Chambers, Havrda, Tan… IMSA unveils its 15 finalists for its 2027-2028 scholarship

The list of scholarship applicants IMSA Diverse Driver Development (3D) 2027-2028 has been narrowed down to 15 finalists. The winner, to be announced in the fall, will receive up to $300,000 in support to compete in one of the four IMSA championships in 2027.

The IMSA 3D scholarship aims to promote and support drivers from diverse backgrounds and experiences, enabling them to participate in these series. Selected finalists demonstrate a desire to race in one of these championships, possess strong competitive results and/or proven on-track potential in the junior categories, and have the ability to develop a compelling strategy to compete in a full season in one of these series.

• theIMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,

• theIMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge,

• theIMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge,

• or Mustang Challenge.

The scholarship includes financial assistance from IMSA and benefits from the support of a growing number of partners: Michelin, VP Racing Fuels, OMP, Bell, RAFA Racing Club and Lumen Digital Agency.

The finalists will now work on various modules developed by IMSA. Topics covered in previous editions included marketing, business development, personal branding, media training, nutrition, race day performance, and how to approach teams and represent a car manufacturer.

The final step for the finalists will be to submit a business plan by August 14th and secure a full-season drive with a team in one of the four participating IMSA series for the following season. This commitment may be conditional upon receiving the scholarship.

The 15 finalists for the IMSA 3D Fellowship 2027-2028 were selected from a pool of applicants who submitted their applications starting in January. The list includes eight men and seven women, four of whom were previous finalists.

Presented in alphabetical order, with their city of origin, here are the 2027-2028 finalists (* indicates a finalist from a previous year).

MADDIE AUST, 21 years old – Fort Worth (Texas)

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In 2025, Aust competed in his first season in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge driving the Hyundai The #9 Elantra N TCR of Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian, used as an "incubator" car for developing young Touring Car (TCR) talent, finished eighth in the championship, with a best result of fourth place in its debut at Daytona. In 2026, it will move to the team's #98 car alongside IMSA veteran and 2019 TCR champion Mark Wilkins.
In four years of competition, Aust also raced in SRO, GR Cup, F4, and club races. Off the track, she has competed in cheerleading, enjoys art, running, fitness, and racquetball, and is studying mechanical engineering.

GIAN BUFFOMANTE, 17 years old – Naperville (Illinois)

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Originally from Illinois, Buffomante had a solid 2025 season highlighted by his first start in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, a fourth place in the Trans Am championship and a FE2 class victory at the SCCA June Sprints held at Road America.
In recent years, he has gone from karting to different categories of the SCCA. He plans to study finance at university, plays golf on his high school team, and turned to auto racing after eight years of hockey.

ANDRE CASTRO, 27 years old – New York (New York)*

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A multiple finalist, Castro has varied experience in stock car racing, endurance racing and in carHe made his IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge debut at the 2026 season opener at Daytona with the #98 Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian, finishing fourth in Touring Car (TCR).
Castro has five NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series starts, the most recent being on the Chicago street circuit in 2025. In open-wheel racing, he has raced in the Skip Barber series. F2000, USF2000, F1600, Formula Ford, F4 US and USF Juniors. A graduate in economics, he won the Team USA Scholarship in 2021, which allowed him to race abroad in the Formula Ford Festival.

CHLOE CHAMBERS, 21 years old – Inverness (Illinois)

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Chambers combined business administration studies with a successful sports career, having participated in the F1 Academy for the past two seasons. She finished third in the 2025 championship with two wins and five podium finishes as part of the program Red Bull Ford Academy.
Prior to that, Chambers had won seven races in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and secured poles and wins in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship in 2023. She previously raced in W Series, WRL, F4 and karting.

SABER COOK, 31 years old – Carmel (Indiana)*

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Cook has extensive experience after competing in his third season in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America in 2025 and announcing his return with JDX Racing for 2026.
Regularly finishing in the top 10, her best result in 2025 was a seventh-place finish on three occasions in the Pro category. She also won races in the WRL, SCCA, and single-seaters after a successful karting career that culminated in a championship title.
She also qualified for the inaugural W Series season after progressing through the junior single-seater categories in North America. Cook holds a degree in mechanical engineering and has worked regularly as a commentator and driving instructor.

JULIAN DACOSTA, 18 years old – Myakka City (Florida)*

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A former finalist for this scholarship, DaCosta had many racing opportunities in 2025. He raced in Trans Am, finishing fifth in the championship, while also making appearances in WRL, Pro Late Models and ARCA Menards Series.
DaCosta also distinguished himself in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin. He began the 2026 season with a fifth-place finish at Daytona in the #95 BSI Racing car and had finished eighth in the championship during his rookie season in 2024, with a second-place finish as his best result.

