Category: Other Series PR

MOORESVILLE, N.C.(May 17, 2011) – David Stremme Racing announced today that 20-year-old Jordan Anderson will serve as the team’s flagship development driver for the 2011 racing season. Veteran racer Bobby Gill will act as crew chief and a driving coach to Anderson.

The City of Forest Acres, South Carolina, a longtime sponsor of Forest Acres native Anderson, will serve as the primary sponsor of the team’s No. 19 Hamke chassied Super Late Model.

Anderson has previously competed in Dirt Late Models, accumulating 15 wins across North Carolina since 2009. He has twice won the Charlotte Motor Speedway Summer Shootout Legends Pro Division championship (2007 and 2008) and has amassed over 150 wins in Legends Cars.

Gill brings to the team four USAR Pro Cup Series championships and two wins in the Snowball Derby, one of Late Model racing’s most prestigious races.

“To see all of this come together is thrilling for me,” said Anderson. “I’m more than ready to make the transition from dirt to pavement. David (Stremme) and Bobby Gill are going to provide one tremendous education for me.”

“I am excited to carry the colors of my hometown, Forest Acres, who have supported me since my days in Legends Car racing. I look forward to representing the city and moving to full-time pavement Late Model racing with them.”

David Stremme Racing will provide a base of operations and technical support for the pairing of Anderson and Gill.

“Jordan is a good kid. He’s done all the right things and really just needs a chance to show what he can do,” said Stremme. “I love short track racing, and I believe in helping drivers out when I can. I first saw Jordan when he was testing a dirt car and have been impressed with him since. We have set him up in our shop right next to our Inception Motorsports Cup program, and he is in there all the time working on his car. I think he and Bobby (Gill) are going to make a real good team.”

Dick Dyer Toyota, another partner of Anderson’s since his days in Legends Car racing, joins the team as an associate sponsor.

Anderson’s debut will be June 4 at the Pro All-Stars Series race at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, N.C.

TOLEDO, Ohio (May 16, 2011) – – In his inaugural ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards debut at Toledo Speedway, Napoleon, Ohio native Jared Marks in the No. 8 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger battled to a solid 13th place finish in Sunday’s Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care.

The 16-year old development driver for Tony Marks Racing (TMR) entered his stock car debut with a lot of optimism and determination. His attentiveness to details on and off the race track paid off from the moment the green flag waived in practice Saturday afternoon.

Mother Nature played havoc with the track conditions early Saturday forcing adjustments in the day’s schedule which now included two practices and the cancellation of qualifying. Marks led the two-car tango of TMR in both practices by mounting the 13th fastest lap and 15th quickest lap respectively just ahead of teammate and Rookie of the Year candidate Maryeve Dufault.

But, because of the removal of time trials from the day’s activities, the Marks would start the 200-lap event shotgun on the field in the 31st position according to the 2011 ARCA Racing Series rule book.

For the second consecutive weekend, rain would drench the race track on race day forcing ARCA Racing Series officials to spend a majority of the morning drying the Northern Ohio race track. The command to start engines was given shortly before 2:00 p.m. with the drivers circling the track under yellow and green flag conditions together to officially begin the fourth race of the season.

The all-clear would be given by lap 20 putting the field under true racing conditions. Having to express patience, Marks would cautiously move his No. 8 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge through the running order and when the second caution flag waived on lap 26, Marks had brilliantly moved into the 18th position.

When racing resumed, Marks continued his move towards the front. Utilizing traffic and a well-handling car to his advantage Marks precisely inched up the leader board. A pileup on the backstretch on lap 37 would further climb the avid late model competitor up the rankings to 15th.

On lap 57 Marks found himself in a group of race cars when the No. 28 made contact with his teammate of Dufault which sent her No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger hard into the wall. Marks himself barely escaped the incident but did manage to emerge unharmed sitting in the 11th position.

By lap 81, Marks had muscled his way into the top-10 and was holding his own in eighth, by lap 105, the No. 8 had slipped back into the 10th position but the yellow flag waived which allowed a prime opportunity for Marks to bring his automobile to pit road for four tires and fuel.

Unfortunately, the team had a miscue on pit road which cost the team their status on the lead lap. With coaching from spotter Darren Wolfe, the rookie driver had to drive an even smarter race to become in position for the lucky dog award.

