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IZOD IndyCar Series Driver Talks About His First Road Course Test in New Chassis

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – National Guard Panther Racing driver JR Hildebrand spent Monday and Tuesday of this week at Sebring International Raceway, in his first road course test in the DW12 chassis. Previously, Hildebrand tested the car at Homestead-Miami Speedway as part of a manufacturer test with Chevrolet. Below are the second-year driver’s responses after returning to the race shop following the two-day test:

It had to be nice to finally get back out to a racetrack with the team and run again. This was your first run on a road course in the DW12 – what were your initial impressions? 

I felt like as a team, and me kind of getting used to it as a driver, we made goodprogress over the couple of days. And that’s really what it was all about; trying to figure out what’s going to be different. Rather than try to start changing things right away, we went out and tried to get used to how it rannow, and just be open to maybe a different outlook on what we need to be able to do to make the car go fast. 

It’s definitely nice to get back on the road courses and start working on things. As much as it’s not massively different, since lap times were fairly similar to what we had been doing, there definitely are some things that I needed to adjust to – like new carbon brakes. I think in the end it will be a definite increase in performance for the car. It took a while to get used to how they work. I think more people went shooting through braking zones in these last two days at Sebring than you would have in a month when you would have been running before. 

Beyond that, the carbon brakes are definitely a whole different ball of wax. Rightnow, we found them to be much more sensitive, and a little bit tougher to kind of manage. It was clear right away, though, that the performance was better. So that will just be an ongoing process to hone in on what we need to be doing. I think in the end that will change the driving style you use to get in the car and go around the race track, because the braking zones in the end will be shorter, and that will have some effect on how you get through the corners as well. 

All things said and done, it was a successful and productive couple of days for us, and by the end of the second day we felt like we were quite competitive with where everyone else was at.

As a driver, when you compare the IR03 to the DW12, what are the biggest differences?

With the previous car, and I think I speak for a lot of the drivers, you ended up with chronic under steer and that was something that was just kind of standard, it was just one of the things you ended up dealing with. As much as this wholeweight distribution has been brought up as an issue for ovals, in some respect it might be a bit of a benefit for street and road courses because it does allow the car to turn, maybe even too well. So that, from a handling perspective, was definitely different. 

The other thing is the turbo engines; it’s just kind of a different feeling. I didn’t find it particularly difficult to get used to. It’s not like we’re going out there all of a sudden with 1000 horsepower, but there is a different style in throttle application through and out of corners. I think it’s going to take some time to figure out how to get the most out of the car. In the old car there had bit more low end torque and not as much high end horsepower so it was kind of linear in how you applied the throttle. So you got used to waiting to get to the point when you actually need the car to go and getting on the throttle. With this it’s different because you have that little bit of lag, so you have to think ahead of time, “up there I want the car to be going so now I need to give it a little more gas now.” It’s just an ongoing process.

It was back in December you got your first chance to drive the new car on the oval at Homestead during Chevrolet testing. What were some of your initial impressions back then? 

It was very cool. Probably the coolest thing, for me, was just being in a positionwhere you’re working with the manufacturer and they really need your specific input about how things go. 

I got a little bit of the vibe before I got going that day that I was kind of the new kid on the block and I wasn’t the guy that had years of experience, that helped develop a car before and that kind of stuff. But once we got into the run plan and got going I think whether it was some of the other engineers with otherChevrolet teams about the car itself, or the Chevrolet engineers that were there regarding pit stop stuff, or how the car ran on the track, or how it runs in certain conditions or whatever, they were very keen to ask my opinion ofthings. You could tell you were making a difference in some way that your input was being valued for things that they were going to continue to try in the future. 

That’s something that we all experience on a daily basis at the race track at somelevel working with an engineer trying to make the car better. You know all of a sudden this time around with reference with all kinds of new things. So that was kind of neat to be able to have the chance to start thinking about things a little bit differently as well. 

Having to sit there and talk to the engine guy just about anything is something that I’ve never had to do with the current car. You just get in and the motors are what they are, they’ve been tuned up over the years and it’s already totally under control. Where as this time around, anything is fair game to help make, whether it’s the engine itself or the processes, much better. So that was just neat. I’ve always prided myself in some way on my ability to give feedback about stuff. So that was neat to be able to do it with some new people in a different way. 

Obviously preseason testing is a key component going into any IndyCar Series season, but can you overstate the importance of testing this offseason as all the teams try to get a handle on having a new chassis?

Without a doubt, I think this year it’s even more important than it has been in years past. I think a big piece of that is being able to gage how quickly other people are figuring things out, especially for us going into the season as a one car team, going into testing where there are a bunch of other cars we really get a feel. It’s always hard to tell what people are doing, and what strategies they have, but in this day and age there is rarely sand bagging on test days, and I think that will be a big piece of it. 

We’ve certainly got our own ideas about it, and working with Chevrolet it’s a collaborative group of the Chevy teams that work together on things. You just never know what people are doing or what people are finding. In the end, as cut and dry as it seems, lap time is a pretty good indication for how quickly people are figuring things out. I know from experience we had throughout the year, just keeping up, whether it’s drivers figuring things out or teams figuring things out, that will be super important.

Source: Panther Racing, Press Release

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Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines:

1. Hildebrand to return to Panther Racing with two-year extension

2. Kimball, Ganassi to renews with Ganassi

3. Power, Castroneves to help Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix ticket launch:

4. Clauson renews scholarship with second USAC drivers title

1. Hildebrand to return to Panther Racing with two-year extension: Panther Racing has exercised its two-year option on JR Hildebrand’s contract, ensuring he will drive the No. 4 National Guard entry for the 2012 and 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series seasons.

Hildebrand, 23, the reining Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, recorded two top-five and five top-10 finishes.

His first full season was eventful, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the Indianapolis 500. A week later, he tore the ACL in his left knee during a media event at Texas Motor Speedway, but bounced back two weeks later and recorded his best career qualification effort (fourth) at Iowa Speedway. In September, he broke a bone in his hand during an incident in the Baltimore race, but again responded the following race with a seventh-place result at Twin Ring Motegi. He also suffered a bruised sternum and a concussion in a crash at the final race of the season.

“We’re happy that we’re able to keep JR in the No. 4 car for the next two years,” managing partner and CEO John Barnes said. “We signed him last year with every intention that he would be in the No. 4 car for the foreseeable future and he proved both inside and outside the race car that he was a perfect fit for this team and what we represent.

“The true test of any athlete is how they handle adversity, and I couldn’t be more impressed with how he handled himself during the course of this season. Everybody at Panther has learned a lot from the soldiers in the National Guard, and it’s great to see how well Hildebrand represented all those soldiers. We’ve all got our work cut out for us for next season, and we’re very pleased that JR is going to be a part of that.”

Hildebrand had knee surgery after the season to repair the torn ACL and is not expected to miss any off-season testing. He is scheduled to test the 2012 Dallara chassis for Chevrolet in early December.

Hildebrand, a Sausalito, Calif., native, signed with Panther Racing in December after a two-day driver evaluation test at Phoenix International Raceway. He was the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights champion and prior to coming to Panther made two IZOD IndyCar Series starts with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing during the 2010 season.

“I’m super stoked that I’m going to be back at Panther for the next two years,” Hildebrand said. “It was a crazy year for us, but we had some really strong runs and I enjoyed being a part of this team.

“I worked really well with my engineer David Cripps this season and I know everybody is already working really hard on improving for 2012. And I’m especially excited to be able to continue to work with the National Guard; that was a special opportunity and it was a very educational experience for me. To see the sacrifices these soldiers make and to realize that they’ve entrusted us to tell their stories and represent them is an honor for all of us.

“Everybody at Panther is excited about getting started on next year and especially looking forward to getting back to the Indianapolis 500 so we can avenge our battle scar.”

2. Kimball, Ganassi to renews with Ganassi: Novo Nordisk, a world leader in diabetes care, announced (November is Diabetes Awareness Month) a multi-year extension as primary sponsor of the No. 83 Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing car driven by Charlie Kimball.

Kimball, 26, from Camarillo, Calif., is the first licensed driver with type 1 diabetes to compete in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Diagnosed in 2007, he monitors his blood sugar before, during and after each race. Kimball utilizes the Novo Nordisk insulin Levemir and NovoLog to help manage his diabetes, administering it with a prefilled insulin pen device called FlexPen.

“After an exciting first year, we are extremely proud to continue our partnership with Charlie Kimball and Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing,” said Camille Lee, Corporate Vice President, Diabetes Marketing at Novo Nordisk. “This team represents a unique opportunity for us, as a pharmaceutical company, to raise disease awareness on a broader scale and show everyone that diabetes doesn’t need to slow you down.”

Following two years of sponsorship of Kimball in Firestone Indy Lights, Novo Nordisk partnered with Chip Ganassi Racing to form Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing and in December 2010 became the title sponsor of Kimball in his IZOD IndyCar Series rookie season. Kimball posted two top-10 finishes in 2011 and finished 13th in his debut at the Indianapolis 500.

“My partnership with Novo Nordisk is very unique because they make the insulins I take every day and they produce the delivery device I use to manage my diabetes,” Kimball said. “I am fortunate to have Novo Nordisk and Chip Ganassi Racing support me in my career and I am proud and honored to be associated with these two outstanding organizations.”

