ROOM

12.5.12 – The open-wheel race team Andretti Autosport announced their 2013 INDYCAR line up today at an event held at the team’s Indianapolis-based racing headquarters. With a full-time stable of three IZOD IndyCar Series entries, two Firestone Indy Lights entries, two Star Mazda entries and entries in USF2000, team owner Michael Andretti will again claim credit to having the only team competing in every step of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder.

The reigning IZOD IndyCar Series Championship team will be led into 2013 by a familiar trio of IndyCar drivers as Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliffe and Marco Andretti and will return for full-season efforts. Hunter-Reay, who clinched the 2012 Series Championship in a season-finale showdown at Auto Club Speedway in September, will showcase the honors that come with being the champion by running the No. 1 on his DHL Chevrolet for the 2013 season.

“It is a huge honor to have earned the right to run the No. 1,” said Hunter-Reay. “All of us at Andretti Autosport see this as a tremendous opportunity to leverage our sponsors, brands and message for 2013 and beyond.  We certainly do not underestimate the task, however I assure you we are already hard at work and will do everything possible to earn the right to carry the coveted No. 1 in future years as well.”  

For the 2012 season Hunter-Reay adopted the No. 28 in honor of the 28 million people living with cancer worldwide. Through his work with Racing for Cancer, an organization he helped co-found, and LIVESTRONG Hunter-Reay has strived to create awareness of the cause.

“The decision to switch to the No. 1 for the 2013 season was very tough. The No. 28 has so much meaning to so many,” Continued Hunter-Reay, “but we recognized that our team, partners and sponsors have all earned the right to carry the No. 1 – we worked hard together and it’s something they all deserve. Racing for Cancer’s number one goal is to beat cancer and we realized that running the No. 1 with the No. 28 incorporated into the design, a very important detail to me personally, would provide us with an opportunity to strengthen the message and cause of beating cancer while at the same time recognizing our partners and sponsors dedication to excellence on, and off, the track.”

Hunter-Reay won’t be the only Andretti Autosport driver to mix up the spotter guide this season. After seven seasons of running No. 26, Andretti is stepping down a digit to feature 25 on the 2013 RC Cola livery of his DW12.

“The No. 26 will always be a part of me and my history in racing,” said Andretti, “but I think it’s grown unlucky for me – I keep hearing that from people too! I like the meaning of 25 versus 26. To me 26 is a character builder through heartache and trials and looking ahead to the No. 25 means success and leadership. It’s like my chance to be reborn as a veteran driver.”

Entering his third season in the IZOD IndyCar Series, Hinchcliffe, a Canadian native, will return to the No. 27 Chevrolet carrying the familiar colors of GoDaddy.com.

“For me, personally, this is the first time in my career I’ll have the same team for two years in a row,” said Hinchcliffe. “I’m excited to work with Go Daddy again, have the same crew and not have the learning curve at the beginning of next season. I won’t have a new situation and a new team to learn and settle into and I’ll have the same two teammates which great – it’s just good to know that off the bat we’ll be able to move forward. When the checkered flag dropped in Fontana we were able to immediately start working toward 2013 and we’ll continue to work hard through the rest of the off season.”

Andretti Autosport’s Firestone Indy Lights effort will be made up by series race winner Carlos Munoz and Firestone Indy Lights rookie Zach Veach. Munoz, driver of the No. 26 Dialy-Ser entry, will run a full season in Firestone Indy Lights and will make his first Indianapolis 500 qualifying attempt in May. Veach, who will pilot the No. 12 K12 entry, has successfully completed three test sessions in the Firestone Indy Lights machine, most recently setting a track record at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course during the Mazda Road to Indy’s annual Open Test.

“It’s crazy to think I’m going into my fourth season in 2013 with Andretti Autosport,” said Veach.  “I’m still just as excited as I was the first day I joined the team and to be moving up to  Firestone Indy Lights  is a dream come true.”

Drivers Shelby Blackstock will represent Andretti in the Star Mazda Championship step of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder. Blackstock, who will carry the No. 28, is familiar to the Andretti Autosport stable as he piloted a USF2000 machine for Andretti in 2012 finishing ninth in the championship points standings. Blackstock’s Star Mazda teammate and the pilot of the No. 27 will be announced at a later date.

The team’s USF2000 drivers will also be announced at a later time.

2013 Andretti Autosport INDYCAR Line Up
IZOD IndyCar Series
Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 1, DHL Chevrolet
James Hinchcliffe, No. 27, GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
Marco Andretti, No. 25, RC Cola Chevrolet
Carlos Munoz, TBD, Daily-Ser Chevrolet (Indianapolis 500 only)

Firestone Indy Lights
Carlos Munoz, No. 26, Team Dialy-Ser
Zach Veach, No. 12, Team K12

Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear
Shelby Blackstock, No. 28, Team Starstruck
TBA

USF2000 National Championship 
TBA

Name: Ryann Rigsby

Position on the team: Director of Corporate Communications, Director of The Michael Andretti Foundation, Executive Assistant to Michael Andretti

Hometown: Goshen, Indiana

Family: Two cats: Gwylo and Wicca

Twitter handle: @RyannRoseAnne

How did you get your start in racing? Very randomly, but I owe my start in racing to a two great, long-time friends, Josh and Colette Fults. Josh works in racing and heard of an opening with the team so I sent in my resume. I didn’t get hired for that position but eight months later and out of the blue I got a call for a different position and here I am.

