INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Andretti Global announced today that junior development driver Oliver Wheldon will compete with VRD Racing in the 2025 USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire Championship. Andretti Global partners Gainbridge® and Group 1001 will once again proudly support the younger Wheldon’s career, with both his firesuit and car livery matching those of Andretti INDYCAR driver Colton Herta’s, further showcasing the Gainbridge family of athletes.
Oliver, son of the late, two-time Indianapolis 500 Champion Dan Wheldon, makes the move up to USF Juniors after his 2024 Skip Barber Formula Racing Series championship-winning campaign earned him a $100,000 scholarship to compete in a USF-sanctioned series. The Wheldon brothers, Oliver and Sebastian, have etched their names in the Skip Barber Racing Series history books with back-to-back Championship titles in 2023 (Sebastian) and 2024 (Oliver).
The 2024 Skip Barber Racing Series season saw Oliver secure the Championship title with 11 podiums and nine wins, including an impressive six-consecutive victory streak. Before joining the Skip Barber Racing Series, Wheldon had a successful start in karting that saw him score championship titles in the SKUSA Winter Series (2020, 2022) and the Rok Cup FWT (2020, 2021). Most recently, Oliver competed in the YACademy Winter Series, where he notably landed on the podium in two out of the three races at Homestead-Miami Speedway’s season-opener.
Along with older brother Sebastian, Oliver was named a junior driver in Andretti Global’s driver development program in 2023. Since joining the team, the Wheldon brothers have received oversight and career guidance from the Indianapolis-based team where their father Dan recorded his first Indianapolis 500 victory 20 years ago.
VRD Racing, led by Team Owner Dan Mitchell and Team Manager Jacob Loomis, will spearhead Wheldon’s 2025 USF Juniors program. The industry-leading junior formula car racing team based out of Atlanta Motorsports Park has a long history of helping young talent climb the ladder to motorsport success.
Wheldon will make his USF Juniors debut today as the 2025 season kicks off at NOLA Motorsports Park with two test sessions ahead of the full triple-header race weekend.
J-F THORMANN, HEAD OF DRIVER DEVELOPMENT, TWG MOTORSPORTS
“We’re so proud to announce Oliver’s move into the USF Juniors Championship for the upcoming season, especially after his Championship run last season in Skip Barber and so close to the 20th anniversary of his dad’s 2005 Indianapolis 500 win with us. It’s been extremely rewarding watching Oliver grow from his karting days to where he is now in his open-wheel racing journey. We’re looking forward to continuing to support and guide Oliver as he continues to progress in his career.”
OLIVER WHELDON, ANDRETTI DEVELOPMENT DRIVER, VRD RACING
“I’m super excited to be with VRD for the 2025 season. They are an incredible team with lots of experience. Having the support of Gainbridge and Andretti Global means so much to me, and I’m proud to carry on the livery my older brother Sebastian drove last year. Pre-season testing went really well, and I can’t wait to get in the car at NOLA and fight for the win.”
DAN MITCHELL, TEAM OWNER, VRD RACING
“It’s great to have Oliver complete our USF Juniors roster for 2025. He’s shown great promise and a huge amount of maturity, considering he’s just turned 14 years old. We aim to hit the ground running with him and expect him to be fighting at the sharp end right away.”