Novo Nordisk has been actively involved in providing information about diabetes awareness at INDYCAR events through the “Drive the Switch” program and the “Race with Insulin” campaign.

“It speaks volumes that a company like Novo Nordisk is making this type of long-term commitment to our team, to Charlie, and the IndyCar Series,” team owner Chip Ganassi said. “Charlie has done everything that we have asked of him on the track and we certainly feel his future is bright. As for Novo, they have been a tremendous partner both on and off the track.”

3. Power, Castroneves to help Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix ticket launch: Team Penske drivers Will Power and Helio Castroneves will help the launch of ticket sales for the return of the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix on Nov. 22.

The drivers will visit Detroit to celebrate tickets going on sale and will be on site at the Grand Prix office in downtown Detroit to field calls from ticket buyers and help sell tickets to the event during the morning.

“In both 2007 and 2008 the Grand Prix welcomed over 100,000 fans to Detroit over the course of the three-day weekend,” said Bud Denker, Event Chairman of the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. “This is a great event for the Motor City and all of southeast Michigan and we will provide even more family entertainment and great racing for our fans as we bring the Grand Prix back to Belle Isle. Our region has been through some difficult times the past few years and we are excited to keep ticket prices the same as they were four years ago and we encourage everyone to secure their seats early and take advantage of the opportunity to buy your tickets from Helio or Will on November 22nd.”

Tickets for the 2012 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix will go on sale to the public on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011 and prices will remain the same as they were four years ago for the last Grand Prix event in Detroit.

World-class auto racing will return to the Motor City the weekend of June 1-3, 2012 as the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix will roar through the streets of Belle Isle Park for the first time since 2008. The action-packed weekend will feature four premiere racing series competing on the 2.1-mile road course at Belle Isle. The cars of the IZOD IndyCar Series, the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, the Pirelli World Challenge Championship Series and the Firestone Indy Lights Series will all race at the Grand Prix to wave the green flag on summertime in Detroit.

Tickets for the three-day event can be purchased by calling 1-866-464-PRIX (7749), by visiting the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix office located in suite 2311, above the Wintergarden in the GM Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit or online at www.DetroitGP.com beginning Nov. 22.

4. Clauson renews scholarship with second USAC drivers title: Bryan Clauson will get another season as an INDYCAR racer.

The USAC short-track standout clinched his second USAC National Drivers Championship – and the scholarship to compete in Firestone Indy Lights – with a sixth-place finish in the USAC Sprint Car race at Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif.

“It was a busy year with a lot of ups and downs, and to lock down and get the job done late in the year to put this thing away was just awesome,” the 22-year-old native of Noblesville, Ind., said. ” I couldn’t have done it without my great car owners, Tony Stewart, Mike Curb, and Corey Tucker or all the great crew guys that I get to work with.”

Clauson will try to become the first driver since Billy Boat to win three-straight Turkey Night Grand Prixs at Irwindale, Calif., later this month, as well as lock up his second consecutive USAC Midget title. He will officially receive his $40,000 prize and his INDYCAR scholarship for winning the National Drivers Championship at USAC’s “Night of Champions” Banquet on Dec. 9 in Indianapolis.

Until then, he said he’ll work with INDYCAR officials to determine how best to utilize the scholarship for 2012.

“I’m really excited about moving forward on the Indy Car side of things,” he said. “We had already been hard at work trying to put something together without the scholarship and had some great meetings, so I feel like the scholarship will only help solidify whatever program we put together.

“As far as a direction for where I’ll land for sure, I think it’s too early. Obviously I have an idea of where I’d like to land, but there are a lot of people involved in the scholarship program that we need to make sure we take care of. When I get home from this west coast swing after Turkey Night, you can be sure that I will be back hard at work to put a solid program together whether it ends up being on the Lights side or the IZOD IndyCar side.”

- INDYCAR, Press Release

2011 Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Day JR Hildebrand - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year to Return to Panther’s No. 4 Entry for 2012, 2013 IndyCar Seasons

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (November 16, 2011) – Panther Racing confirmed today that it has exercised its two-year option on JR Hildebrand’s contract, ensuring the 23-year-old Californian will pilot the team’s No. 4 National Guard entry for the 2012 and 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series seasons. Hildebrand, the reining Indianapolis 500 runner-up and Rookie of the Year, just completed his first full IndyCar Series season for Panther and led three races while collecting two Top Five and five Top Ten finishes during the year.

“We’re happy that we’re able to keep JR in the No. 4 car for the next two years,” Panther Managing Partner and CEO John Barnes said. “We signed him last year with every intention that he would be in the No. 4 car for the foreseeable future and he proved both inside and outside the racecar that he was a perfect fit for this team and what we represent. The true test of any athlete is how they handle adversity, and I couldn’t be more impressed with how he handled himself during the course of this season. Everybody at Panther has learned a lot from the Soldiers in the National Guard, and it’s great to see how well Hildebrand represented all those Soldiers. We’ve all got our work cut out for us for next season, and we’re very pleased that JR is going to be a part of that.”

Hildebrand’s rookie campaign in the IZOD IndyCar Series was more than eventful, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the Indianapolis 500 where he led until the final turn of the historic event. Aweek later, he tore the ACL in his left knee during a media event at Texas Motor Speedway, but bounced back two weeks later and recorded his best career qualification effort (fourth) at Iowa Speedway, where he led the race and finished fourth. In September, he broke a bone in his hand during an incident in Baltimore, but again responded the following race with a seventh-place result at Twin Ring Motegi, his career best result on a non-oval track. After suffering a bruised sternum and a concussion in a crash at the final event of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the team is looking to bounce back in 2012.

“I’m super stoked that I’m going to be back at Panther for the next two years,” Hildebrand said. “It was a crazy year for us, but we had some really strong runs and I enjoyed being a part of this team. I worked really well with my engineer David Cripps this season and I know everybody is already working really hard on improving for 2012. And I’m especially excited to be able to continue to work with the National Guard; that was a special opportunity and it was a very educational experience for me. To see the sacrifices these Soldiers make and to realize that they’ve entrusted us to tell their stories and represent them is an honor for all of us. Everybody at Panther is excited about getting started on next year and especially looking forward to getting back to the Indianapolis 500 so we can avenge our battlescar.”

Hildebrand had knee surgery immediately after the season to repair his torn ACL and is not expected to miss any offseasontesting while recovering from the operation. He is scheduled to test the 2012 Dallara chassis for Chevrolet in early December, which will be his first opportunity to drive the new car. JR, a Sausalito, California native, signed with Panther in December of last year after a two-day driver evaluation test at Phoenix International Raceway. He was the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights champion and prior to coming to Panther made two IZOD IndyCar Series starts with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing during the 2010 season.

www.JRHildebrandRacing.com – www.pantherracing.com – www.NationalGuard.com

- Panther Racing, Press Release

JR Hildebrand in car - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (October 27, 2011) –

“Everything went well and I was just definitely excited about being able to get in here and finally get everything done,” Hildebrand said. “While it didn’t have a big affect on what I was doing inside the racecar, and I had a lot of help from people to make sure it didn’t, it definitely had an impact on my training outside of the car. Training is a big part of my daily routine, and my sanity in some ways, so I’m excited about getting going with my rehab and to get back in the training mode as soon as I can.”

Hildebrand, the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, suffered the injury a week after his runner-up finish at Indianapolis, but the 23-year-old missed zero track time as a result. He is not expected to miss any off-season test time as a result of yesterday’s surgery, and will be fully recovered in time for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season.

-Panther Racing, Press Release

Buddy Rice/Panther Racing - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

IZOD IndyCar Series Field Conducts First Practice Session, 34-Cars Set to Qualify Tomorrow

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (October 13, 2011) – The IZOD IndyCar World Championships at Las Vegas kicked off Thursday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where 34 IndyCar Series cars recorded lap times in preparations for the 2011 season finale on Sunday at the 1.5-mile oval. Panther Racing drivers JR Hildebrand and Buddy Rice combined for a total of 88 laps and finished 24^th and 26^th, respectively, on the final speed chart for the day.

Hildebrand led the team with a top speed of 221.360 mph, 25.1102 seconds and Rice was just behind his teammate with a top speed of 221.002 mph, 25.1509 seconds. There is another practice session tomorrow before IZOD IndyCar Series qualifications for Sunday’s 200-lap event. This is the first time IndyCars have competed at Las Vegas since 2000.

The IZOD IndyCar World Championships at Las Vegas will be broadcast live on ABC at 3 pm Sunday, October 16^thwith additional coverage provided by the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 94 and Sirius channel 212.

2011 Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Day JR Hildebrand - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

“We had a pretty good day. I didn’t put in any major lap times and we spent a lot of time running in traffic and feel really good about where we’re at. Just in a general sense, the racing this weekend is going to be crazy. The number of cars outthere that could run side-by-side, from being three-wide from one pack to another was pretty intense and was almost easy as long as you could stay aware of where cars are around you. The race is going to be really exciting for the fans and in the end that’s what we’re all here for.”

