MILLVILLE, NJ (October 2, 2025) – PT Autosport today announced the eight Aspiring Driver Shootout finalists who will compete at New Jersey Motorsport Park in early November, with the winner earning financial support of up to $250,000 ($50,000 guaranteed) to pursue their racing career.
The team received applications from aspiring drivers from across the globe, including two continents, three countries, and 32 different American states. Applications came from a diverse base of gender, ethnicities, education levels and social backgrounds – including students and graduates from 74 different universities.
Of the eight selected candidates, only one (Liam Crystal) is returning from the 2024 Shootout.
PT Autosport team principal Jason Myers emphasizes the team’s expectations of the eventual winner – and essentially, to the top three finishers alike – in regards to their level of commitment and coachability as they progress.
“We are really looking forward to getting this year’s crop of aspiring drivers to NJMP,” said Myers. “This is likely the most diverse group since our inaugural shootout in 2023. The stakes are higher than ever, with each of the drivers understanding what we require in terms of commitment, development potential, and overall attitude as they learn to be professional racing drivers. We’ve also got a new car for our Shootout participants this year with the Ginetta G56 GTA, which highlights our continued partnership with Ginetta Cars UK. We’ve also got some great partners on board now, with OMP Racing USA providing prizes for the top three finishers, as well as Motul providing all fluids and lubricants for the racecars. It’s going to be an exciting, stressful two days for everyone involved.”
The Shootout will take place November 3-5 at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The candidates will undergo an extensive series of examinations to decide the winner, including media, driving (including sim work) and fitness testing on the first day, then a full day of driving – with the evaluation process taking place throughout the day. PT Autosport co-founder, lead driver and development head Alex Sedgwick will lead the team evaluating all aspects of the finalists’ performance – both on and off the racetrack.
“Everything is important – fitness, sim work, media ability,” said Sedgwick. “But the “make or break” it is simple: how well can they drive a race car. It’s not just about speed, and how fast they are, but do they understand the sport, do they understand their role in this program, and are they willing to do what it takes to make a career at this. Are they able to develop, are they able to give feedback, can they progress and build, learning from our judges and coaches but also self-assessing and developing on their own? Will they take the initiative to ask and to figure out how to get better? Ultimately, PT Autosport will be committing to putting the winner into a race car so those are the key questions that need to be answered at the Shootout.”
PT Autosport is dedicated to increasing the presence of junior drivers in the motorsports industry that come from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Paramount to this mission is creating career development opportunities and forming an educational, competitive, and supportive environment for all team members, allowing them to grow and learn.
Luis Beilicke (PT eSports Winner)
Age: 21
From: Kalmar, Sweden and Graben-Neudorf, Germany
Experience: Races with the Coanda Esports sim racing team – rated in the top 0.1% on iRacing, karting, ADAC car slalom, 2024 Racing Prodigy winner
Hobbies: iRacing, volleyball, billiards, running, chess
Liam Crystal
Age: 23
From: resides in Tempe, Arizona, carries Brazilian and South African citizenship
Experience: after an extensive karting career, tested Porsche GT3 Cup and junior formula cars, finished second in the 2024 PT Autosport Aspiring Driver Shootout. Has raced in the UAE, Europe, and South Africa
Hobbies: traveling, trying new foods and activities, keeping fit in the gym and running outdoors
Joziah Johns
Age: 23
From: Wilmington, California
Experience: A former elite Olympic weightlifter, he represented Team USA from ages 15 to 18 at the Pan Am Games, the World Championships, and multiple national competitions. He now coaches weightlifters as he pursues his racing dream.
Connor Henry
Age: 22
From: Doerun, Georgia
Experience: Holds an SCCA novice permit, attended Road Atlanta’s three-day F4 racing school, and has raced circle dirt track
Hobbies: Media creation, working on my business, iRacing
Dillon Houcke
Age: 20
From: Eagle, Idaho
Experience: Van Prix United Rallycross, off-road performance driving
Hobbies: Building SEMA cars (competed in the 2024 SEMA Battle of the Builders), creative video production, off-roading and overlanding
Hayden Kasmen
Age: 18
From: Atlanta, Georgia
Experience: Karting, SCCA Spec Miata and Spec MX-5, Lucky Dog and Champ Car endurance racing, Radical SR-1 AMP Club Series.
Hobbies: Pickleball, iRacing, traveling, watching UFC
Riley Stasny
Age: 22
From: Chesterton, Indiana
Experience: Senior class karting, sim racing, indoor karting, R/C car racing
Hobbies: Sim racing, snowboarding, wake boarding, playing guitar and hiking with my dog.
CJ Tackman
Age: 22
From: Plano, Texas
Experience: Karting, rallycross, autocross, HPDE
Hobbies: Sim racing, skateboarding, exploring, building LEGO cars
Contact: Diane Swintal
diane@sundaymanagement.com
PT Autosport would like to thank all our Partners for their continued support:
Momentum Brewery, founded in NY in 2023, is at the forefront of premium craft brewing for non-alcoholic beer, with their groundbreaking German-engineered “Genius Yeast” process naturally limiting alcohol content to below 0.5% ABV while preserving the authentic craft beer experience. The brewery will debut Race Brew, a new 0.0% ABV beer, in October.
Instagram: @momentumbrew
STEM Racing USA & Canada was developed to introduce students to STEM subjects in the most engaging way possible – through the creation of a miniature F1 car – STEM RACING (Formerly F1 in Schools) is an educational project designed for teachers, informed by engineers, and endorsed by F1. PT Autosport will provide travel assistance for the second and third place finishers in the National Championship to help the teams attend this season’s Aramco STEM Racing World Finals.
Instagram: @stemracingusa
X: @stemracingusa
Facebook: STEM Racing USA & Canada
New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) is a 500-acre multi-purpose event and entertainment destination located in Millville, NJ. The park includes two world-class road courses, Thunderbolt and Lightning Raceway, two motorsports country club membership programs for cars and motorcycles, and one of the top outdoor karting complexes in the U.S. – Tempest Raceway. PT Autosport is proud to support NJMP’s Drivers Club, with specialized driver training programs and coaching.
Instagram: @
X: @NJMP
Facebook: @
About PT Autosport — Discover Unique Talent. Develop Champions.
PT Autosport is dedicated to providing merit-based motorsport industry opportunities for diverse individuals with high integrity, grit, and coach-ability, achieved through a development program for young aspiring drivers, engineers, mechanics, and other professionals. The first step of this process is applying for the annual Aspiring Driver Shootout , in which aspiring drivers aged 18-23 can compete for a team racing partnership with the team.
A rigorous evaluation process of applicants determines the final competitors for the driver shootout. The winner earns financial support of up to $250,000 ($50,000 guaranteed) to pursue their racing career. The review process also provides the team the chance to identify unique talent for other roles in motorsport, including race engineers, mechanics, and professionals.
PT Autosport is building a community that fosters the development of young talent to find a place where they can make an impact in the motorsport community as a career.
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X: @PtAutosport
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