Using his head, Marks’s patience would pay off when a caution waived on lap 138 which allowed the No. 8 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger to return to lead lap status.

During the final stages of the event, Marks would have to once again use composure to thread his way back through the running order. By lap 179, Marks had worked his way back to the top-15.

The final restart of the race saw Marks restart in the 12th position but would lose a spot to Josh Williams (No. 14) on fresher tires coming to the checkered flag to claim 13th.

“I’m happy,” said Marks, a sophomore at Napoleon High School. “We had a really good No. 8 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger. We had to overcome some adversity but our determination is what paid off in the end. The TMR crew did an excellent job all weekend with two really fast race cars. It’s a shame what happened to Maryeve, because it wasn’t her doing, but it was fun to race with her for a while.”

Marks added, “I just want to thank VR-12, Dodge, UNOH, Victory Water and everyone on the TMR team for everything. My first ARCA race was very memorable and I’m looking forward to the next race soon.”

Tony Marks, owner of TMR and father of Jared Marks commented on his son inaugural ARCA debut. “Jared did a great job,” he said. “He used his head, pushed the issue when he needed to and brought the car home with a solid finish. I really couldn’t ask for anything more. He was so calm on the radio too. I’m sure this is the first of many good finishes to come for him this season.”

Teammate Maryeve Dufault finished 23rd in her Toledo Speedway debut.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is the lone stop at a road course. The ModSpace 150 is set for next Sunday, May 22 at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) in Millville, New Jersey for round five of 19 on the 2011 calendar.

For additional information on TMT, Inc. please visit; tmtcompanies.net.

To learn more about Tony Marks Racing, please click over to Tmr-racing.com

See the buzz that VR-12 is creating by clicking over to their website at VR-12.com .

Quench yourself with Victory Water, see how at Victoryh20.com.

About Tony Marks Racing (TMR):

Tony Marks Racing was founded in 2009 through the passion for racing of team owner and former driver Tony Marks. Marks is the successful owner of TMT, Inc., a logistics, warehousing and packaging company with over 400 employees whose customers are mainly comprised of Fortune 100 companies.

Marks began his racing career in 1985 getting behind the wheel of everything from drag racers, Dirt Late Models, SCCA Formula Fords, USAC F2000 Open Wheel and ARCA cars. Tony personally raced until 2005 amassing numerous wins, championships and track records along the way until he then changed his focus from driver to owner and began building racing programs for his children Jared (16 years old) and Rachel (13 years old). Under the auspices of TMR, Jared began his racing career in 2002 in quarter midgets and now competes in late model, CRA, ASA and ARCA Series events while Rachel continues her development program racing quarter midgets and Bandoleros.

TMR has been at the forefront of charitable giving through its’ “Driving Against Hunger” and “Million Meal Challenge” race programs which have raised over $200,000 for Forgotten Harvest in 2010 at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series events at Michigan International Speedway.

For the NASCAR events TMR along with TMT, Inc. partnered with Forgotten Harvest for the “Million Meal Challenge For Our Kids” which helps to bridge the hunger gap while schools are out of session and feeds 20,000 children per day in the Detroit metro area. Forgotten Harvest was significantly displayed on the entry of Chase Austin during both the Truck and Nationwide events at Michigan International Speedway along with logos of “Million Meal Challenge” sponsors Walgreen’s, United Race Group, Holyfield’s Choice Alka-Power Water and Vitamin Spice. Evander Holyfield was also instrumental in the challenge, acting as Grand Marshall for the August race and announcing his “Fight Against Hunger” on behalf of Forgotten Harvest.

As the first race team to “Drive Against Hunger” through their partnership with Forgotten Harvest, TMR plans to continue their alliance with Forgotten Harvest and once again “Drive Against Hunger” during the 2011 season.

RANDLEMAN, North Carolina (May 16, 2011) – – Ryan Wilson Motorsports (RWM) and Randolph Bank, the home of extra-mile banking jointly announced today the “Design The Ride” contest which will allow the children of Randolph Bank to design Ryan Wilson’s No. 12 Randolph Bank Toyota Camry for next month’s NASCAR Whelen-All American Series Super Series race at Caraway (N.C.) Speedway.