Buddy Rice, No. 44 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Dallara Honda:

“It was a good day for us in the Fuzzy’s Vodka car. The car feels good, and we’ll make a couple more adjustments for tomorrow heading into the practice and the qualifications. We’ll see if we can’t qualify closer to the front than we did in Kentucky, that way we can be more racy at that start and I think that will make a big difference where we end up.”

www.JRHildebrandRacing.com – www.pantherracing.com – www.NationalGuard.com.

- Panther Racing, Press Release

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IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year Candidate Gets Ride of a Lifetime with Air Forces’ Best

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (October 12, 2011) – National Guard Panther Racing driver JR Hildebrand knew he was in for the ride of his life at Nellis Air Force Base on Tuesday, where the United States Air Force Thunderbirds gave the 23-year-old rookie the opportunity to fly in one of their F-16 fighter jets. What he didn’t realize, however, was that nearly as soon as they’d taken off that Captain Nick Holmes, fittingly the Thunderbirds pilot No. 4, was going to allow the reining Indy 500 Rookie of the Year to fly the plane himself.

“It seemed like soon as we got up on the air, the pilot says, ‘Hey man, you wanna fly the plane?” Hildebrand said. “I was thinking, ‘Are you kidding me?’”

While Hildebrand was allowed to maneuver the jet during the ride, the real flying was done by Capt. Holmes, who took JR on a ride that included barrel rolls, a full loop, aileron rolls, flying inverted (upside down), a mock bombing run and pulling a 9-G turn – a move that earned Hildebrand a 9-G pin, a commemorative pin for the few who have pulled 9 Gs in an aircraft. The flight averaged roughly 500 mph while they reached a speed just under Mach One flying over the picturesque Sierra Nevada mountains.

“I was freaking out when we pulled nine Gs; you feel like your eyes are popping out of your head,” Hildebrand explained. “This what just an unbelievable experience that far exceeded my expectations. Andwhat was cool about this too was being able to fly in the No. 4 jet, we’re proud of that number and it’s pretty cool to see the other side of that here with Captain Holmes and all these guys with the Thunderbirds who work so hard on all this equipment.”

Capt. Holmes, who is referred to simply as“Number Four” around Nellis Air Force Base, is the Slot in the Thunderbirds lineup, meaning his flies in the position directly behind Pilot Number One, who is the lead – or point – of the Thunderbirds historic diamond formation.

“He did an awesome job,” Capt. Holmes said of Hildebrand afterward. “It was such a thrill to show the other Number Four how our team works. It’s always an honor to be able to showcase the pride, professionalism and teamwork embodied by America’s Airmen every day.”

It was the thrill of a lifetime for Hildebrand, the self-described “adrenaline junkie”, who told Panther officials at the time of his signing last December that two things he wanted to do this season was fly in an F-16 and jump out of a plane. He marked the first off the list onTuesday and National Guard officials have already agreed to arrange for him to jump out of a plane after he recovers from ACL knee surgery which is scheduled shortly after the season concludes this Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Many of the Thunderbirds were quick to inform Hildebrand that when NASCAR driver Carl Edwards flew with them earlier this year, he won the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that weekend and gave themthe trophy to put on display at Nellis.

“So no pressure, right?” Hildebrand joked with the pilots and crew. “I’d be happy to take Rookie of the Year this weekend, for sure. I’m just not sure I’ll get the same adrenaline rush standing up there with the trophy as I got from these guys.”

www.JRHildebrandRacing.com – www.pantherracing.com – www.NationalGuard.com

- Panther Racing, Press Release

2011 Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Day JR Hildebrand - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

The team conducted its first test with Hildebrand in December of 2010 at another difficult one-mile short track oval, Phoenix International Raceway.

Hildebrand currently ranks eighth in the IZOD IndyCar Series championship standings and leads fellow rookie James Hinchcliffe by 33 points in the chase for the series Rookie of the Year. In his five starts with Panther this season he has collected two Top Ten and one Top Five finish. Last weekend at Indianapolis he led the race on three separate occasions for a total of seven laps, his first career laps led as an IndyCar Series competitor.

The IZOD IndyCar Series is off this weekend before traveling to Texas Motor Speedway next Saturday night for the Firestone Twin 275s, a pair of exciting races on the high-banked 1.5-mile oval. Panther Racing has collected a total of five victories at Texas with three different drivers.

JR Hildebrand, No. 4 National Guard Dallara Honda:

“For everybody at Panther Racing it was refreshing to focus on something different and Milwaukee and Indy are so different it was nice to be in a new situation and start moving forward. It’s been a couple years since I’ve ran here in anything, but we rolled out and were up to speed right away. We got settled in pretty quick and from there it was just all of us trying to make progress on the day. There were a lot of things I was picking up on as we worked through the day. It’s a different place, but having ran two days in Phoenix in December prepared me for running at Milwaukee even though those two tracks are very different. I got a good feel for short oval racing those two days at Phoenix and that served me really well today.”

“Indianapolis was a big sigh or relief for all of us because now we know we can do this right and be competitive. And we’re definitely taking that with us as we move forward. If you would have asked me at the beginning of the year the tracks were we’d be strong I would have told you Indy, Texas, Milwaukee and Iowa. But then from an attitude perspective, for me it will make for less pressure on all of us going back to road courses because we’ve shown we can do this and that simplifies the process and helps you get back to basics.”

www.JRHildebrandRacing.com – www.pantherracing.com – www.NationalGuard.com

- Panther Racing, Press Release

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Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines:

1. Indianapolis 500 telecast ratings rise over 2010

2. Teams use off week to test Milwaukee

3. Wheldon sent packing on Victory Tour

1. Indianapolis 500 telecast ratings rise over 2010: ABC’s high-definition broadcast of the 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500 on May 29 delivered a 4.3 preliminary overnight rating in metered markets – up from 4.0 in 2010.

Viewership increases were realized in Chicago, Las Vegas, Tampa, Fla., Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, among others, of the 56 markets during the noon-3:30 p.m. (ET) race broadcast. ESPN on ABC’s one-hour pre-race show hosted by Brent Musburger — with a blend of compelling features and the sights and sounds of the pre-race ceremonies on Memorial Day weekend – also attracted strong viewership numbers.

It was the 47th consecutive year that ABC telecast the 500 Mile Race — one of the longest-running relationships between a sporting event and a network.

“All in all, the race was excellent with storylines throughout that kept the viewers’ and spectators’ attention,” said Randy Bernard, CEO, INDYCAR. “We saw a significant television increase in the metered markets, and it’s important for us to keep our momentum moving upward to 2012. With the introduction new car, we think it’s a great storyline and we’re optimistic there are more good things to come.”

Dan Wheldon won the drama-filled race on the historic 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, overtaking the crippled car of rookie JR Hildebrand a few hundred yards from the start/finish line. Hildebrand’s car made right-side contact with the outside retaining wall exiting Turn 4 on the 200th and final lap, but he was able to slide across the “Yard of Bricks” to claim second place.

Wheldon, a resident of St. Petersburg, Fla., earned $2.56 million from the purse of $13.5 million. Hildebrand, of Sausalito, Calif., who was voted the Chase Rookie of the Year, received $1,064,895.

More excitement and drama is sure to come from the Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway on June 11, featuring two 125-lap races on the 1.5-mile oval with a one-hour break in between. VERSUS will broadcast both events starting at 8 p.m. (ET).

ABC will televise IZOD IndyCar Series races from the Milwaukee Mile (June 19), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Aug. 14) and the IZOD INDYCAR World Championships at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Oct. 16).

It’s an off weekend of competition for the IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights, but teams are using June 1-3 to test at the Milwaukee Mile for the June 17-19 race weekend.

2. Teams use off week to test Milwaukee: Fourteen IZOD IndyCar Series drivers will put in a day on the oval June 1, while 10 more will test June 3. Thirteen Firestone Indy Lights driver/car combinations will be on the track June 2.

Fans can watch testing each day (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) in Turns 1-2, and Milwaukee 225 promoters will host a watching party (food, drinks, apparel, ticket purchase) June 3 in the Turn 2 parking lot.

Both series return to the historic track after a year’s absence. Scott Dixon, who won the IZOD IndyCar Series race in 2009, will be among those getting re-acquainted with the flat racetrack on June 3.

The fifth-place finisher in the Indianapolis 500 on May 29 will be joined by Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate and reigning series champion Dario Franchitti; 500 Mile Race runner-up and Chase Rookie of the Year JR Hildebrand of National Guard Panther Racing; Graham Rahal, the third-place finisher in the ’500′ and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Charlie Kimball; Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves and series points leader Will Power; Telemundo Newman/Haas Racing’s Oriol Servia; and Ana Beatriz of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

“I’m looking forward to going back,” said Sarah Fisher Racing driver Ed Carpenter, who will be among the drivers testing June 1. “It’s a very challenging racetrack for drivers, engineers and teams, so there’s definitely a premium on getting a good balance on the car and a good setup. We’ll be working on that during the day.”

Also at the track June 1 will be Andretti Autosport drivers Danica Patrick, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti and Mike Conway; Vitor Meira of A.J. Foyt Racing; the KV Racing Technology-Lotus contingent of Indy 500 fourth-place finisher Tony Kanaan, Takuma Sato and E.J. Viso; Ed Carpenter of Sarah Fisher Racing; Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s Justin Wilson and Beatriz; Simona de Silvestro of HVM Racing; James Jakes of Dale Coyne Racing; and Conquest Racing’s Sebastian Saavedra.

