SCCA Pro Racing

Driver Nominated by Will Power for Opportunity to Drive F4 U.S. Car

CHARLOTTE (November 30, 2023) – With Radford Racing School and Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) coming together to host the annual Radford Racing School F4 U.S. Scholarship Award School this weekend, Dalton Hanes has been named the final scholarship recipient to attend this year’s program. Nominated by Will Power, Hanes completes a four-driver line-up, which includes Nolan Bower, who was nominated by Motomaster Ron Fellows Karting Championship, as well as Eli Warren and Luke Powers, both nominated by New Castle Motorsports Park.

“We’re thrilled to have Dalton round out our list of scholarship recipients for this year’s Radford Racing School F4 U.S. Scholarship Award School,” said Scott Goodyear, F4 U.S. Race Director. “Will Power has achieved so much throughout his racing career, so to have him involved in the grassroots level of motorsports, helping young drivers begin and build their careers, speaks volumes. If Dalton caught Will’s attention, I’m certain he’ll be impressive on the racetrack.”

"Karting is the purest form of motorsports,” said Will Power, two-time INDYCAR Series Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner. “To be able to tie the grassroots of racing into the higher level of motorsports is something I believe will benefit future drivers and motorsports as a whole. I am thankful to Scott Goodyear and F4 U.S. Championship for partnering with us to provide drivers another avenue in motorsports."

A native of Greensboro, N.C., Hanes began his career in rental karts at just six years old. Moving to club races at the age of 10, he progressed to the Pro category at age 14 to start racing nationally, and went on to earn his first podium in his very first national event. Now 17, Hanes has a win at the IAME USA Grand Nationals and multiple national podiums—all earned with his brother as his national mechanic.  

“This opportunity means more to me than I can explain,” said Hanes. “I’ve always had half the budget of my competition, and sometimes even less than that. So having this opportunity to drive an F4 car is not something that would have been otherwise achievable for me or my family. It’s very special to me, and I can’t thank Will Power, F4 U.S. or Radford Racing School enough.” 

A “karts to cars” style program, the Radford Racing School F4 U.S. Scholarship Award School is designed to help scholarship winners acclimate to a racecar, while teaching them the basics of handling and car control. Nominated by some of the world’s best karting programs, scholarship recipients travel to Radford’s facility to participate in the program, which utilizes the same combination that last year’s F4 U.S. competitors used on the track—a Ligier JS F4-16 chassis, a Honda 2.0-liter engine and Hankook racing slicks. With ground school, skid control, lead-follow sessions, braking, shifting and handling drills, the program is uniquely designed to account for the fact that participants are some of the top karters in the world. The scholarship includes a two-day school, with some participants adding on a third “lapping” day.

The Radford Racing School F4 U.S. Scholarship Award School kicks off tomorrow in Chandler, Ariz.