INDIANAPOLIS (June 5, 2013)- Oriol Servia returns to IZOD IndyCar Series action this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway as the pilot of the #4 National Guard Chevrolet of Panther Racing. Servia previously competed this season with Panther-Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the #22 entry before a lack of funds caused the car to be parked after the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Servia finished P11 in this year’s 500 and currently sits 18th in standings, having missed both races of the Duel in Detroit. Following the 500, Servia was 9th in…
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INDYCAR – Rice and Panther Team for Indy
Good news this evening as Panther Racing has announced that Buddy Rice will drive the #44 machine at the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. He will team with J.R. Hildebrand for the month of May and maybe more according to Speed.com. That adds yet another defending race champ to the equation. Rice won the race in 2004 with Rahal/Letterman Racing. After two years of sports car racing in the GRAND-AM series, Rice will jump in an IndyCar for the first time since 2008. This is really a great deal…
Read MoreIndyCar – JR Hildebrand Officially Announced for Panther
The 2009 Firestone Indy Lights champion, JR Hildebrand, was announced today as the driver for the #4 National Guard car for Panther Racing. This comes after a testing session at the Phoenix International Raceway where JR impressed the team, and Al Unser Jr. Some of you may remember my overly exuberant reaction to Little Al’s tweet from Phoenix. Well, although I might have been a bit premature, it looks like my faith in Al’s nature to tell it like it is wasn’t misplaced. “I couldn’t be more excited to be…
Read MoreRoad to Indy – Weekly Wrapup: 12/6-12/10
Once again, we had a jam packed week of mostly cool news for the now Mazda Road to Indy program. Yes, I said MAZDA. They’re now the official title sponsor of the program, and they bring some other benefits as well. However, I say mostly cool news because there was one downer for the week. Dan Andersen’s racing operations via Andersen Racing will cease in 2011. Andersen Racing had fielded entries in both the Star Mazda Championship and the Firestone Indy Lights series. Andersen will still run the US F2000…
Read MoreIndyCar – Panther Secures an American Driver
I don’t have much in the way of details here, but I was so excited that I couldn’t wait. Al Unser, Jr., announced the good news via twitter this evening that the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights champion, J.R. Hildebrand, will be piloting the #4 National Guard car for Panther Racing. Hi Everyone! JR Hildebrand is in the car for Panther. He tested all day and did a GREAT JOB! He is going to be one too watch in 2011!!! — Al Unser, Jr. via Twitter. This is fantastic! Ever since…
Read MoreFirestone Indy Lights – 2009 Season Review – Battle for the Championship
Battle for the Championship Kentucky Speedway: The Kentucky 100 at the Kentucky Speedway was the 100th race for the Indy Racing League sanctioned Firestone Indy Lights series, although it looked like weather might put a damper on the celebration. The track was dry for the race, but qualifications were rained out resulting in the grid being determined by points. That gave the AFS/AGR team the front row. Wade Cunningham started from P4, right behind his nemesis from Iowa and championship contender Sebastian Saavedra in P2. JR Hildebrand, although being awarded…
Read More#F1 – JR Hildebrand Tests for Force India
2009 Firestone Indy Lights champion, JR Hildebrand, will test for the Force India F1 team in the first days of December. Read the full article at Autosport.com. JR has been searching for a ride at the next level ever since August (probably before), but many, including myself, thought that meant a seat somewhere in the IZOD IndyCar Series, or perhaps with USF1 USGPE. Turns out that he has his sights set well above the doubtful USF1 USGPE and on a ride with a legitimate team that actually has a car…
Read MoreIndyLights – Mid-Ohio Review
The general fan reaction around the blogs, forums, and twitter streams to the IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights races at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course have all been about the same, and in my opinion, completely off the mark. I can hear the detractors now, “So, Doug, what makes you think that you’re right in the face of so many who say that the races were boring.” I have two comments to that: I was actually there, and I paid attention to more than just the leader. Listen to the…
Read MoreIndyLights – No. 100 at Kentucky
The original Indy Lights series, sanctioned by CART, ran from 1986 to 2001. In 2002, the Indy Racing League revived the series as the Menards Infinity Pro Series until the title co-sponsors withdrew and the series was renamed the Indy Pro Series. In 2008, with the merger between the Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series, Firestone came on board as a title sponsor and the old name “Indy Lights” was resurrected. The series now known as the Firestone Indy Lights Series celebrated its 100th race sanctioned by…
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