In The Making: USF Pro Championships, Next Generation of Athletes

One. Week. Away.

We’re *thisclose* to the start of the 2023 season in Saint Petersburg, which means the adrenaline build is real — and who better to talk adrenaline than a pair of USF Pro Championships drivers and a professional bull rider?

Salvador de Alba, Elliot Cox and Mason Taylor jump on to talk about the thrills and skills that go into their sport, and after, USF Pro Championships series development director Rob Howden and RACER Magazine’s Marshall Pruett get a chance to preview the 2023 USF Pro Championships field, talking drivers to watch and storylines to keep an eye on.

"In The Making" is hosted by Emilee Smarr, a graduate of Clemson University in Sports Communication. Smarr is currently a journalist for The Palm Beach Post covering high school sports for Palm Beach County and South Florida.

Pushing through your comfort zone is already a key part of sports -- but what does that mean when you travel to another country in pursuit of your dreams?

In the USF Pro Championships, drivers come from all over the world to try and work their way up the American open-wheel ladder while in sports like soccer and basketball, trying to hone your craft in a different environment is the norm for both amateurs and professionals alike.

This week on In the Making we speak with TJ Speed Motorsport drivers Francesco Pizzi and Lirim Zendeli, both of whom are making their North American debut this season in USF Pro 2000, alongside Bryan Gilbert, defensive midfielder for Macclesfield FC Junior Academy in England. 

After in a one on one interview, 2022 USF Pro 2000 champion and British driver Louis Foster speaks on last year's success, expectations for this season in Indy NXT as part of Andretti Autosport, the difference between Europeon and American racing and more.

"In The Making" is hosted by Emilee Smarr, a graduate of Clemson University in Sports Communication. Smarr is currently a journalist for The Palm Beach Post covering high school sports for Palm Beach County and South Florida.

It doesn’t matter if it’s racing, rowing, football, skating or the shot-put, all athletes share one common goal — to get to the top of their sport. 

On today’s episode, we’ll be exploring the process of becoming a pro athlete today — wanting to be the best has always been there, but today, what goes into making that happen looks a lot different.  

This week's episode features a winner's circle of guests with three champions joining the show. 2022 USF Juniors Champion Mac Clark, 2022 USF2000 Champion Michael d'Orlando and 2022 Lucas Oil Formula Car Race Series Champion Jack Jeffers join for the roundtable discussion, and we close the show with a one-on-one interview with Augie Pabst, the team owner of Pabst Racing the 2022 USF2000 Team Champions.  

"In The Making" is hosted by Emilee Smarr, a graduate of Clemson University in Sports Communication. Smarr is currently a journalist for The Palm Beach Post covering high school sports for Palm Beach County and South Florida.

What does it take to prepare for high endurance competition? In the USF Pro Championships, it means getting ready to push through the pressure of a race weekend and maintaining a clear mental mindset even when falling short. For Carter Solomon, a conference title-winning cross-country athlete at the University of Notre Dame, it's hours and hours of work to make sure that he can hold up to the competition on race day.

On this week's episode, Carter joins Yuven Sundaramoorthy and Hunter McElrea for a roundtable conversation on what goes into training for competition that requires constant endurance. Afterwards, Sting Ray Robb joins for a one-on-one interview to talk his journey to IndyCar, what a successful 2023 looks like for him and, of course, the story behind his name.

"In The Making" is hosted by Emilee Smarr, a graduate of Clemson University in Sports Communication. Smarr is currently a journalist for The Palm Beach Post covering high school sports for Palm Beach County and South Florida.

It doesn’t matter if it’s racing, rowing, football, skating or the shot-put, all athletes share one common goal — to get to the top of their sport.

On today’s episode, we’ll be exploring the process of becoming a pro athlete today — wanting to be the best has always been there, but today, what goes into making that happen looks a lot different

This week’s guests include driver-turned-team owner Peter Dempsey of Turn 3 Motorsports, USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires drivers Lindsay Brewer of Exclusive Autosport and Myles Rowe of Pabst Racing with Force Indy, and Patrick Jolly, a defensive back for the Abilene Christian Wildcats, an intercollegiate American football team for Texas-based Abilene Christian University.

"In The Making" is hosted by Emilee Smarr, a graduate of Clemson University in Sports Communication. Smarr is currently a journalist for The Palm Beach Post covering high school sports for Palm Beach County and South Florida.

In the Making, a Pro Racing Group production in collaboration with the USF Pro Championships and Andersen Promotions, is a video podcast series showcasing up-and-coming athletes from all lanes with a common goal -- to reach the top of their sport.

Hear from drivers in the world's most successful open-wheel racing ladder system, the USF Pro Championships (USF Pro 2000, USF2000 and USF Juniors), as well as drivers from across racing and football, basketball, baseball, soccer, softball and Olympic-sport athletes as they detail their journey in making their dreams a reality.