Firestone Indy Lights competitors getting in laps June 2 include Firestone Freedom 100 winner and series points leader Josef Newgarden, along with Sam Schmidt Motorsports teammates Esteban Guerrieri, Bryan Clauson and Victor Carbone. Team Moore Racing’s Victor Garcia and Gustavo Yacaman, Team Jensen’s David Ostella, Andretti Autosport’s Stefan Wilson, Bryan Herta Autosport’s Duarte Ferreira and O2 Racing’s Peter Dempsey also will be in cars.

3. Wheldon sent packing on Victory Tour: Waiting for the initial volley of early-morning TV and radio guest appearances, Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon reflected on the hectic race that transpired a few hundred feet from his victory podium perch at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

His milk- and champagne-soaked firesuit washed overnight for a photo shoot, Wheldon also put into perspective his place in the race’s history.

“For me, winning the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 is very special,” said Wheldon, 32, a resident of St. Petersburg, Fla. “I love this racetrack. I love this race and what it’s done for my career even before being a two-time winner. That is an emotion that didn’t come into it before, and because I’m more experienced I’m able to appreciate this more and you have more time to appreciate it.

“It’s certainly different from the last one. I remember I was out for most of the night with my sponsor, Jim Beam. Last night, I went to a driver party for about an hour and then I retired to bed. (Two-year-old son) Sebastian crawled into bed with us about 4 o’clock in the morning and kind of took over the bed.”

Wheldon, who started sixth in the No. 98 William Rast-Curb/Big Machine car for Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb/Agajanian, overtook the sliding, crippled car of rookie JR Hildebrand just before the start/finish line to become the 10th two-time champion of the race.

“They’re both obviously very good and it’s an amazing achievement by everybody,” Whedon continued as he was given the two-minute cue for “The Early Show” on CBS. “This one was definitely more emotional; there was a lot more going on. A lot of things have changed in my life since 2005.”

In the succeeding years, he exchanged marriage vows, has two young sons and is coping – along with his extended family – with his mother, Sue, having Alzheimer’s disease. He championed the Alzheimer Association’s message of early diagnosis and risk-factor education during the month.

“For me, there’s a lot going on back home with my family and it was certainly nice to win,” he said. “It was very emotional and different from the last one because of that but nevertheless very good. This also is potentially my only race of the season. It wasn’t one of the races with one of the big, powerhouse teams; it was with (former teammate and longtime friend) Bryan Herta. We didn’t do this deal because we were friends. We would have still been friends even if we hadn’t done this deal. We did it because we believed in one another and we believed that we could win.”

Soon after the media obligations at the Speedway, Wheldon went shopping for clothing for the multi-city Victory Tour that starts May 31 – among his appearances will be a visit to “Late Night with David Letterman” on June 6 — and a suit for the Victory Banquet later in the evening.

“I didn’t think I’d need one,” he said of the improbable victory.

***

The 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the Firestone Twin 275s on June 11 at Texas Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 8 p.m. (ET) by VERSUS. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM channel 94 and www.indycar.com. The 2011 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the David Hobbs 100 at the Milwaukee Mile on June 17.

- INDYCAR, Press Release

100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Logo

IZOD IndyCar Series

INDIANAPOLIS - Results Sunday of the 2011 Indianapolis 500 IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (6) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

2. (12) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

3. (29) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

4. (22) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

5. (2) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

6. (3) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

7. (14) Bertrand Baguette, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

8. (21) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

9. (27) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

10. (25) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

11. (8) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

12. (9) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running

13. (28) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running

14. (5) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running

15. (11) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running

16. (19) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running

17. (16) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running

18. (7) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, 198, Running

19. (30) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 198, Running

20. (31) Pippa Mann, Dallara-Honda, 198, Running

21. (32) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 197, Running

22. (17) John Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 197, Running

23. (33) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 197, Running

24. (15) Davey Hamilton, Dallara-Honda, 193, Running

25. (24) Paul Tracy, Dallara-Honda, 175, Running

26. (4) Townsend Bell, Dallara-Honda, 157, Contact

27. (26) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 157, Contact

28. (1) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 147, Contact

29. (13) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Honda, 99, Contact

30. (20) Jay Howard, Dallara-Honda, 60, Contact

31. (23) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 44, Handling

32. (18) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 27, Contact

33. (10) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 20, Contact

Race Statistics

Winners average speed: 170.265
Time of Race: 2:56:11.7267
Margin of victory: Under Caution
Cautions: 7 for 40
Lead changes: 23 among 10 drivers

Lap Leaders: Dixon 1-7, Tagliani 8-26, Dixon 27-33, Tagliani 34, Dixon 35-60, Franchitti 61, Carpenter 62-64, Franchitti 65-72, Dixon 73-98, Franchitti 99, Hildebrand 100-103, Franchitti 104-112, Servia 113-128, Franchitti 129-137, Hildebrand 138, Baguette 139-140, Franchitti 141-163, Servia 164-165, Rahal 166-171, Dixon 172-178, Patrick 179-188, Baguette 189-197, Hildebrand 198-199, Wheldon 200.

Point Standings: Power 194, Franchitti 178, Servia 150, Kanaan 135, Dixon 129, Rahal 120, Briscoe 117, Hildebrand 113, Tagliani 110, Mike Conway 102.

- INDYCAR, Press Release

Panther Racing

Panther has finished runner-up in the Indianapolis 500 in each of the last three seasons; 2008 with Vitor Meira and 2009-2010 with former Indy winner Dan Wheldon.

Rice turned a total of 44 laps in his No. 44 Fuzzy’s Vodka entry and Hildebrand circled the historic 2.5-mile Speedway 48 times in his National Guard sponsored entry.

Buddy Rice - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

Hildebrand will be making his first start in the Indianapolis 500 after making two starts at Indianapolis in the Freedom 100 Firestone Indy Lights race. He finished second in the Freedom 100 in 2009, the same year he captured the series championship. Hildebrand is the fastest rookie in the field after qualifying with a four-lap average of 225.579 mph and is the current leader in the IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year standings.

There are a total of nine drivers in the 100^th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 field who have driven for Panther Racing; Hildebrand, Rice, Dan Wheldon (2002, 2009-2010), Vitor Meira (2006-2008), Townsend Bell (2004, 2005), Tomas Scheckter (2004-2005), Ed Carpenter (2010), John Andretti (2007) and Pippa Mann (Indy Lights, 2009).

The 95^th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race will be broadcast live on ABC on Sunday, May 29^th at 12:00 p.m. with additional coverage provided by the IMS Radio Network, www.indycar.com, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211.

JR Hildebrand, No. 4 National Guard Dallara Honda:

JR Hildebrand in car - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

Buddy Rice, No. 44 Panther Racing Dallara Honda:

“It’s all good. I just have to thank John Barnes and everybody at Panther Racing for giving me this opportunity, and having Fuzzy’s Vodka come on board when they did has been a big help to our program. Panther has a great oval program and their history here at Indianapolis speaks for itself so we feel really good about how the entire month has gone.”

www.FuzzysVodka.com – www.pantherracing.com – www.NationalGuard.com

- Panther Racing, Press Release

JR Hildebrand in car - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

This is the second consecutive year that Panther has put a driver in the Top Nine Shootout, after Ed Carpenter made it in 2010 and eventually qualified in the eighth position. For Rice, this marks his best start in the Indianapolis 500 since he was the polesitter in 2004, the same year he captured the Borg Warner Trophy. During today’s Top Nine Shootout he completed laps of 225.925, 225.876, 225.728 and 225.619 for a four-lap average of 225.786 mph. Rice’s speed was almost identical to what he ran earlier in the day (225.746 mph) to qualify for the Top Nine.

Hildebrand becomes the third rookie to qualify a Panther Racing car at Indianapolis, along with Tomas Enge (10^th, 2005) and Mark Taylor (14^th, 2004). He is currently the IZOD IndyCar Series leader in the Rookie of the Year chase and finished runner-up at Indianapolis in the Firestone Indy Lights race in 2009. The 23-year-old Californian posted lap speeds of 225.674, 225.549, 225.433, 225.659 for a four-lap average of 225.579 mph.

Hildebrand was the top qualified rookie in a tight battle with Newman/Haas driver James Hinchcliffe, whose four-lap average of 225.572 mph was nearly identical to Hildebrand’s average of 225.579 mph. Hinchcliffe is also second in the IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year chase to Hildebrand by just three championship points.

Panther has finished runner-up in the Indianapolis 500 for three consecutive years starting from 18^th (Wheldon, 2009-2010) and 8^th (Vitor Meira, 2008). The team has also finished inside the Top Ten in six consecutive Indy 500s.

A total of 24 cars qualified today, with another day of qualifications starting tomorrow at 12 noon at the Speedway.After 33 cars are qualified tomorrow, traditional bumping will ensue with the slowest qualified car being bumped until the gun sounds to conclude the day at 6 pm.

The 95^th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race will be broadcast live on ABC on Sunday, May 29^th at 12:00 p.m. with additional coverage provided by the IMS Radio Network, www.indycar.com, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211.

