On Friday at Firebird Raceway in Arizona, three young drivers of the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National presented by Mazda race series will compete in a shootout for a pair of the prestigious Team USA Scholarships to race in the final Formula Ford events in England in October and November. Sophomore Ashley Freiberg and rookies and MAZDASPEED Development drivers Spencer Pigot and Felix Serralles are three of eight nominees who will follow in the footsteps of past nominees and former Skip Barber racers AJ Allmendinger, Bryan Herta, Memo Gidley, Josef Newgarden, Conor Daly, Brett Smrz and more.

The 2010 nominees are:

  • Neil Alberico, 17, from Los Gatos, Calif. – winner of the 2009-2010 Bondurant Championship Race Series
  • Ashley Freiberg, 18, from Homer Glen, Ill. – earlier this year became the first female ever to win a Skip Barber Racing Series title, clinching the Southern Regional crown, and the first to win a round of the Skip Barber National
  • Patrick Gallagher, 17, from Thornville, Ohio – standout in SCCA Formula 5 and Formula E competition
  • Miles Maroney, 16, from Topanga Canyon, Calif. – currently second and top rookie in the Pacific F2000 Series
  • Arie Ouimet, 19, from Plymouth, Mass. – currently second in the VW Jetta TDI Cup with two podium finishes
  • Spencer Pigot, 16, from Windermere, Fla. – MAZDASPEED Development Driver, current leader of the BFGoodrich Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda Series with two wins, nine podium finishes and four poles from 10 races
  • Jonathan Scarallo, 18, from Hauppauge, N.Y. – recently claimed his first win in the F2000 Championship Series
  • Felix Serralles, 17, from Haines City, Fla. – MAZDASPEED Development Driver, currently third in the Skip Barber National Series point standings.

Pigot is currently leading the points in the 2010 season of BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National presented by Mazda. With four poles, two wins and 11 top-five finishes in 12 races, the Windermere, Fla., driver holds a 20-point advantage for the lead and also leads the rookie standings by 45 points over Serralles who currently resides third in the championship. Freiberg recently became the first woman to win a Skip Barber National event, and stands fifth in the championship with seven top-10 finishes.