Open to children to the ages of six to 14 beginning May 16th and ending June 13th, “Design the Ride” coloring sheets will be available at participating Randolph Bank branches in North Carolina, RyanWilsonMotorsports.com and RandolphBank.com. http://www.randolphbank.com/

Shortly after the closing of the contest, Ryan Wilson, a rising star on the racing circuit will personally judge the best looking No. 12 Randolph Bank Toyota Camry and utilize that design in the Fourth of July event at Caraway (N.C.) Speedway on Wednesday, July 6.

The selectee will be notified by Wilson, the winner of last Fall’s Richard Petty’s Driver Search II by telephone and will also receive four tickets to the race in addition to royal treatment from the track and Ryan Wilson Motorsports.

“This is pretty cool,” said Wilson, who currently holds second in the championship standings at Caraway (N.C.) Speedway. “Between my management team, Randolph Bank and I, we’ve been trying to come up with new ideas that will bring our race team closer together with the great customers at Randolph Bank. I’m anxious to see all the designs and I’m looking forward to having our car decked in an explosive paint scheme for our Fourth of July race.”

Jennifer Morton, marketing director for Randolph Bank commented on the announcement. “Randolph Bank thrives on the community involvement of its customers and their children. This is such a neat project and we are extremely grateful to Ryan Wilson Motorsports and Caraway Speedway for helping make this idea a reality. We’re looking forward to seeing our specially designed No. 12 Randolph Bank Toyota Camry in victory lane!”

Visit the newly re-designed Ryan Wilson Motorsports website at RyanWilsonMotorsports.com.

Follow and Tweet with Ryan Wilson on Twitter @RyanWilson12.

Visit Randolph Bank, the home of extra-mile banking online at http://www.randolphbank.com/ Randolphbank.com.

Toledo, OH – The No. 44 Ansell-Menards Ford, driven by Frank Kimmel, finished 9th in this afternoon’s Menards 200 from Toledo Speedway. Due to weather, qualifying for today’s Menards 200 was canceled on Saturday, setting the field by points from 2010. That positioned Frank inside the top-five for the start; couple that with the pole sitter and 2nd place drivers moving to rear of the field and the Ansell-Menards Ford would start the race from the front row.

The Ansell-Menards Ford was strong from the drop of the green flag and would eventually inherit the lead after the No. 25 spun coming off turn two. From that point Frank would not surrender the lead often over the final 100 laps.

“The No. 44 Ansell-Menards Ford was good today. I’m proud of my team – they gave me another strong Ford and the pit crew had flawless stops all day long,” said Frank Kimmel.

With only a handful of laps to go, Frank appeared destined to win his 10th ARCA Racing Series Race at Toledo Speedway, but a late race caution would alter that prospect. The No. 44 Ansell-Menards Ford would pull out on the restart, with the No. 41 giving chase. It was clear that Frank was going to run the bottom groove, right on the white line, as he had the entire day. Unfortunately, the No. 41 was running a similar line and coming off turn two would make contact with the back left corner panel of the Ansell-Menards Ford, sending Frank into a spin and consequently out of contention for the win.

“I wasn’t blocking or doing anything that would’ve prevented him from trying to pass me clean for the win. I was just running my line, as I had been and he just ran over me. It’s frustrating. You run that hard the entire race and then you have it decided like that. It should’ve been him racing me for the win, not running into me,” said a frustrated Frank Kimmel after the race.

After the spin, Frank would restart 13th and maneuver his way back inside the top-10, eventually finishing the Menards 200 in 9th. Frank and the Ansell-Menards Ford would pace the field three times and was credited with leading the most laps (125). The late race setback would drop Frank Kimmel to 3rd in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Championship Points.

Watch for Frank Kimmel at New Jersey Motorsports Park driving the No. 44 Ansell-Menards Ford on May 22nd for the ModSpace 150 in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. Also, be sure to visit a Menards location to purchase your next pair of Ansell Gloves. More information can be found at www.frankkimmel.com www.ansellracingus.com, www.menardsracing.com and www.arcaracing.com.

TOLEDO, Ohio (May 16, 2011) – – Chad Hackenbracht and his CGH Motorsports team did exactly what they said they were going to do in Sunday’s Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care, shine. After proving that the team had an excellent short track program two weeks ago at Salem (Ind.) Speedway, the New Philadelphia, Ohio native with the leadership of crew chief Rob Torrey and director of competition Kevin Reed were bound and determined to do it again.

