Maddie Colleran starts USF Juniors season with top-15 in Homestead Miami
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Maddie Colleran kicked off her sophomore USF Juniors campaign at Homestead-Miami Speedway by finishing twice in the top-15, showcasing improved pace and good racecraft to navigate the midfield action.
The 2026 USF Juniors season kicked off at Homestead-Miami Speedway, marking the opening round of the championship that forms the first step of the Road to Indy ladder. Maddie Colleran entered the weekend as the only female driver on the grid and began her second season in the series with Zanella Racing determined to build on the steady progress shown during her rookie campaign.
In 2025, Colleran demonstrated clear development across the year, securing five top-15 finishes and delivering her strongest performances in the latter stages of the season, including a personal-best result of 13th at the Portland finale. With Homestead absent from last year’s calendar, preparation was key: just one week prior to the championship opener, Colleran competed in the YACademy Winter Series at the same venue to maximize track time and accelerate her adaptation to the Florida circuit.
“Having the chance to race in Homestead during the Winter Series was huge for me,” explained Colleran. “Homestead is a tough track, but I feel like I learned a lot and really started to understand what it takes to be quick here.”
Colleran qualified 21st for the opening race, posting a best lap of 1:24.580 and a near-identical second-best effort of 1:24.590, which confirmed her grid position in a tightly packed field.
The rolling start saw the entire field navigate Turn 1 cleanly, though the pack remained tightly compressed. Chaos erupted on lap two when Medeiros, Mrak, Chaparro and Berg were involved in contact at the first corner. Colleran reacted swiftly, making her way through the incident to gain three positions and move up to 18th before the pace car was deployed.
Following the restart with 31 minutes remaining, she briefly slipped behind recovering drivers Medeiros and Mrak, settling into 19th. Further incidents ahead, including damage for Perez and trouble for Cranston, allowed Colleran to regain 18th. Showing composure amid continued friction throughout the midfield, she capitalized again by overtaking Narola and climbing to 16th while several competitors ran wide into the grass.
Lapping consistently in the 1:26s and then improving to a personal best of 1:25.4, Colleran stayed within striking distance of the group ahead. Mrak’s recovery charge ended in another spin after contact, and frontrunner Couto also encountered difficulties, reshuffling the order once more. By lap 13, Colleran was running 16th when a second caution neutralized the race.
With 13 minutes remaining, the restart created another tightly packed battle. She advanced to 15th, but as drivers who had previously suffered setbacks rejoined contention, positions changed rapidly. Couto and Cranston moved ahead, and further contact between other cars forced evasive action. Colleran navigated the chaos cleanly but dropped to 17th before fighting back.
On the final lap, she mounted a determined attack on Narola, gaining six tenths of a second on the penultimate lap alone and lapping within a tenth of her personal best. Despite the late charge, she narrowly missed out on a top-15 result, crossing the line 16th in a positive opening race defined by good racecraft and awareness.
Wednesday’s second qualifying session marked a step forward; Colleran delivered a much stronger performance, setting the 18th fastest time with a 1:24.124, in a notable improvement in outright pace.
Starting 19th, she slotted into 20th after the opening exchanges while avoiding early trouble that sidelined Cooley with a broken front wing. As positions shifted rapidly ahead, with Cuthbert and Main losing ground, Colleran seized the opportunity to advance, applying pressure to Chaparro and following him past Narola to move into 18th.
Maintaining a clean drive as Berg and Aspley ran off track, Colleran climbed to 15th on lap six with a decisive pass on Aryan Narola. Her pace stabilized in the mid-1:25s before dipping under the 1:25 barrier, showcasing improved consistency. Though Grant Mitchell remained over four seconds ahead, Colleran focused on consolidating her position, steadily extending her margin to the cars behind.
With multiple laps in the 1:24s, and despite recovery attempts from Berg and Main, she managed the gap effectively. In a largely uninterrupted and green-flag run to the finish, Colleran secured 15th place, in a deserved reward for her clean approach.
For the final race of the weekend, Colleran lined up 18th. The opening lap saw the field remain extremely compressed, with every car separated by mere tenths. She initially slipped to 21st but remained firmly attached to the train.
Aspley ran wide into the grass, allowing Colleran to gain a position, and by lap six she executed another pass on Narola to move into 19th. Shortly after, Chaparro encountered trouble and debris on track triggered a caution, with Colleran running 18th at the neutralization.
Racing resumed on lap 11, and a slow getaway from the leader caused the entire field to concertina. Colleran capitalized immediately, overtaking Mitchell and Oselka to surge into 15th. Meanwhile, dramatic battles unfolded at the front: Serravalle spun after contact, and Machado-Perez suffered front-wing damage, while Vignola and Oselka also tangled in further midfield incidents.
Once again, Colleran navigated the chaos without damage, holding 15th by lap 15. Although Aatola later found a way through, Colleran maintained competitive pace in the 1:25.1 range and built a small buffer to Narola behind. She crossed the finish line 16th but was subsequently promoted to 15th.
Ahead, the race concluded in spectacular fashion as Mokarem edged Pasiewicz by just 0.009 seconds in a thrilling sprint to the line.
“I am really happy with the progress we made this week, but of course, I want to be further up on the results sheets,” Colleran said. “The test day helped us understand the car better, and each race we were able to improve and stay consistent. There is still more speed to find, but we are moving in the right direction and building a strong foundation for the rest of the season.”
Across the three races, Colleran secured finishes of 16th, 15th, and 15th, collecting 17 championship points from the opening round. More importantly, she demonstrated hallmark traits that have defined her development: consistency, clean racecraft, and the ability to capitalize on opportunities while avoiding incidents.
The 2026 USF Juniors season continues at Carolina Motorsports Park on April 17-19.