How long have you been working for Andretti Autosport? I’ve been working here for five years.

What is your favorite racing memory? Standing on the grid for opening ceremonies of my first Indy 500. There’s nothing like it.

What is one of your favorite PR events you have been involved in? We have and have always had a great group of drivers so most PR events turn out pretty fun. A few of my favorites would be the Championship tour with RHR, the “Hinch for Homepage” campaign, NACS in Vegas (MA took me for a lap in the two-seater), and the visit to the 349^th Air Mobility Wing at Travis AFB with Mike Conway (we flew in a C-17 for an orientation/refueling flight).

Who is one of your favorite racing figures? I would have to say the Andretti family as a whole – and not just because I work for them and don’t want to be razzed endlessly for picking someone else – but they really are a great group to work for… and they’re pretty good at that whole fast driving thing too.

INDYCAR Nation, INDYCAR's official fan club, has spoken and James Hinchcliffe, Sebastian Saavedra and Zach Veach have all been voted 'Favorite Driver of the Year.' It was nearly a 'clean sweep' for Andretti Autosport, with Shelby Blackstock coming in second in the USF2000 category.

James Hinchcliffe is taking home the 'Favorite Driver' award in the IZOD IndyCar Series category for the first year. The Toronto native just completed his first full season with Andretti Autosport, after earning IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year in 2011. He finished the 2012 season eighth in the championship points standings with eight top-ten finishes in the No. 27 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. It became clear early in the season that "The Mayor of Hinchtown" would be a fan favorite when the grassroots "Hinch for Homepage" campaign hit social media and landed Hinchcliffe on the homepage of GoDaddy.com.

"It's really an honor to be selected by the fans as their favorite driver," said Hinchcliffe. "First, I get elected Mayor, then I got on the Go Daddy homepage and now I'm the fan's favorite. It's been a great year and I can't wait to get back on the track in 2013 and keep it up. But the fans are what it's really all about. I was a fan once, and still am, so to be picked by them is really special."

Bogota, Colombia native, Sebastian Saavedra, was voted the favorite driver in the Firestone Indy Lights category. He recorded 10 top-10 finishes last season, which included six podiums and a win at Barber Motorsports Park. This is the first year the 22-year-old has won the award and he is grateful for all of INDYCAR's fans.

"It is great feeling the support we get from fans during the off season," said Saavedra.  "They've been amazing all year around and this gives me a great boost of motivation to keep giving them amazing moments to remember. I want to thank everyone that voted and for keeping in touch with everything that's going on around the IndyCar world. Big things are coming and I'm sure you are all going to love it. Thank you again!"

Zach Veach won 'Favorite Driver of the Year' for the Star Mazda Series. This is his second year earning the title, after winning in the USF2000 category last season. In 2012, Veach had 11 top-10 finishes, two of which were top-five's at Lucas Oil Raceway and on the streets of Toronto.

"Being named most popular driver for a second year in a row is just incredible," said Veach. "I turn 18 pretty soon and I feel as though this is just the best birthday present.  I'm so lucky to have such a supportive fan base and I'm so thankful for all of the votes. It's also really cool to share this honor with two of my Andretti Autosport teammates, Hinch (James Hinchcliffe) and Sebastian (Saavedra). I'm sure Hinch will come up with something for us to do together to celebrate-maybe even a GoDaddy.com commercial."

Each driver will be recognized at the INDYCAR Celebration in Indianapolis on Dec. 6.  Thank you to all of the amazing fans that voted and for your continued support of Andretti Autosport! 

Name: Peter Craik

Position on the team: Assistant Engineer for Marco Andretti 

Hometown: Brisbane, Australia

Family: Mum, Dad, older brother, younger sister, dog called Indy

Twitter handle: @prcraik

How did you get your start in racing? While I was at my university, I got involved with the UQ Formula SAE team. In my third year I contacted a few of the V8 Supercar teams about doing vacation work and was lucky enough to get involved with a Ford factory team run by Prodrive and then went from there. I worked in that series for a few years and then moved to the US earlier this year.

How long have you been working for Andretti Autosport? I have been working at Andretti Autosport for nine months.   

What is your favorite racing memory? Going to Bathurst (an endurance race in Australia) is always fun. RHR winning the championship this year ranks highly as well though!

What do you do to personally prepare for a race (both in the office & at the track)? I work with Marco’s  race engineer, Allen McDonald, on the vehicle setup, potential tuning items and going through data and video. I liaise with the other team engineers on things like gearing and fuel numbers.

