Photo: Gavin Baker Photography
Joey Brienza will spend a sixth year with Exclusive Autosport as he embarks on a sophomore USF Pro 2000 campaign in 2026.
The 21-year-old came 11th in the 2025 standings as a rookie, with sixth place his best result. He first raced for Exclusive in the 2021 F1600 Championship Series season. He came fourth in the standings, and fifth the year after.
Brienza switched to slicks-and-wings cars in 2022, doing three USF2000 races and finishing 10th in the third of those. That increased to five races in 2023, with 10th his best result again, then he did a full campaign in 2024 and topped the rookie classification by coming fifth in the standings with four podiums and a pole.
He doubled up in USF Juniors in 2023, which had a productive output of a win, two second places and three poles from the first three races but with only three further podiums slipped down to fifth in the points table.
“I’m very excited to announce that I am back with Exclusive Autosport for the 2026 USFP2000 season,” said Brienza.
“The team has become a family to me, and I am extremely grateful to [team co-owner] Michael Duncalfe and Josh Cooley for their continuous and unwavering support and the privilege to represent Exclusive Autosport.”
Duncalfe said “we are thrilled to have Joey back” and added: “It’s been incredibly rewarding to watch his growth both on and off the track. His work ethic, determination, and positive attitude make him an outstanding representative of our team, and we’re confident he’ll continue to build on the momentum he created last season.”
Stepping up to USFP2000 next year is G3 Argyros, who will be part of Pabst Racing’s line-up.
The 16-year-old came sixth in the YACademy Winter Series and seventh in USF Juniors (which uses the same cars) with Jay Howard Driver Development last year, claiming one podium in the former and three in the latter. He also contested a half-season in USF2000 with JHDD, and winning the year’s final race helped put him 17th in the standings.
For 2025 he joined Pabst to race in USF2000 full-time, and while he did not replicate his winning form he was super consistent and came fourth in the standings with four podiums.
“I’m extremely excited to take this next step with Pabst,” said Argyros of 2026. “Moving up to USFP2000 is a big challenge, but with the team’s support, I know we can fight at the front. The 2025 season gave me a great foundation. We were knocking on the door of wins and now the focus is on using that experience to go for a championship.”
He added that “the USFP2000 car has more power, which really suits my driving style” and “felt comfortable right away” when first sampled it in post-season testing.
“It allows you to take multiple lines and still exit the corners well, which will make the racing even better. Testing in the fall gave me a lot of confidence.”