Catchfence

Indianapolis, IN (April 14, 2010) -Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR) driver/team owner Sarah Fisher and team driver Jay Howard ceremonially presented the first 2010 Indianapolis 500 entry, for Howard’s car, to Jeff Belskus, president and CEO, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, and Brian Barnhart, president, Competition and Operations Division, Indy Racing League, at 2 p.m. today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Administration building on the West side of Indianapolis.

“It’s an honor for me to be competing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year, especially as it’s the 100th year anniversary for British drivers competing at the Speedway,” said Howard. “It’s very special to have a partner like Service Central ® and I’m excited to be racing with Sarah and the entire SFR crew.”

This is the third Indianapolis 500 entry filed in the existence of the 3 year team, and team owner, Sarah Fisher, couldn’t be more excited. “We can’t wait for the #66 Service Central ® program to get started,” said Fisher. “Already in our team’s third race of the season, we are very much looking forward to Jay’s test at Kansas next week, where we will release the look of the program and prepare him and that part of the team for the Kansas Race on May 1st. I really have enjoyed seeing yellow run throughout the team.”

Howard’s car will be sponsored by Service Central ® for five races this season, including the venues of Kansas, Indy, Texas, Mid-Ohio, and Chicago. Service Central ® is the automotive service offered exclusively at Tire Kingdom, NTB-National Tire and Battery, Merchant’s Tire and Auto, and Big O Tires. Available at over 1,200 locations nationwide, their trained and certified ASE technicians use state-of-the art equipment to provide quality service on cars and trucks. Service Central’s nationwide warranty provides peace of mind while it protects customers and their investment in over 40 states. Service Central ®…know where to go for auto service.

“Launching our Service Central ® automotive service offering with Jay Howard at the helm of our # 66 Service Central car during his inaugural season with SFR is a win-win.” says Orland Wolford, President and CEO, TBC Retail Group. “We look forward to kicking off this partnership in Kansas, while watching Jay take to the oval.”

Howard will be joining SFR team owner/driver Sarah Fisher, author of 99 Things Women Wish They Knew Before Getting Behind the Wheel of Their Dream Job, which is due out in May, on track at Kansas Speedway on May 1. The combination of the two drivers competing in Kansas will be a great way to start the oval part of the season for SFR.

About Sarah Fisher:
At just 29 years old, Sarah Fisher has already competed in eight Indianapolis 500′s, been voted “Most Popular Driver” four times in two separate Series (IndyCar and NASCAR), been awarded “Indy’s Best & Brightest Leaders Under 40″ and enters her third season as a team owner in 2010. Fisher is the first woman to qualify fastest for a major North American open-wheel event, the fastest woman to ever qualify for the Indy 500 and is the youngest woman to compete at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Fisher has been a guest or profiled on a variety of national platforms such as, LIVE! With Regis & Kelly, The Tonight Show, The Today Show, Glamour, People and Forbes Magazine, to name a few. In 2008, she formed her own race team: Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR), and made her first start as a team owner in the IndyCar Series’ Indy 500. In May 2009, Fisher made her eighth start in the Indy 500, marking the most number of starts for a woman in the 93-year history of the race.

About Jay Howard:
While closing out his 2009 racing schedule, Howard signed a deal to complete a tailored IZOD IndyCar® Series schedule that would include four events for Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR) in 2010, driving the No. 66 Honda-powered Dallara with backing from Service Central. He’ll attempt to qualify for his first Indy 500 on May 15, 2010. In 2006, the England-born driver won the Firestone Indy Lights championship, an essential step into the top-level of open-wheel racing, the IZOD IndyCar Series. Howard won the championship by four points, marking the closest margin in the Series’ history. That same year, he won two races, had five podium finishes and won two pole positions. He ran five events for Roth Racing in the IndyCar Series in 2008, with a best start of 14th and a best finish of 13th. He competed in three Firestone Indy Lights events in 2007, and took home the U.S. Formula Ford Zetec Championship and Rookie of the Year Honors in 2005; breaking Indy 500 winner Dan Weldon’s Series record, with nine wins. That year, he captured six pole positions and established a Series record, with six consecutive victories. Howard has been a guest or profiled on national platforms such as MTV’s Real World Road Rules Challenge. For more information, pleas visit Jay Howard online at http://www.jayhoward.com.

About Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR):
Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR) is an auto racing team that competes in the IZOD IndyCar® Series, founded by IZOD IndyCar Series veteran racer, Sarah Fisher. Fisher announced plans to become the IZOD IndyCar Series first female owner/driver and the youngest team owner on February 27, 2008, at Homestead-Miami Speedway (HMS). The team competed in three events in 2008, grew 100 percent in 2009 to six races and will compete in nine events in 2010 with backing from Dollar General. The team also announced plans to run a tailored schedule in 2010 for 2006 Firestone Indy Lights Champion Jay Howard in the No. 66 Honda powered Dallara sponsored by SERVICE CENTRAL-the automotive service offering available exclusively at Tire Kingdom, NTB – National Tire and Battery, Merchants Tire and Big O Tires. The Service Central car is scheduled for five events, including the 94th running of the Indy 500, giving the team its first two-car entry in its two-year existence. For more information, please visit Sarah Fisher Racing online at http://www.sarahfisherracing.com.

About TBC Retail Group:
Headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, TBC Retail Group, Inc., a subsidiary of TBC Corporation,operates more than 770 tire and automotive service centers under the brands: Tire Kingdom, NTB – National Tire and Battery, and Merchant’s Tire and Auto Centers, along with nearly 500 franchised Big O Tires locations. The contingent of over 1250 stores has trained and certified ASE technicians who use state-of-the-art equipment to provide quality service on cars and trucks. The nationwide warranty provides peace of mind while it protects consumers and their investment in over 40 states. TBC Retail Group employs more than 300 associates at its Juno Beach, Florida headquarters and approximately 10,000 associates nationally. To locate a store near you, call 800-NEW-TIRE. TBC Corporation, headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is one of the nation’s largest marketers of automotive replacement tires through a multi-channel retail and wholesale strategy.

- Sarah Fisher Racing, Press Release