Unlike Salem, the family-owned CGH Motorsports team did not have the opportunity to test at Toledo Speedway, so the Mooresville, North Carolina-based team utilized two practice sessions on Saturday afternoon to dial in their No. 58 Tastee Chocolate Apples Chevrolet Impala SS.

Mother Nature played havoc with the track conditions early Saturday forcing adjustments in the day’s schedule which now included two practices and the cancellation of qualifying. After a series of changes in practice, Hackenbracht and his posse made adjustments to their Chevrolet bow-tie which found the team a competitive 12th in the final practice session.

Because of the removal of time trials from the day’s activities, the team would line up 27th based on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series rule book.

For the second consecutive weekend, rain would drench the race track on race day forcing ARCA Racing Series officials to spend a majority of the morning drying the Northern Ohio race track. The command to start engines was given shortly before 2:00 p.m. with the drivers circling the track under yellow and green flag conditions together to officially begin the fourth race of the season.

The all-clear would be given by lap 20 putting the field under true racing conditions. Not knowing what the weather was going to do, Hackenbracht quickly began slicking and dicing his white, blue and black automobile through the field following the likes of Matt Crafton, Ty Dillon and Chris Buescher.

When the second caution flag waived by lap 26, Hackenbracht had moved up 11 positions to claim the 16th spot.

A short time after returning to green flag conditions, a multi-car incident broke out on the backstretch on lap 37 which forced Hackenbracht to take extreme abrasive maneuvers to miss a slew of mangled race cars. Emerging unharmed, Hackenbracht found himself now in the top-10.

Under a long green flag run, Hackenbracht continued to move his way through the running order and by lap 59 had positioned himself in the eighth position. By lap 80, the 19-year old had rose to seventh and knocked on the outside of the top-five by the half-way mark.  A yellow flag waived on lap 109 allowing amble opportunity to pit for four tires and gas.

Restarting 12th as other competitors ahead of him utilized a different pit strategy, Hackenbracht patiently began picking off his competition one position at a time and had moved back into the top-10 by lap 133.

With 52 laps remaining, No. 58 Tastee Chocolate Apples Chevrolet Impala SS was hovering in the seventh position. As the final stages of the race pressed on, the handling began to change for Hackenbracht which found himself beginning to slide back in the running order but continuing to fight hard.

A caution inside the final 10 laps of the fourth race of the season saw Hackenbracht locked in ninth but on the final restart, typical short track beating and banging ensued knocking Hackenbracht out of the top-10 coming to the checkered flag, capturing 11th overall, beating a previous career best of 13th at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway last year.

“It was a good run for CGH Motorsports and Tastee Apple,” said Hackenbracht. “We really had a good car the first half of the race. After we put the second set of tires on the car, it changed. We’re not exactly sure why that happened, but we made the best of the situation. I did everything I could to stay in the top-10, we just need the race to end a few laps earlier.”

The 2008 National Asphalt Legends champion continued, “this is a nice boost for our race team, especially after Salem. We were competitive, mixed it in with the best of the best in ARCA. This was also a career best for our team. We’re making gains as the season rolls on, so these all are positive things we can take moving forward!”

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is the lone stop at a road course. The ModSpace 150 is set for next Sunday, May 22 at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) in Millville, New Jersey. Hackenbracht will once again make another “first” in his stock car career by competing at a road course.

Exiting Toledo, Hackenbracht has competed in 13 ARCA events maneuvering five top-20 finishes including a career-best 11th at Toledo Speedway in May 2011. Two ninth place qualifying efforts at Kansas Speedway (2010) and Salem (Ind.) Speedway (2011) are his best time trials efforts to date.

CGH Motorsports is actively seeking additional marketing partners for the full 2011 ARCA Racing Series schedule. Single, multi and full-season placements are available on the team’s No. 58 entries. Interested parties are urged to contact Jordan Dahl at 570.234.5449 or

“Determination Thrives Team Moving Into New Jersey”

TOLEDO, Ohio (May 16, 2011) – – ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year candidate Sean Corr appeared to be well on his way to a career-best finish Sunday afternoon at Toledo Speedway in his No. 82 Roush Yates Performance / Roush Yates Engines / Empire Racing Ford but late race contact from a veteran driver diminished what would have been a season-best effort in the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care.