JR Hildebrand, No. 4 National Guard Dallara Honda:

“The racer in me always wants to go back out there and go a little bit quicker, but this was a great job by theentire crew. The conditions today were catching a lot of guys out. It cooled off a little bit and we had a pretty hefty cross-wind during the run. We feel good about where we’re at and everybody at National Guard Panther Racing has been awesome and having Buddy Rice here as well has been a huge help for the team. There is so much collective experience between them that it’s been a fairly low-key setting in our garage, which has made it much easier to make smart decisions moving forward. I certainly owe a majority of the success we’ve had to those guys, and coming in as a rookie you don’t want to set too high an expectation for yourself, but the equipment is awesome. The National Guard car has been running great all week and we have some pretty high hopes for where we can end up at the end of this thing.”

Buddy Rice in car - Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

“The car was good all day. The track stayed in really good shape (after the rain) and I knew as soon as I got out there everything was going to be OK. Everything’s been good this week; we’re happy. I don’t think a lot of people expected JR and I to be up there, and we were a bit conservative on the last run here, but we didn’t know what we had with the way the weather was after the rain. I’ve just got to thank John Barnes and everybody at Panther Racing for giving me this opportunity. I’m just glad to be here after being gone for two years and it’s the Centennial, so I’m really happy to be a part of that.”

John Barnes, Panther Racing Managing Partner & CEO:

“We expected that both our cars would do really well today and our guys did a great job. Buddy’s been a great teammate to JR and there has been amazing support between the two of them – they’re doing a helluva job. I’m just so happy with how our team prepared for this week. We haven’t started this far up the grid with both cars in a long time, and I know both the National Guard car and the No. 44 car will have great setups on race day. These two drivers have worked better together as a teamthan any teammates we’ve had. Buddy’s been very engaged with JR and has helped tutor him to be better, and what’s great about JR is you tell him something once and he’s so bright and just gets it. I’m also very happy to see how well Vitor Meira and Dan Wheldon did today, they’ve been a big part of our success in the past at Indianapolis and huge contributors to the National Guard during their time in the No. 4 car. I wish those two the best as well.”

www.JRHildebrandRacing.com – www.pantherracing.com – www.NationalGuard.com

- Panther Racing, Press Release

Panther Racing

A total of 24 cars will be qualified, pending Bump Day, tomorrow afternoon with only the top nine qualifiers being lockedinto the field for the 95^th Indianapolis 500. For the last 90 minutes of Saturday the top nine will have a shootout for the Pole Position. Last season, Panther/Vision Racing driver Ed Carpenter made the top-nine shootout and started the race in the eighth position. Former driver Dan Wheldon qualified 18^th for the race and finished runner-up in the No. 4 National Guard car.

Panther’s best qualification effort in the Indy 500 came in 2006 when Vitor Meira started in the sixth position on the outside of the second row. Meira finished 10^th in that event.

The 95^th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race will be broadcast live on ABC on Sunday, May 29^th at 12:00 p.m. with additional coverage provided by the IMS Radio Network, www.indycar.com, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211.

JR Hildebrand

No. 4 National Guard Dallara Honda

Top Speed: 226.939 mph

Number of Laps: 45

Overall Rank: 14^th

JR Hildebrand, No. 4 National Guard Dallara Honda:

“I owe any success we’ve had this week to the team and also because we’ve had Buddy Rice here. That’s been a huge part of me being able to get out here and get with the program. We feel like we’ve got a shot at mixing it up with the big boys out there tomorrow. We’re trying to feel out where we really stand right now, and looking at the sheets there are a lot of guys going quick right now. We’ve got our fingers crossed and we’re hoping we’ll make the right changes going into tomorrow.”

Buddy Rice

No. 44 Panther Racing Dallara Honda

Top Speed: 226.418 mph

Number of Laps: 17

Overall Rank: 19^th

Buddy Rice, No. 44 Panther Racing Dallara Honda:

“Everything has gone good so far. I’m just happy John Barnes and everybody at Panther Racing have given me this opportunity to come back and given me a really good shot at having a good run here. JR and I have worked really well together and I’m just here to be a soundboard for him and to answer any questions that he might have and help speed up the learning process – but he doesn’t need much help. We did a simulated run and I think we’re in the game, we’ve just got to keep rubbing on it. We feel like we’re close and we’ll just see what tomorrow brings. It’s a different day and obviously the conditions will be different than this but we’ve got some speed in both these Panther cars so we’ll see how it plays out.”

- Panther Racing, Press Release

INDYCAR LOGO

INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, May 19, 2011) -

With 12 minutes left in the six-hour session, Verizon Team Penske’s Power unseated Alex Tagliani atop the speed chart with a lap of 227.778 mph (fastest of the month) to earn the $5,000 Grady Brothers Construction Fastest Lap of the Day award. All 40 entrants took on the track, recording a total of 2,394 laps, and the top 38 cars were separated by one second.

Tagliani, driving the No. 77 Bower & Wilkins car for Sam Schmidt Motorsports, had a quick lap of 227.652. Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe (227.217) and three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves (226.927) followed, and Townsend Bell in the No. 99 Herbalife Schmidt Pelfrey Racing car was fifth (226.741).

The yellow flag flew early in the session when Simona de Silvestro’s No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car made heavy contact with the outside retaining wall in the North Short Chute and became airborne before catching fire. She was transported to Methodist Hospital to be treated for burns to her hands and released. Her driving status will be determined on Friday.

DAY 6 NOTEBOOK:

Three Indianapolis 500 teams earned the final three spots in the IZOD Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge during time trials this morning. Teams changed four tires and performed a simulated fueling hookup. The three qualifiers:

#28 Ryan Hunter-Reay was fourth, 9.134.

Twelve teams will compete in the IZOD Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge on Miller Lite Carb Day, Friday, May 27. These nine teams previously qualified based on pit performance between the 2010 Indianapolis 500 and the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle earlier this month:

KV Racing Technology-Lotus (#5 Sato), Team Penske (#6 Briscoe), Target Chip Ganassi Racing (#9 Dixon), Target Chip Ganassi Racing (#10 Franchitti), Team Penske (#12 Power), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (#22 Wilson), Andretti Autosport (#26 M. Andretti), Newman/Haas Racing (#06 Hinchcliffe), Dale Coyne Racing (TBD).

***

INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE:

At noon, the ambient temperature was 66 degrees with a relative humidity of 68 percent and winds from the west at 10 mph. Skies were cloudy. The track temperature was 92 degrees, according to Firestone engineers.

Noon – GREEN. #27 Conway first on track.

12:10 p.m. — #67 Carpenter fastest at 224.134.

12:25 p.m. – YELLOW. Sparks shower from bottom of #78 De Silvestro’s car entering Turn 3. Car hits outside retaining wall between Turns 3 and 4. Car jumps, spins and rides wall backward, making secondary contact with catch fence in entrance of Turn 4. Car stops upside down on fire in apron in Turn 4. Fire extinguished, De Silvestro climbs from car with assistance from Holmatro Safety Team.

***

Senators Dick Lugar and Dan Coats are proud to announce the passage of a U.S. Senate Resolution recognizing the 100^th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. The resolution passed the Senate through unanimous consent May 18.

The full text of the resolution is available at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2011-05-18/pdf/CREC-2011-05-18-pt1-PgS3113-5.pdf#page=1.

DICK LUGAR (U.S. Senator, R-Ind.): “The Indy 500 is a proud Hoosier tradition. Each May, the Indy 500 brings hundreds of thousands of spectators to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and we are pleased to showcase Indiana to so many wonderful visitors. The Indy 500 serves as a demonstration of Indiana’s proud automotive heritage. I am pleased to join with Senator Coats and the rest of the United States Senate in recognizing the 100^th anniversary of the race and look forward to many more years of this Hoosier institution.”

DAN COATS (U.S. Senator, R-Ind.): “The Indianapolis 500 is the world’s most famous and prestigious automobile race. The 500 holds a special place in the history of the automobile and Indiana. This May, Hoosiers celebrate the 100th anniversary of this great tradition and look forward to another exciting race and century of Indianapolis motorsports.”

***

Amos Brown, Indianapolis AM 1310 The Light radio talk show host, was the honorary starter today. Brown also rode in the Indy Racing Experience two-seater car this morning.

AMOS BROWN: (About his ride in the two-seater Indycar): “It was a great experience. First of all, having the honor to be driven around by Johnny Rutherford was a great experience. And it’s something that I will remember when my granddaughter is trying to drive. I won’t be as nervous with her as I was when I was in the car with JR. I didn’t realize all of the g-forces that the drivers deal with. I felt like I was getting pressed down. It gave me a better understanding of what these men and women go through to do their jobs.” (On waving the green flag to start practice for the Indianapolis 500): “That was fun. I think once I got used to the cars going by, it felt no different than if I was on the other side of the catch fence. It was a thrill to be that close to the action. That’s when I realized that: ‘Oh, OK. This is pretty fun.’ I also realized that these guys have a job to do, and there are lot of them that are trying to make the race. I never want to be in the way of people doing their job. I’m just in awe of what they are doing. I’m glad that I brought, hopefully, good weather and full day of practice so they can get ready for Saturday.”

***

Medical update from Dr. Michael Olinger, INDYCAR medical director: Simona de Silvestro is awake and alert and being transported via ground to Methodist Hospital for further evaluation of second-degree burns to her right hand and superficial burns to her left hand.

