Dawsonville, GA – VRD Racing is excited to announce that Nikita Johnson will return with them for a full-time championship assault in USF Pro 2000 for the 2024 season. This advancement is a testament to Johnson's exceptional talent and VRD's commitment to nurturing young talent.
Johnson makes this step following a successful 2023 season which saw the Floridian driver become the youngest ever USF2000 winner in St Petersburg and then again, the youngest in USF Pro 2000 at COTA. He is the first driver to win at each of the three levels of the USF Pro Championships and first to podium in two different classes in Portland. Johnson is eager to significantly impact the field with VRD’s philosophy of pushing the limit and excellence.
VRD Racing’s Dan Mitchell said: "To have the opportunity to run Nikita Johnson full time in USF Pro 2000 in 2024 is just one opportunity we couldn't turn down. To prepare, we had a go at it for the final two 2023 rounds in COTA and Portland, and by all standards it went exceptionally well.”
Mitchell referenced the success at the end of 2023 where Johnson and VRD took two wins and four podiums in the final five races. Mitchell continued: "I strongly believe we have the tools to give Nikita a race-winning car on a continuous basis and that together we will contend for the 2024 USF Pro 2000 title.”
Nikita has been taking part in an off-season test program with the VRD Racing GB3 team and will be coming into 2024 with a huge amount of momentum.
"Nikita's step up to USF Pro 2000 represents an exciting new challenge where he and VRD aim to leverage their experience and skills gained from the final two rounds in 2023,” says his father, Obie. “I have entrusted Nikita’s driver development with VRD since Dan formed the Academy, and Nikita has grown at each successive level beyond his years.”
USF Pro 2000 is the final rung of the ladder for Dan Andersen's highly regarded USF Pro Championships. Johnson has had two full seasons under his belt in both USF Juniors and USF2000, finishing third in USF Juniors and second in USF2000. The USF Pro 2000 championship starts again in Johnson’s hometown of St. Petersburg, Fla., March 8-10.