Corr armed with a new No. 82 Roush Yates Performance / Roush Yates Engines / Empire Racing Ford decked out in yellow and blue showed massive improvement from start to finish which included two practice sessions on Saturday where Corr and crew chief Howard Bixman focused on setting up their No. 82 Roush Yates Performance / Roush Yates Engines / Empire Racing Ford for the second short track contest of the year.

While Mother Nature played havoc with the track conditions on Saturday, qualifying would be rained out which lined up the Mooresville, North Carolina-based team 28th based on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series rule book.

For the second consecutive weekend, rain would drench the race track on race day forcing ARCA Racing Series officials to spend a majority of the morning drying the Northern Ohio race track. The command to start engines was given shortly before 2:00 p.m. with the drivers circling the track under yellow and green flag conditions together to officially begin the fourth race of the season.

The all-clear would be given by lap 20 putting the field under true racing conditions. Corr quickly found his No. 82 Roush Yates Performance / Roush Yates Engines / Empire Racing Ford moving through the running order and had marched into the top-20 by lap 26 when the second yellow flag waived for an incident in turn three.

When racing resumed, Corr methodically continued to inch his way forward finding himself closing in on the top-15 competitors.

A multi-car incident broke out on the backstretch on lap 37 which forced the Goshen, New York native to take abrasive maneuvers to miss a slew of mangled race cars.

Emerging unscathed, Corr found himself in his blue oval solidly in the top-12, but the team elected to bring their machine to pit road to try and cool their engine which was producing temperatures of 240 degrees.

Back to racing, Corr would patiently begin maneuvering his automobile back towards the lead pack. Turning lap times consistent with his competitors in the top-10, a long green flag run would see the No. 82 be passed by leader Grant Enfinger by lap 101.

Thankfully, less than 10 laps later the yellow flag waived allowing the Empire Racing team to become the beneficiary of the lucky dog. The benefit of returning to the lead lap meant that Corr would have to restart at the tail end of the longest line; but that was fine by the rookie team as they had given their driver a full tank of gas, two new right side Hoosier tires and a chassis adjustment to surge back towards the front.

Waiting for the prime opportunity to attack the fleet, Corr was on the move, setting up his prey before contact from a rookie on lap 138 saw the No. 82 go for a 360-degree spin in turn four. Corr did a magnificent job keeping his automobile off the wall and still maintained a position on the lead lap.

Under the yellow, Bixman brought his driver down for four tires and permission to pounce on the competition.

In the final stages of the event, Corr was a man on a mission finding his No. 82 Roush Yates Performance / Roush Yates Engines / Empire Racing Ford quickly and cleverly working traffic and moving into the top-10 inside 15 laps remaining.

The team’s day though would take a heartbreaking turn when on a restart inside 10 laps remaining, Corr was turned by another driver heading into turn one sending the No. 82 into the wall.

The 26-year old was able to leave the incident under his own power bringing the car to pit road where the team made what repairs they could before instructing their driver to return to the race track to take the checkered flag in the 20th position.

“It’s just frustrating,” said Corr. “We had a good, fast car. We were just biding our time and trying to stay out of trouble and unfortunately (again) trouble found us. It sure would have been nice to have left Toledo with a top-10 finish. I’m pretty discouraged, but I cannot let this diminish our goals and intentions. We were competitive this weekend at Toledo, so that’s a big positive we can build from here. We’ll pick up the pieces (again) and try again in New Jersey next weekend.”

Corr added, “I want to thank Roush Yates Performance, Roush Yates Engines, BoomText, TransGroup and all of our marketing partners who continue their faith in us and keep us on the race track every weekend. We’ll get them a good finish soon, I promise.”

Despite knocking out his fourth consecutive top-20 finish of the year, Corr slipped two positions in the ARCA Racing Series championship standings from eighth to 10th. Just 10 points though separate Corr from ninth held by Tom Hessert and 25 credits behind Tim George Jr. in eighth.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is the lone stop at a road course. The ModSpace 150 is set for next Sunday, May 22 at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) in Millville, New Jersey. Corr once again make another “first” in his stock car career by competing at a road course.

Recently, Empire Racing and BoomText officially announced the “Hard Corr Fans” program powered by BoomText, a mobile marketing campaign which allows fans to pledge towards becoming an official member of the Empire Racing team – not to mention helping three of Corr’s personal charities. To join the campaign, fans just simply have to text the word “CORR” to 411247 where they will receive an automated safe-secured link to join the “Hard Corr Fans” team. The activation of the project continued this weekend at Toledo.

