INDYCAR NEWS AND NOTES - April 12, 2013
Today's IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:
1. Briscoe joins Ganassi for Indianapolis 500
2. Hildebrand to compete in drifting events
3. Indiana city to be associate sponsor for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing car
1. Briscoe joins Ganassi for Indianapolis 500: Ryan Briscoe will compete for Chip Ganassi Racing Teams in the 97th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.
The team announced that Briscoe would drive the No. 8 Honda-powered entry with primary sponsorship from NTT DATA, a global IT services provider, in a one-off role May 26. Last year, Briscoe was the Indianapolis 500 pole sitter and finished fifth in the race won by Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Dario Franchitti.
"I'm thrilled to join the Ganassi team for the Indianapolis 500 this year," said Briscoe, who will be a teammate to three-time Indy 500 winner Franchitti, 2008 race winner Scott Dixon and Charlie Kimball. "Driving for the defending race winner - and especially with teammates that are former winners - is just incredible. I can't wait to get started. I'm definitely motivated."
Briscoe has seven career starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including three from the front row (2008, third; 2009, second; 2012, first). He's led a total of 31 laps on the 2.5-mile oval in three races.
"I'm looking forward to bettering my best finish," Briscoe said. "I think we have all the tools to go out and have a chance at winning. That's all I want and I know that's why Chip has added me to the team this year because he wants the best shot at winning as well. I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity."
Briscoe recorded one victory, eight top-10 finishes overall and two pole starts in 2012 for Team Penske, which he joined in 2008. He began his Indy car career with Target Chip Ganassi Racing in 2005, during which he earned his first pole start (Sonoma Raceway) and had a best finish of eighth (Nashville Superspeedway) before a season-ending injury suffered in a crash at Chicagoland Speedway.
"I'm looking forward to getting out on the track with the Honda power," he added. "With Indy being the first oval on the calendar, I'm not missing out on anything comparing myself to the other drivers. I can't wait to work with Scott and Dario and Charlie, who has started this year strong. Hopefully, I can bring something to the table that they can learn from me. I think it's going to be a really strong team."
Briscoe has seven victories, 12 earned poles, 27 podium finishes, more than 1,400 laps led and a high championship finish of third (2009) in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
"We all know Ryan is a talented driver, having had him in our Indy car system previously," said Ganassi, whose team has won the Indianapolis 500 five times. "He will get up to speed quickly because he understands the ins and outs of how we operate our race program. The opportunity to have him back in a fourth car with us alongside Dario, Scott and Charlie is big.
"We are excited to bring NTT DATA into our team as well. Their strong reputation, coupled with their focus on IT innovation, makes them an ideal partner for our race program."
2. Hildebrand to compete in drifting events: National Guard Panther Racing driver JR Hildebrand will participate in Formula Drift series events in Seattle (July 19-20) and Los Angeles (Oct. 11-12) for Tyler McQuarrie Racing.
"Since as early as 2004 I've thought drifting was an awesome and unique area of motorsport, so I'm very excited to finally get involved myself," Hildebrand said.
McQuarrie and Hildebrand developed a friendship through their mutual association with personal sponsor GoPro.
3. Indiana city to be associate sponsor for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing car: The City of New Castle (Ind.) will be an associate sponsor of the No. 21 Century 21 car for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing in the Indianapolis 500. The city raised funds for its sponsorship of SFHR through private investors.
"This will allow us to promote New Castle on the largest advertising stage in the world," Mayor Greg York said. "Our community looks at the big picture. We want to compete with worldwide companies, which is why we wanted to be involved with Sarah Fisher and the Indianapolis 500."
Note to media: Media Credentialing is now open for Grand Prix of Baltimore. IZOD IndyCar Series hard-card holders interested in reserving a seat in the Grand Prix's media center must register by completing a brief online form (
http://fs10.formsite.com/hhammel/form2/index.html). The same registration form enables hard-card holders to apply for a media parking pass. Please note that media parking is extremely limited and therefore cannot be guaranteed. Media members not in possession of a hard card must complete the following application (
http://fs10.formsite.com/hhammel/form1/index.html), in its entirety to be considered for a media credential. The application deadline is 5:30 p.m. EDT on Aug. 16.
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The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 21 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. The race will be televised live at 4 p.m. (ET) by the NBC Sports Network (Verizon FiOS 90/590, DirecTV 220, DISH 159 and AT&T UVerse 640) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211 and
www.indycar.com. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Long Beach 100 on April 21 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. The race will be broadcast by NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. (ET) on April 21, immediately preceding the IZOD IndyCar Series race broadcast.
Media Contact: Amy Konrath, INDYCAR, 317-331-7437, akonrath@indycar.com
Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=17275.msg107109#msg107109
