’m confident we can adapt quickly and be strong everywhere we go.”

The year begins with testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 16–18 before the season-opening double-header on the Streets of Arlington on March 13–15.

Tests at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (IMS) and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course follow in April, ahead of a busy Month of May that includes a double-header at IMS (May 7–9), a test at the Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP) oval (May 19), and a one-off race at the same venue two days later.

June opens with testing at Road America (June 10–11), followed by a double-header at the famed Wisconsin track one week later and an additional test at the historic Milwaukee Mile oval on June 22.

A triple-header at Mid-Ohio (July 2–5) kicks off the second half of the season before the series heads west for two races at Portland International Raceway (August 6–9) and another double-header on the Streets of Markham (August 14–16). A one-off race at the Milwaukee Mile (August 29–30) leads into the season finale: a three-race showdown in a return to Road America on September 24-26.

Armed with experience, belief, and a hunger that runs deeper than ever, Douglas begins 2026 with a single promise: he will leave nothing on the table.