Who is one of your favorite racing figures? Adrian Newey would be good to have a chat with and hear some stories from.

Name: Holly Ramsey

Position on the team: Receptionist  

Hometown: Speedway, Indiana  

Family: Craig (husband), German shepherd, Zeke, and cats Kiki, Pete and Jenkins

How did you get your start in racing? Having grown up in Speedway, Indiana, racing is in my blood. I then started working for Derrick Walker Racing in 1996 after seeing an ad in the newspaper and beating 60 people vying for the same position!

How long have you been working for Andretti Autosport? I have been working at Andretti Autosport for five years.  

What is one of your favorite racing memories while working here? I can’t pick just one favorite memory while working here. Every day provides memories that I will always cherish. The month of May is my favorite time of the year. I get to work in the owner’s suite on race day and be a fan at the track on qualification days.

What is it like being the Director of First Impressions? It is fun and chaos at the same time! You never know who might walk through the door, call or stop by the front desk. Working with wonderful people and feeling like I am a part of this family makes me appreciate every day of loving my job!

Who is one of your favorite racing figures? Mario Andretti is one of my favorite drivers. 

Name: Lorie Broyles

Position on the team: Accounting Assistant

Hometown: Jackson, Michigan

Family: Tim (husband) and sons Tristan (16) and Dustin (14), who are awesome young men!

How did you get your start in racing? I started in racing 28 years ago working for Domino’s Pizza World Headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the PR department on the sponsor side. I worked with drivers Danny Sullivan, Little Al Unser Jr., Raul Boesel and Arie Luyendyk.

How long have you been working for Andretti Autosport? I have been working at Andretti Autosport for eight and a half years.

What is one of your favorite racing memories while working here? One of my favorite memories is working with the Fab Four (Dan Wheldon, Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan & Bryan Herta) and all of their pranks at the race shop and at the track.

Who is one of your favorite racing figures? John Andretti is one of my favorite drivers. 

10.22.2012 – Andretti Autosport announced today that Firestone Indy Lights race winner Carlos Muñoz will return to the team and pilot the No. 26 Dialy-Ser Firestone Indy Lights entry for the 2013 season. In addition to a full feeder-series season, he will drive an Andretti Autosport IZOD IndyCar Series entry in the 2013 running of the Indianapolis 500.

The 20-year old from Bogota, Colombia, completed his first Firestone Indy Lights season with Andretti Autosport in 2012, where he finished fifth in the championship point standings and accumulated a total of five podiums and nine top-10 finishes. Munoz recorded his first win on the streets of Edmonton and followed up with a second career win at the season finale in Fontana, Calif.

“I am really happy to stay another year with Andretti Autosport,” commented Munoz. “I think last year as rookie, we all did a good job earning two victories and were able to run up front a lot. It was definitely one of my best racing years with the best team. I’m looking forward to my second year in (Firestone) Indy lights. My main goal is to fight for championship. I think we will have a good chance at doing so because I am looking forward to working with the same crew and engineer. I am looking forward to the pre-season test, in order to gain some more valuable time in the car.”

Munoz’s start in the 2013 Indianapolis 500 will mark his IZOD IndyCar Series debut. He will mirror last year’s teammate, Sebastian Saavedra, in that he will run both the Indy 500 as well as the Firestone Freedom 100 throughout Memorial Day weekend. This will be the first time that Andretti Autosport has run both month of May races for two consecutive years.

“I am just so happy that Andretti Autosport has given me the opportunity to drive (in the Indy 500) for them,” said Munoz. “Especially after they just won the championship with Ryan (Hunter-Reay). It means a lot that they trust in my capabilities with it being my first IndyCar race. It’s a great honor and I know that there will be some pressure there to do a good job. My first priority is to start the (Firestone) Indy Lights season on a positive note and work each weekend at winning the championship. Once that happens, I think we will be very successful for the Indy 500.” 

Name: Rita Smith

Position on the team: Paralegal

Hometown: Fort Wayne, IN

Family: I have two daughters and four grandchildren

Twitter handle: @Martinilady55

How did you get your start in racing? With my first speeding ticket way back in the 70’s! The officer actually asked me if I   thought I was Mario Andretti.

How long have you been working in racing? Working? I call this “FUN”.  Actually about three and a half years ago, I answered a blind ad for a contract paralegal position because it was one of my areas of expertise and also one that I love.  It seems like it has been a lot longer due to fact that the people here have made me feel like I’m a member of the Andretti Autosport family from the first day I walked inside the building. 

What is your favorite racing memories while working here? Winning the 2012 Championship is on the top on my list.

Who is one of your favorite racing figures? Duh!! Mario Andretti.

How is being a paralegal in racing different from outside of racing? I’d have to say it’s probably all the cars in the garage area, the racing memorabilia and photographs in the office and the occasional driver that stops in and chats with me.  It’s definitely not your typical paralegal office environment.