***

Today is the 38^th birthday of two-time and defending Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti.

***

ESPN Classic will present a week-long tribute in honor of the 100^th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. The 2011 edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” airs Sunday, May 29 on ABC, with pre-race at 11 a.m. (ET).

All week long beginning Monday, May 23, ESPN Classic will air classic Indy 500 races and “SportsCentury” programming. On the actual 100^th anniversary, May 30, ESPN Classic will present a 27-hour marathon anchored by a re-air of the 2011 race.

***

Jenna Wolfe, the Sunday co-anchor of “Weekend TODAY” and a correspondent for “TODAY” on NBC, visited the track today to film an upcoming segment on the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 for “Weekend Today.”

Wolfe rode in the Indy Racing Experience two-seat car with Mario Andretti driving and interviewed 2010 Indianapolis 500 Chase Rookie of the Year Simona De Silvestro, IMS Historian Donald Davidson and IMS Director of Photography Ron McQueeney.

***

The Indiana Section of SAE International will announce the winner of the 45^th annual Louis Schwitzer Award sponsored by BorgWarner at 11 a.m. Friday, May 20 in the Economaki Press Conference Room.

The Louis Schwitzer Award, presented by engineers to engineers, recognizes individuals with the courage and conviction to explore and develop new concepts in motorsports technology for use in the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. The award has been presented annually since 1967 by the Indiana Section of SAE International in honor of early racing pioneer and past Indiana Section Chairman Louis Schwitzer.

Award sponsor BorgWarner provides a $10,000 cash prize to the winner. SAE International also provides a $1,000 scholarship to the engineering school of the winner’s choice and doubles the scholarship amount if the winner was a past Formula SAE participant. In addition, the winner’s name is added to the permanent trophy on display in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.

***

Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Bruce P. Crandall has been named honorary starter for the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Sunday, May 29, waving the green flag to begin racing for the field of 33 drivers at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Retired Col. Crandall, who flew more than 900 missions as a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, received the Congressional Medal of Honor – the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government – in 2007.

Crandall was honored for his leadership, heroism and courage during the Battle of Ia Drang on Nov. 14, 1965. He led the first major division operation of airmobile troops into Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley and is credited with evacuating some 70 wounded comrades with his wing man and fellow Medal of Honor recipient Major Ed Freeman. The two also flew in the ammunition needed for the 1/7th Cavalry to survive. The craft Crandall was flying was unarmed.

During his military career, Crandall also received a Bronze Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, a Presidential Unit Citation and a Purple Heart among numerous other citations.

The 2002 movie “We Were Soldiers” was based on the operation for which Crandall was awarded the Medal of Honor, with 1997 Academy Award nominee Greg Kinnear appearing as Crandall.

BRUCE P. CRANDALL: “I’m thrilled and honored to be selected as the honorary starter for the Indianapolis 500 in its 100^th anniversary year,” Crandall said. “The race is an American tradition, and I’m very grateful for the continued tributes to the U.S. Armed Forces during the pre-race ceremonies every year. I can’t wait to get into the starter’s stand.”

JEFF BELSKUS (President and CEO, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation): “It’s a great honor to welcome Bruce Crandall to serve as the honorary starter of the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500. The Indianapolis 500 has paid tribute to the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces since its inception on Memorial Day weekend in 1911, and it’s a privilege for a true American hero to send the field of 33 on its way toward Victory Lane at such a historic race.”

***

A comparison of the specifications of the No. 32 Marmon “Wasp” that Ray Harroun drove to victory in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911 and the cars that will compete in the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29.

***

U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe will dedicate and issue for the first time the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 United States Postal Service commemorative stamp at a ceremony Friday, May 20 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The event will take place at 10 a.m. at the IMS Pagoda Plaza on the Coca-Cola Stage.

The 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 stamp, which features the Marmon “Wasp” driven by inaugural Indianapolis 500 winner Ray Harroun, is one of 25 subjects highlighted in the USPS 2011 Commemorative Stamp Program. The stamp will be a “Forever Stamp,” always equal in value to the current First Class Mail 1-ounce letter regardless of price changes in the future.

Also participating in the ceremony will be Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Belskus, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and 1985 Indianapolis 500 pole winner Pancho Carter.

***

Medical update from Dr. Michael Olinger, INDYCAR medical director: Simona de Silvestro has been released from Methodist Hospital. She will meet with INDYCAR medical officials Friday to evaluate her driving status.

De Silvestro suffered second-degree burns to her right hand and superficial burns to her left hand in a crash earlier today.

She will be available for interviews at 11:15 a.m. Friday on the fourth floor of the Media Center.

***

BMW Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan American Le Mans Series driver Joey Hand visited the track today.

JOEY HAND (About coming to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway): “I’ve never gotten out here and watched Indy cars go around. I thought it would be a good time to come around and see some people. My Rahal guys are all here. I’ve got a bit of a break from the American Le Mans Series, so I came out here to support them. I once said I wasn’t going to come out here unless I was racing, so some people had to talk me into coming here and meeting people.” (On his interest in Indy cars): “To come here and finally see an Indy car go by is really cool. I get to see what Indy is all about. I watched it all the time as a kid. I watched Indy. In fact, I watched my boss, Bobby Rahal, race here when I was growing up. To be honest, I’ve definitely got some interest in the Las Vegas race at the end of the year. I just wanted to get my face out here. A long time ago, Kim Green told me that I’m not going to get a job sitting on my couch. So I wanted to make sure I got out here and met people. I met Randy Bernard, and he’s really nice. I’m obviously going to stay in sports cars, but this Las Vegas deal for 5 million bucks is something that’s really intriguing. The Rahal guys are interested in it and, who knows, maybe we’ll get to Indy next year.”

***

HVM Racing owner Keith Wiggins reported this afternoon that the No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy HVM Racing entry driven by Simona De Silvestro was damaged beyond repair in a crash this afternoon.

De Silvestro drove the team’s backup car on Indianapolis Star Opening Day practice Saturday, reaching a top speed of 219.522 mph in 13 total laps. The backup car was the team’s primary car in the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season, Wiggins said.

KEITH WIGGINS (Owner, HVM Racing): (How confident are you that you can get back in pretty good shape?): “Yes, we can build a good car, but it probably won’t be as good as the original car because that was built specifically for here. There are a lot of specialities about building a car for here, and we only had one of those built because that is all our resources will allow. So the question is will this car be as quick as the other one? That’s the challenge.”

***

Officials from the International Motorsports Industry Show (IMIS) and C&R Racing Inc., announced today that the “Rally In The Alley,” a reception exclusively for all INDYCAR team members participating in the Indianapolis 500, will take place Sunday in Gasoline Alley at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway immediately following the conclusion of on-track Bump Day activities.

During the reception, the C&R Racing / IMIS “True Grit” Award will be bestowed upon a member of the INDYCAR community. The $5,000 award is given to a veteran INDYCAR team member who has achieved success, overcome adversity, excelled in preparation and has exemplified dedication to the highly skilled trade of building and maintaining IZOD IndyCar Series cars.

Paulsen and C&R established the “True Grit” Award in 1998 for crew members in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400.

The third annual IMIS event is scheduled for Dec. 8-10 at the Indiana Convention Center.

CHRIS PAULSEN (Owner, C&R Racing; co-founder, IMIS): “Many years ago, Joe Ball and all the guys at DieHard Batteries used to conduct a big party in Gasoline Alley when the track closed on Bump Day. It was something all the mechanics and crews looked forward to after a long month of working toward the Indianapolis 500. It gave them a chance to relax a little bit after qualifying and before the race preparation began. Unfortunately, we haven’t had an event like that at the Speedway in a few years, so we wanted to do something to give back to the crews who work so hard during the month. The Hulman-George family and Randy Bernard really liked the idea of bringing an event like this back, and we really appreciate their support and involvement.”

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FASTEST TIMES/SPEEDS OF PRACTICE:

Fastest rookie: #4 JR Hildebrand, sixth, 226.527

INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE QUOTES:

BERTRAND BAGUETTE (No. 30 The RACB/Aspria RLL Special): “Finally we got to do some laps, and again I think we had a good day. We had a full day of running, and that allowed us to try a number of different things. Most of them were good, but there were some that didn’t work. It’s all part of the process that you have to go through here, and I have been really impressed with the way this team goes through their processes. If we keep working like this, we’re going to have some good speed at qualifying.”

JAY HOWARD (No. 88 Service Central Schmidt-RLL Racing): “What we were able to do in our last outing (this afternoon) shows just how hard this team works and how good their development process is. The Service Central crew has worked very hard to find some more speed in the car, and the engineers keep coming up with more options for us. So we just take the car out with those changes they suggest and keep going faster. I am very encouraged by what we did today.”

ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 77 Bowers &Wilkins/Sam Schmidt Motorsports): “We did well today. We learned a lot. We had good track position, and we weren’t in a lot of traffic. That lap (227.652 mph), I was behind Dario Franchitti, so I had a bit of a tow. But it shows that the car is quick and capable of doing it. I think we still have more to come. We just need to make sure that when it comes time to do it, we have the right balance.” (Do you have a chance for the pole?): “The way the car is running right now, for sure it is. I think we would be foolish to think that we couldn’t do it. But the truth is that Penske and Ganassi have really good cars, and they know their way around this place. They have 10 times more experience than us. I’m sure by qualifying they’re going to do something amazing to their cars, and all of a sudden they’re going to be up to the top and we’re going to end up fighting with them. But if that happens, that’s OK. We should be proud that guys like Roger and Chip are looking at us, going, ‘Why are those guys so quick?’ That’s kind of our mindset right now.”

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing): “It was a good, long day. Running lots of laps and in race setup was what is was all about. It was nice to have the sun out after we lost a few days. So far so good, and tomorrow it will be about speed.”

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing): “We focused on race setup because we weren’t sure how much more time we’d get doing that. We’re just working through the program right now, but we’ve got more work to do. I’m OK with where we’re at right now. The last run there we found something. Looking forward to tomorrow.”

VITOR MEIRA (No. 14 ABC Supply Co A.J. Foyt Racing): “Today confirmed what we were cautious about. We didn’t know how fast the car is, and I think today confirmed that the car is very fast. There isn’t anybody really playing around today. Everybody at one point or another did a qualifying run, maybe not as aggressive as they are going to go in qualifying, but they did a qualifying run. And I think we stuck up pretty good on that. I feel very confident, very good about the car. Once we qualify on the first day, hopefully we can focus on the race setup on Sunday. Right now it’s very doable, so I’m happy about that.”

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 38 Service Central): “Overall, it was a really good day for Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing. The No. 38 Service Central Honda is good with both high- and low-downforce setups. I’m excited to go out and qualify this weekend.”

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA (No. 41 A.J. Foyt Racing): “It’s very good to be back in the car. And straight out of the box, we made a good improvement on the last two days that we didn’t run. The guys were able to fit the engine cover properly. We were able to run 224, which at the time we were P4 on a tow, but then we worked on the car and at the end we could run decent laps by ourselves. I think we’re getting better every time, and we’re learning about the car. Still have a little bit to improve but getting better, so I’m happy.”

DAN WHELDON (No. 98 William Rast-Curb/Big Machine): “We had a good day. It was obviously nice to be on track. I think one thing the fans don’t see is how hard the guys work on the Bryan Herta Autosport team. They did a phenomenal job in the days off track. They weren’t sitting in the garage waiting for it to stop raining. They worked incredibly hard. The car today was good. It seemed certainly reasonable in qualifying trim. We were able to work on the race car, which is obviously important to me. There are still some improvements to be made but, for as limited running as we have had, I am pretty encouraged.”

SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA (No. 34 Conquest Racing): “It was a tough day for the No. 34 Conquest Racing car. We were very confident in what we had. We felt very good about where we ended up the last time we went out, but today was just one of those days when we couldn’t find anything. We struggled with the rear, and we were not able to settle down. We will just keep working on it and be positive for tomorrow.”

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 06 Sprott Newman/Haas Racing): “We got a lot of work done today. We had made a change to the Sprott car back on Monday night that we have been waiting three days to try. It was good that we did it, but unfortunately it wasn’t a step forward, and it took quite a lot of downtime to go back on it and we missed a big chunk of the afternoon. But we still got a good number of laps in and really started to trim the car a bit more. We were focusing on running by ourselves and not really trying to compete in the ‘tow Olympics’ out there, so I don’t think 30^th on the time charts is very representative of where we are speed-wise, but there is always time in it, and always more speed to find. We’re going to keep chipping away at it. Tomorrow we will focus on qualifying runs, and we will see where we are at the end of the day.”

ORIOL SERVIA (No. 2 Telemundo Newman/Haas Racing): “I ran a lot of laps in the Telemundo car today; I think I only got out of the car once today. It was fun to be able to go through many of the test items that we planned, and the car feels good; it keeps feeling better. Of all the things we tried, there was only one that didn’t really improve the car, so we gained a lot of valuable information today. Tomorrow is going to get fun out there when everyone is super-trimmed. I have to say that some cars are impressively fast. I’m not sure where we stand, but Friday we will have a better idea and Saturday we will have the real one. I am very happy with how the whole team has been sticking to our plan. It’s easy to get caught up out there when everybody starts to go fast. We had a good lap with a little bit of a tow, but everybody kind of got tows. I feel good about where we stand right now.”

SCOTT SPEED (No. 20 Dragon Racing Fuzzy’s Vodka): “It was an eventful day, to say the least. We had a lot of trouble with the car earlier in the day, luckily without doing any damage. However, on our last time out today, we were able to get the car where we wanted it to be. Tomorrow we are going to continue to make changes and continue to make progress.”

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 Levemir and NovoLog FlexPen): “It was a really good day for Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing. We were able to run a lot of miles in the No. 83 Levemir and NovoLog FlexPen Honda. We made a lot of progress today, and the Novo Nordisk crew did a great job. We just have to focus on getting me, as the rookie, the experience and the miles needed to be ready for qualifications this weekend.”

PIPPA MANN (No. 36 Conquest Racing): “On Monday when we were first running, we were struggling a bit with the back of the car. Today we finally got on top of that, and picked up quite a bit of pushing off the corners, so the oversteer and changed to a bit of understeer. We’ve been battling that for most of the day, and this afternoon, right at the very end, we finally made a little bit of progress toward understanding what that is and why it might be happening. We feel we have a definite direction to go in tomorrow to see if we can fix the handling issues. However, overall, with a one-lap job, we’ve got to be fairly pleased with my first lap at over 225 mph. Tomorrow will be similar to how it was at the end of today’s session, with a lot of cars out on track. We’ve just got to keep on working away, and fingers crossed we’ll get to the root of these problems by the weekend. I never thought I’d be so happy to be 21^st in a practice session, but in this instance, I genuinely am.”

ED CARPENTER (No. 67 Dollar General/Sarah Fisher Racing): “Overall, it was a very productive day for the Dollar General team. We were able to get in a lot of laps, and we ran with some traffic and stuck to our game plan. We worked on a variety of things: some for the race, some for quals. We really learned a lot that’s going to help us not only for this weekend, but for the following weekend, as well. The speed charts weren’t our focus today, but we ended up P9. It was good to be up there in the mix.”

HO-PIN TUNG (No. 8 Schmidt Dragon Racing): “It was very nice to get back into the car again after so many days off the track due to rain. During those days, we discussed how we wanted the program we had set to progress, and today we were able to hit all of those points. I am very happy overall and look forward to continuing to progress tomorrow before we qualify this weekend.”

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Shell V-Power/Pennzoil Ultra Team Penske): “It was certainly a good and full day for the No. 3 Shell V-Power Pennzoil Ultra team. We ran a lot of laps and all of them were really about race setup. My teammates, Will and Ryan, did some qualifying runs so we know what we need to do there, but we really just focused on getting our car right for the race. Tomorrow will be all about speed for us. It’s going to be fun!

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Team Venom): “The Venom car is comfortable, so it’s good in that aspect, but maybe a bit too comfortable because we just don’t have the speed. We’ll keep working at it and hopefully make some big gains tomorrow.”

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 IZOD Team Penske): “It was a very good day, overall. We worked on the race setup on the No. 6 IZOD Team Penske car, and I worked a lot with my teammates on track. We made a ton of changes throughout the day, and we were very productive. We trimmed out the car at the end of the session and focused a bit more on speed. All in all, it was a very productive day.”

JOHN ANDRETTI (No. 43 Team Window World): “At least it didn’t rain today, so everybody got a lot of track time. Some people seemed to be doing race runs, and at the end there were people getting a lot of tows. Therefore it’s hard to get a good read on just how fast everyone really is. We’ll gauge it and find more speed, but we feel pretty good about the Window World car. It is what it is when you get to Indianapolis. It’s always a fight to find that last little bit of speed.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda): “Our progress today was pretty good. The DHL/Sun Drop car right now is very, very well balanced, probably the best car I’ve ever had at Indy. But we need to find some more speed, and tomorrow is the next opportunity to do that. The car is great; the guys have done an amazing job with it. This is the stressful time of the week for the drivers. We’re doing a lot of low-downforce runs right now, and we’re only going to be doing more of that as we head toward Pole Day.”

MIKE CONWAY (No. 27 Hire Heroes USA/7-Eleven/Dr Pepper): “I think we found a direction for tomorrow. The Hire Heroes/7-Eleven/Dr Pepper car felt pretty comfortable at the end there, so it’s just a case of finding what speed we have tomorrow. I just feel more comfortable now with the whole package that we have, so that’s good. Just more track time, really, is what I needed. I feel good from that standpoint; I just need to see what we have now.”

DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Team GoDaddy): “I thought it was a productive day. We made slow but steady changes in the GoDaddy car. We are still pleased with the speed at our downforce level, but there’s still work to do.”

JR HILDEBRAND (No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing): “Starting with rookie orientation, it is going quite smoothly for us. Panther Racing and the strength of the team has been a huge part of it. Buddy Rice and I are learning from each other and getting to know one another as we work as a team on a different discipline here with the oval. For me, in particular, we are just trying to chip away at it, and that has been working well for us so far. We have had really positive results with small changes, and this is what we hope to continue to do going forward. I am happy with the car in traffic and pleased with the speed we have on our own now. It is going to come down to a pretty serious shootout for the top 15 spots with all of the competitive cars here this year. It is going to be tough to put in the big numbers, but we are confident with where we are at right now.”