ISMAEEL ELLAHI, 19 years old – Mountain Lakes (New Jersey)

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Ellahi comes from sim racing and competed in his first season of motorsport in 2025 after attending the Skip Barber F4 School. He quickly adapted to Porsche's GT4 cars, competing in both Europe and the United States in the GT4 Winter Series, GT4 European Series, and Porsche Sprint Challenge Deutschland.
He made a strong debut in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge in January, finishing second in the Grand Sport X (GSX) class in his first race at Daytona driving the No. 25 Czabok Simpson Motorsport (CSM) Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS.

HANNAH GRISHAM, 26 years old – Scottsdale (Arizona)

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Grisham, one of the "two Hannahs" of the Heart of Racing Team alongside her long-time teammate Hannah Greenemeier, will move up to the Grand Sport (GS) category of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge in 2026.
The duo began their season with an 11th place finish on a 35-car grid at Daytona, driving theAston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo #26.
Grisham also won her first Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America race in her class at Indianapolis in 2024. She gained solid endurance racing experience after progressing from karting to NASA, WRL, and SRO competitions, and also contested her first GT3 races. She won the Heart of Racing Team scholarship in 2022, which helped accelerate her career development.

NICOLE HAVRDA, 20 years old – Courtenay (British Columbia, Canada)

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The Canadian, now based in Cresson, Texas, will join the IMSA Airbnb network in 2026. Endurance Challenge with the Shopify Racing team powered by TWOth in Le Mans Prototype 3 (P3).
She will share the No. 2 Ligier JS P325 with Travis Hill in the four two-hour endurance rounds counting towards the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge LMP3 championship and will also compete in some HSR events.
Havrda arrives in IMSA after a season in F1 Academy in 2025, having also raced in F4 and Formula Regional Americas. His 2023 season was particularly impressive, with titles in the Formula Pro USA Championship and the SFR Formula Atlantic 2 Championship.

THOMAS PASQUARELLA, 19 years old – Boca Raton (Florida)

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Pasquarella, nicknamed "Rocco," quickly expanded his career, moving from karting to the Spec Miata and then the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin before reaching the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. He will compete in a full Touring Car (TCR) season with the #5 Honda Civic FL5 TCR of KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering.
He finished sixth in his Daytona debut. An Eagle Scout, Pasquarella also launched the NEXT LAP Foundation to create more opportunities for young people from the Scout movement to experience motorsport.

MAX SCHWEID, 19 years old – Boca Raton (Florida)

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Schweid is currently competing in the GR Cup after having enjoyed success in Spec Miata and various SCCA and NASA regional competitions in recent years.
The Floridian has achieved the majority of his success in his home state, with victories at Sebring and Homestead and podium finishes at Daytona. He is studying to become a mechanical engineer and was also part of a robotics team in high school.

CAITLYN SINGLER, 21 years old – Paradise (California)

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Resilience, adaptability and determination define Singler's motorsport story after losing his home in the Paradise fire in California.
Now based in Provo (Utah) and competing in the WRL driving a BMW F82 GT4, Singler has developed his career in Spec Miata, NASA and WRL, totaling 10 wins (nine in NASA and one in WRL) and 23 cumulative podium finishes by early 2026.
Beyond driving, she has an entrepreneurial spirit as a co-owner of two small businesses and has volunteered as an SCCA instructor as well as in the FIA ​​Formula E Girls on Track program.

SAMANTHA TAN, 28 years old – Stouffville (Ontario, Canada)

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The Canadian, now based in Irvine, California, has become a rising star in North American endurance racing over the past decade. A global ambassador for BMW M Motorsport, Tan is competing in her second season in the IMSA paddock.
She shares the #38 ST Racing with Random Vandals BMW M4 GT4 EVO with IMSA's record holder for the most wins, Bill Auberlen, in the Grand Sport (GS) category of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.
She won the Bronze Cup in the Grand Touring Daytona X (GTDX) category of the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge in 2025. Tan has previously raced in GT3, GT4 and touring cars and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 – Sports list in 2025.

 

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KEAWN TANDON, 23 years old – Thousand Oaks (California)

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Tandon distinguished himself over several seasons in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, winning the ProAm title in 2023 in his first full season.
His best result in 2025 was a third place in the Pro category during the final weekend at Misano, Italy.
Tandon went straight from karting to Super Trofeo, taking a big step towards one of IMSA's fastest and most powerful one-make series. Off the track, he studies data theory and specializes in artificial intelligence at university, where he also volunteers as a mentor to data science students.

WESTIN WORKMAN, 21 years old – Charlotte (North Carolina)*

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A multiple finalist for this scholarship, Workman started 2026 impressively with a double victory at the Daytona and Circuit of the Americas race weekends in his debut GT4 season. He drives the Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 n°8 from RAFA Racing in the Grand Sport X (GSX) category of the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge.
The 2025 GR Cup champion and multiple winner in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin—where he also won the Rookie of the Year title in 2024—Workman has progressed rapidly from karting to single-seater development and then to endurance racing. He has also been involved in various volunteer leadership activities for several years.