21-year-old Californian TJ Fischer will return to race in the U.S. after spending two seasons in Europe after agreeing to join Team Pelfrey for the 2016 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda season. Fischer will pilot the No. 82 Rathbun Associates-sponsored car.

“I’m stoked to be joining Team Pelfrey’s organization under their USF2000 program,” Fischer said. “The team as a whole is very professional and goes about racing in a methodical manner that has results to back-up what they’re doing.”

The Vacaville, Calif. native competed in Formula Renault 2.0 ALPS during the 2015 season where he was the series’ highest finishing rookie driver. Fischer posted a career-best fifth place finish at Monza and a seventh place finish Pau en route to eighth place overall in the championship.

In 2013, Fischer captured the Formula Car Challenge National Championship, the SCCA Majors Western Conference Championship, and the Formula Car Challenge Western Conference Championship.

In 2014, Fischer moved to Europe to race for Cliff Dempsey Racing Team in BARC Protyre Formula Renault Series where he finished the season in sixth place in the overall season championship.

“Honestly, I’m excited to head into the 2016 season with the confidence of a solid team capable of winning behind me, as well as a really well thought out testing plan to get myself gelled with the car and team. New year, new team, new continent of racing circuits. Time to get to business.”

Fischer joins Mazda Road to Indy newcomers Robert Megennis and Jordan Cane at Team Pelfrey, which will be the only team to operate at every level of the Mazda Road to Indy in 2016.