HOMESTEAD, Fla. - Team Pelfrey is excited to announce that Nikita Lastochkin will fill the final Pro Mazda seat in the team’s signature black and yellow garage. The Russian will have his first opportunity to pilot the No. 80 Pro Mazda in the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires for the 2017 season at the upcoming series test at Homestead Miami Speedway Road Course.

"To be back with Team Pelfrey means being back with the same people that I started my career with and I am very excited,” said Lastochkin. “The goal would be to focus on our strengths, keep working on the areas we can improve and let the results take care of themselves. Overall, I'm just happy to be back on the Mazda Road to Indy and looking forward to the year ahead."

The 26-year-old is familiar with the structure of the team as he began his racing career in 2014 with the #PelfreyPower crew where he competed in the F1600 Championship, followed by the USF2000 Championship Series in 2015. Lastochkin competed strongly in the USF2000 Championship in 2016, securing 11 top 10 finishes.

“This is fantastic news for Team Pelfrey,” commented general manager Jonathan Baker. “Nikita has been with us before in F1600 and USF2000, and being able to welcome him back to our Pro Mazda team is just so cool. He has shown us over the past few years that on his day, he is one of the quickest drivers out there, and we are looking forward to helping him achieve top results in Pro Mazda. On top of everything, he is simply a great guy. We are proud to have him back."