For more on Sean Corr, Empire Racing and marketing partnership opportunities for the 2011 racing season, please visit empireracingllc.com.

Are you FORD tough? Connect with Roush Yates Performance Products and Roush Yates Engines through their official web site at roushyatesparts.com.

Connect with Sean Corr and Empire Racing through Facebook by clicking here.

Tweet with Sean Corr through Twitter @EmpireRacingLLC.

For additional input on BoomText, please visit BoomText.com.

About Empire Racing:

Established in 2009, Empire Racing LLC. (empireracingllc.com) is a two-tier professional Motorsports organization consisting of dirt and asphalt competition. Sean Corr, a 26-year old hailing from Goshen, New York pilots the team’s automobiles in the DIRTcar Series and Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). In 2011, the team will attempt to run for a championship in the ARCA Racing Series with aspirations of moving into the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The team is headquartered in Goshen, New York with an additional operation in Mooresville, North Carolina.

National Guard Panther Driver Takes One Hour to Finish Four-Phase Program

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – (May 12, 2011) – It took National Guard Panther Racing driver JR Hildebrand just over an hour to complete the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s four-phase Rookie Orientation Program on Thursday afternoon, and by the end of the day the 23-year-old Californian was the fastest of the seven rookies who participated. Hildebrand was joined on Thursday by fellow IZOD IndyCar Series rookies Scott Speed, James Hinchcliffe, James Jakes, Ho-Pin Tung, Charlie Kimball and former Panther Firestone Indy Lights driver PippaMann.

Hildebrand posted a quick lap of 221.533 mph, 40.6260 seconds and he turned a total of 68 laps on the day. Hildebrand’s teammate Buddy Rice, driver of Panther’s No. 44 entry, was on hand for the majority of the day and was quick to assist Hildebrand with nuances of the Speedway’s tricky 2.5-mile oval. Rice and Hildebrand had come to the track on Wednesday afternoon and did some laps in a road car together in preparation of Hildebrand taking his first laps today.

ROP consists of four phases a driver much complete to participate in practice for the Indianapolis 500. The driver must complete: five laps between 200-205 mph; 10 laps between 205-210 mph; 10 laps between 210-215 mph and 10 laps above 215 mph.

Hildebrand is the current leader in the IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year point standings. He made two starts at Indianapolis during his Indy Lights career, finishing runner-up in 2009, the year he won the series championship, and led the race on two occasions for a total of 23 laps.

He becomes the third Panther rookie to attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis500, joining Tomas Enge (2005) and Mark Taylor (2004). Enge started in the 10th position and was running inside the Top Ten when he was taking out by Danica Patrick, who spun during a Lap 154 restart during her rookie season. Taylorstarted 14th and finished 30th after contact with fellow rookie Ed Carpenter early in the race.

Open Day at Indianapolis is Saturday when the track will be open for all drivers andteams hoping to make the 33-car field for the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. Pole Day qualifications will take place the followingSaturday with Bump Day commencing a week from Sunday to solidify the ‘500’ lineup.

The 95th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race will be broadcast live on ABC on Sunday, May 29th at 12:00 pm (ET) with additional coverage provided by the IMS Radio Network, XM Channel 145 and Sirius Channel 121.

JR Hildebrand, No. 4 National Guard Dallara Honda:

“This is pretty cool being at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and part of the big show for the first time. This is why we’re all here – everybody wants to compete in the Indianapolis 500, at it’s a big deal when you get to be a part of this event. We were actually able to complete all four phases(of ROP) in just three runs so we’re happy to get that out of the way. You can definitely feel how much quicker it is compared to the Firestone Indy Lights car, 20-30 mph quicker, and that makes a big difference all the way around the track. In terms of the feel of the car; I’ve always said the Indy Lights car is a great proving ground for the IndyCar – the feel is very similar and they’re both on Firestone tires and both on Dallara chassis. We were flat chat all the way around during our last run when getting through the last phase of ROP so it’s very special to be here and able to take this all in, especially on a day like today when there’s not a lot of people out here. It’s such a big help having Buddy Rice around as well, he and I have gotten along really well and we came out here yesterday just shooting the bull about what’s going on on the racetrack and he shared some little things he’s picked up over the years, I know he’s going to be a great teammate and a great addition all around to the team. The two of us together can definitely propel things forward for the entire team throughout the month.”