Experience gained from rookie season to pay off for Ohio racer
ORLANDO, FL – Zanella Racing is pleased to confirm its first driver for the 2026 USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire season. After a strong rookie campaign in the USF Juniors program that was focused on development, 16-year-old Maddie Colleran will be back for her sophomore season on the first step of the USF Pro ladder. The Hunting Valley, Ohio driver improved steadily over the course of the 2025 season with a focus on building pace and finishing races. Colleran was the only driver in the USF Juniors program to complete all 248 laps of racing, and she continued to record improved finishes all season long. Next year’s focus will target top-10 results as she leverages all that she learned in the past year.
“Maddie’s first season with us in USF Juniors has honestly been incredible,” enthused Naka Zanella, Zanella Racing Team Owner. “She’s competitive, disciplined, and one of the hardest-working drivers I’ve ever seen. Even though she started later than most and didn’t have much experience, she caught on fast and found pace within just a few months. Her progress and determination have been amazing to watch and she is a huge part of our team. She’s also a true inspiration to women in motorsports, proving what’s possible with heart and hard work. We’re really excited to see what she can do in the 2026 season.”
After spending two years in kart racing, Colleran took her first laps in a formula car participating in the Lucas Oil School of Racing. Through the school’s training course and lapping days at tracks like Mid-Ohio and Sebring, she developed her foundation of knowledge. She then elected to step to the next phase with Zanella Racing, running in both the Formula FARA and USF Juniors programs in 2025. Over the year, she steadily improved and the second half of her USF Juniors experience delivered significantly improved results. Colleran earned 50% more points in the second half of the season than she earned in the first eight races. The momentum and upward trajectory is certainly impressive.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to represent Zanella Racing as we head into 2026,” Colleran said. “It’s an honor to be part of such a passionate and dedicated team, and I look forward to giving my all on and off the track. I’m really excited to be starting the season at Homestead because it’s the track I’ve been to the most and at which I’m quickest, but Road America will also be very exciting since it’s the last race in the season and the racing is very close. Looking back on the recent YACademy Winter Series test there, we showed strong pace and I’m very excited to race there again. Honestly, I’m just excited to get back to racing.”
“I was incredibly impressed by Maddie all year in her freshman season in USF Juniors,” added Rob Howden, the USF Pro Championships commentator and Series Development Director. “She set a goal for herself to finish races, and this paid off as she continued to get quicker and quicker all season. I was particularly impressed by her qualifying pace at Road America in August, when she timed in 13th. I’m excited to see her take another step in her career in 2026 and I expect her to fight for top-10s.”
Zanella Racing is currently focused on its off-season testing program and is planning to run as many as eight cars in USF Juniors in 2026 to pair with their debut in the USF2000 program. The team has one USF2000 seat available. The team will be announcing additional drivers before the end of the year.
The first three rounds of the 2026 USF Juniors schedule will be part of the official USF Pro Championships ‘Spring Training’ event at Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 16-18, 2026. All of the events will be streamed live on the USF Pro Championships YouTube channel.