The USPKS is entering its 14th season as a premier destination for both domestic and international karting competitors. The past 13 seasons have established the USPKS’s reputation as a series rooted in fairness, community, and communication with its competitors. These values will continue to guide the organization in 2026 and the years to come. Thank you to the thousands of drivers, parents, mechanics, family members, and team owners that have attended a USPKS event. We always welcome your feedback as the series continues to evolve to suit the needs of our competitors.

The United States Pro Kart Series (USPKS) is proud to be visiting a number of top-class facilities throughout the 2026 season in addition to implementing an array of changes across the program.

2026 United States Pro Kart Series Schedule

Carolina Grand Prix

April 10-12, 2026: Trackhouse Motorplex – Mooresville, North Carolina

Indiana Grand Prix

June 26-28, 2026: New Castle Motorsports Park – New Castle, Indiana

Cincinnati Grand Prix

August 7-9, 2026: Motorsports Country Club of Cincinnati – Batavia, Ohio

Lake Erie Grand Prix

September 25-27, 2026: Lorain Ohio Kartplex – Lorain, Ohio

Superheat Format

As seen at the IAME Grand National Championship and a multitude of European events, the USPKS will now employ a superheat format. The existing five lap qualifying format will remain the same, though it will now set the grid for only two heats rather than the previous three. What was previously the third heat will now be run as a superheat, with the grid set by heats one and two. The superheat will have a greater number of laps than a typical heat and earn greater championship points (details to come prior to the season). Final event grid calculations will now place a 25% weight on each of the first two heats and 50% on the superheat.

Return of Pro Shifter, Addition of Shifter Master

The USPKS has long recognized the role shifter karting has played in the history of our sport in the United States. After hosting Pro Shifter in 2022, there was not enough support at the 2023 season opener to run the class that year. The USPKS has spent the time since listening to its competitors and has made some adjustments that will hopefully allow the class to flourish with the series moving forward. Our partnership with Kart Chaser has been and will continue to increase in scale, providing greater exposure to teams and manufacturers fielding entries in the class. To help ease the process of fielding drivers in Pro Shifter, the USPKS has also made significant adjustments to its prize structure which are covered later in this press release. Teams, drivers, and manufacturers are welcomed to communicate with the USPKS in the build-up to the 2026 season regarding the return of gearbox categories as we seek to offer an elite level playing field upon which to compete.

Super Master Classes Introduced

For the first time in USPKS history, there will be an age 45+ super master option available in both KA and Shifter. These drivers will compete on track together as one run group with the existing master class. Super master drivers will be scored both as a separate group as well as collectively with master. The newly formed classes will hold their own podium celebration while still being eligible to podium in the “overall” master class. Event and championship prizes will be issued to the class as a whole, with master and super master drivers combined.

Camera System Evolution

While we won’t bore you with the specifics, we would like to keep our competitors up-to-date on the evolution of our video marshalling system. After its inaugural event at the 2025 Carolina GP, the system has rapidly become an integral part of the USPKS officiating ecosystem. During the 2025 season, many changes in both hardware and procedure were tested as the system quickly leapt out of its infancy. The team quickly hit its stride in terms of leveraging the technology, greatly enhancing the accuracy and reliability with which penalties were issued. The lessons taken onboard during the 2025 have led to a $60,000 capital expenditure towards system upgrades that will allow the USPKS officiating team to offer even greater accuracy and efficiency to its competitors through the use of the video marshalling process.

Revisions to the Pro Event Payout

During the 2025 season the USPKS trialled a 100% payback prize structure for X30 Pro at multiple rounds. After discussion with teams and competitors, the series has decided it would provide greater value to rebalance the event/championship prize packages in a way that still provides generous weekend payouts while greatly enhancing the year-end championship prizes. For 2026, the top five finishers from the main event in both Pro Shifter and X30 Pro will receive an equal payout each weekend. The structure will be as follows:

1st: $3,500
2nd: $1,750
3rd: $1,000
4th: $500
5th: $250

The payout will be conditional upon a class reaching 25 entries at that particular event. Half of the payout will be disbursed if the class reaches 20 entries.

New Championship Prize Package Structure

Prize packages across the sport have elevated in recent years, thanks in large part to our media partners. The USPKS seeks to offer value as a championship to competitors in every class, from Pro to Micro Swift. As part of our ongoing efforts to give back to our competitors, we are proud to announce a vast expansion of our winner’s circle program for 2026 and beyond. This will feature season entries for the following season offered to the top 8 drivers in both Pro championships (X30 Pro & Pro Shifter). KA100 Senior will see a cash payout made to the top three in the championship for the first time, with the top 5 receiving winner’s circle benefits for the following season. All other classes will now see the winner’s circle offered as a standard prize for the top three in championship points.

This is in addition to previously offered prizes such as IAME Grand National tickets, IAME motor packages, and cash prizes (which will also be expanded). As it was in 2025, the USPKS will run four races with the best three of four rounds counting towards the championship. To be eligible to receive championship prizes, a driver must compete in all four rounds. The points structure will be largely similar to 2025, with revisions to be released prior to the season that compensate for the addition of the superheat. Below is the full summary of the 2026 championship prize package:

Cash Payout Classes (KA100 Sr, Pro Shifter, & X30 Pro): Cash awards are only possible if competitors support the class throughout the year. Class payout will be dependent upon the following conditions:

• Full Payout: A season average of 20 or more entries is required to trigger the 100% cash purse.

• Half Payout: A season average of 15 to 19 entries will result in a 50% payout of the posted cash amounts.

• No Payout: In the event a class averages fewer than 12 entries, championship trophies and Winner’s Circle benefits will be awarded, but the cash purse & IGN entries will be forfeited.

Semi-Pro & Shifter Master Classes: IAME/MG Prizes are available for all Semi-Pro classes that average 12 or more entries. The winner’s circle prizes are guaranteed for all classes that contest the entire season.

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