The championship is sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing, the professional racing division of the Sports Car Club of America, in conjunction with the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States, the United States representative to the FIA.

The championship is designed to support North American drivers entering international open-wheel racing, by using the same regulations used by other series globally, rather than compete with the existing IndyCar Road to Indy ladder, with the drivers earning points towards an FIA Superlicence.

Originally, it served as an initial step into car racing for drivers graduating from karting, but that level was supplanted by the JSF4 Championship, launched in 2024 with the previous generation cars in order to give drivers another entry level series where the champion earns a funded ride to the United States F4 Championship.

[2] Initially only run at race tracks on the East Coast of the United States, the championship will expand to separate East and West Coast series in the future with Canadian rounds in association with United States–based series.

The total cost for a driver to compete in a full season of the 2016 championship is estimated at $115,000.