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske): “I don’t think the speeds are very representative of where anyone is at. You go out and happen to get a really good tow, and you get a big number. That’s what happened at the end. Verizon Team Penske worked on race setup most of the day. I was very comfortable following cars. We haven’t changed much from last year. We had good cars last year and need to rub on them a little bit, and that will do the trick.” (On dealing with the rain-shortened practice time before Pole Day): “I think tomorrow, early on, we’ll be working on race stuff, and then we’ll start trimming out for qualifying. We’ll be working on the car. I think it’s pretty important to focus on the race. You could spend a lot of time screwing around with qualifying things, and then it’ll be different conditions the next day. We have to have a good car in the race. That’s what we’ll be focusing on.”

TOWNSEND BELL (No. 99 Herbalife Schmidt Pelfrey Racing): “We did a good amount of running. It was good to get out with the Herbalife car after the rain the last two days. We learned a lot and tried several things that were on our list. We’ve very comfortable.” (Is the pole the goal?): “I hope so. Tagliani’s car is a rocket ship. Every time I walk past it in the garage, I sort of rub by it with my arm hoping some of that speed dust sort of rubs off on me. I think we’re going to be OK.” (About work on pit stops): “It’s probably the most important thing we did today, quite frankly. We’ve got a quick car it seems, but you’ve got to get in and out of the pits. My guys need practice doing ‘hot’ stops, and I probably need the most practice. These cars aren’t that easy to get in and out of the pit box. It felt pretty good. We’ve got some tweaking to do, but it was great to get practice doing that.” (About returning to Indy): “Every year it gets a little bit easier, not much, but just a little bit. It has been 11 months since I was here last, and it is good to be back with good equipment and great people in Sam Schmidt Motorsports. I also have a good sponsor in Herbalife, and consistency is nice. Even though we aren’t going out for every race, it sure feels nice to be back in Indy. Alex Tagliani’s car is very fast, and we seem to be doing well working together and learning from each other. We have a sister program with Dan Wheldon this year, so it has been neat to work with him, as well. We are just inching our way toward it and trying to keep our minds on what is important with finding a good balance and sticking to our plan.” (About the car’s balance): “I think we’re still pretty much in the balance window. I would say we’re toward the aggressive end of our downforce window. Tomorrow we’ll be thinking a lot about trimming out and going faster and getting ready for Saturday. I’m excited for the fans. I’m excited to participate. I’m just excited to watch. I think it’s going to be a great qualifying weekend. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to duke it out just like Indy should be.”

***

A total of 58 cars are currently at the Speedway, and 53 have passed technical inspection.

Forty drivers were on track today, turning 2,394 laps. Forty drivers have been on track this month, turning 4,873 total laps.

There were three cautions for 54 minutes today.

***

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times local):

***

The 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 on May 29 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at Noon (ET) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM channel 94 and www.indycar.com. The 2011 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Firestone Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 27. The race will be televised live by VERSUS.

- INDYCAR, Press Release

Panther Racing

Hildebrand finished in the sixth position on the day with a top lap speed of 226.527 mph, 39.7303 seconds and was fastest amongst the eight rookies who turned laps on the day. Rice finished in the 20^th position with a top lap speed of 225.184 mph, 39.9673 seconds.

Team Penske driver Will Power posted the quickest speed of the month in his No. 12 entry, with a top lap of 227.778 mph and was followed on the charts by Alex Tagliani and teammate Ryan Briscoe.

The 95^th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race will be broadcast live on ABC on Sunday, May 29^th at 12:00 p.m. with additional coverage provided by the IMS Radio Network, www.indycar.com, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211.

2011 Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Day JR Hildebrand - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

No. 4 National Guard Dallara Honda

Top Speed: 226.527 mph

Top Time: 39.7303 seconds

Number of Laps: 32

Overall Rank: 6^th on speed chart

JR Hildebrand, No. 4 National Guard Dallara Honda:

“We’re feeling pretty good. Honestly, from Rookie Orientation, it’s gone quite smoothly for us. Obviously everybody at National Guard Panther Racing is a huge piece of that, particularly the strength of the team being the oval program and Indianapolis. Buddy Rice and I are both having a good time getting to know each other and working with theteam and for me learning a bit of a different discipline here on the oval. We’re just trying to chip away at it, and that’s been quite successful for us so far, and we’ve seen very positive results from even some small changes and that’s what we hope to be able to continue to do moving forward.”

Buddy Rice- Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

No. 44 Panther Racing Dallara Honda

Top Speed: 225.184 mph

Top Time: 39.9673 seconds

Number of Laps: 48

Overall Rank: 20^th on speed chart

Buddy Rice, No. 44 Panther Racing Dallara Honda:

“We’re trying to get through a lot of pieces and get a direction. JR’s trying stuff and I’m trying stuff and what we’re really trying to do is get everything put together so when we show up on Saturday we’ve put everything together and have it all happening. We’re trying a lot of different little bits and pieces and really just rubbing on the setup. Panther’s had good setups here before, we’re just making sure it’s to the liking of myself and JR and what we need to do to get our cars comfortable and fast. Once we have that we’re going to be in really good shape come Saturday, and that’s what the goal is right now.”

www.JRHildebrandRacing.com – www.pantherracing.com – www.NationalGuard.com

- Panther Racing, Press Release

Panther Racing

Panther Racing was joined by Indiana National Guard Adjutant General Martin Umbarger during a break Monday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when the two-star General placed the patch for his Indiana Joint Force Headquarters and the 81^st Troop Command on the nose of JR Hildebrand’s No. 4 National Guard entry. Having GEN Umbarger in the garage, who was joined by his staff and several Wounded Warriors, was a vivid reminder to the team that the partnership with the National Guard is unlike any other in motorsports.

Hildebrand may have summed it up best.

“It’s a honor to be an American representing the National Guard, but more than that for me it’s a humbling experience; it’s not like we’re representing Joe’s Bakery and you have to tell people how awesome the muffins are,” he quipped. “With the National Guard it’s an unbelievably meaningful thing for those of us at Panther to be a part of and unlike anything I’ve experienced before.”

GEN Umbarger has been extremely close to the team since the National Guard became the primary partner on the No. 4 entry in 2008, and with the team finishing runner-up in his home race in every season since, the Indiana native was quick to joke with crew members that all he’s asking them to do is improve one position at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“I’m a born & bred Hoosier so the Indianapolis 500 is part of our DNA here and it’s a pleasure to have the National Guard as a partner of Panther Racing like they have been the past four years with JohnBarnes, JR Hildebrand and this great team,” GEN Umbarger said. “I think everybody knows they’ve finished in second place in this great race for three years and we’re hoping the good Lord is with us and we can improve just one spot this year.”

Hildebrand is the third driver to pilot the National Guard car in that span, but Barnes, the team’s managing partner, has been the driving force behind the partnership since before its inception. He’s received a multitude of honors from the National Guard for his contributions, including the Patriot Award, the Minuteman Award and nearly a dozen others. Through it all, he continues to be humbled by the experience, and quickly deflects any praise that comes his direction.

“I’m just happy to be a part of this, and I hope GEN Umbarger and the 467,000 National Guard Soldiers we have serving this country are proud of what we do, because it’s all for them,” Barnes said. “I’ve been doing this a long time, but I can’t describe to you the responsibility everybody in this garage feels having that logo on the side of our racecar.When those men and women are serving our country here or overseas, failure is not an option. That resonates with everybody in this garage and I can tell you we’ve learned more from having these Soldiers around than I could ever describe.”

Never is that more evident than it is at Indianapolis, where the ceremonies honoring all branches of the Armed Services are as legendary as the race itself.

“Memorial Day weekend is a weekend where we honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for this Nation,” GEN Umbarger continued. “It’s special that this race is broadcast all over the world, particularly on the Armed Forces Network, and I know Hoosiers over there and Guardsmen over there that will be watching this race, regardless of thehour it is, and will be very proud that we have a car in this race. But what I think about most is what Memorial Day means to all of us and we should never forget that.”

Hildebrand has yet to compete in the Indianapolis 500, but his interactions with Soldiers over the last six months have been profound enough that the 23-year-old Californian understands the depth of who he’ll be driving for next Sunday.

“With what we do as far as visiting injured Soldiers like we have at Walter Reed, or being involved in the Youth ChalleNGe program, it means a lot for us to be able to get involved in this a lot more than just what we do on the racetrack,” he said. “I’ve met lots of wounded Soldiers since I’ve joined the team and it’s just so humbling to meet these folks who are willing to go the extra mile for their country, and that really puts it in perspective for us. There are so many guys out here representingenergy drinks, or other sponsors, and they are all jacked-up acting like rockstars and for us it’s completely the other end of the spectrum. We’re extremely grounded as a group because of these Soldiers that we get to meet.”

The 95^th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race will be broadcast live on ABC on Sunday, May 29^th at 12:00 p.m. with additional coverage provided by the IMS Radio Network, www.indycar.com, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211.

www.JRHildebrandRacing.com – www.pantherracing.com – www.NationalGuard.com

- Panther Racing, Press Release