For more information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
Cell: (317) 201-0729
E-mail: LindaKMansfield@cs.com
Andersen Racing to Field 11 Cars
In Five Races This Weekend;
Kent Joins Team's Star Mazda Squad
PALMETTO, Fla., Aug. 20 - This weekend Andersen Racing will field 11 race
cars in five races staged by three different series competing in two different
countries.
It's all part of the Palmetto, Fla.-based team's state-of-the-art program to
provide the best training possible for aspiring open-wheel race car drivers.
It will field two cars in the Firestone Indy Lights doubleheader at Infineon
Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. It has also entered five cars in Round 8 of the
Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at Mosport International Raceway in
Bowmanville, Ontario, as well as four cars in the doubleheader for the F2000
Championship Series presented by Hoosier Racing Tire also being staged at
Mosport.
Despite the heavy workload, Andersen Racing's performance is consistently
superlative. It currently leads both the Star Mazda and F2000 point standings,
and one of its Firestone Indy Lights drivers is still in contention for that
championship too.
The team's 11 drivers hail from six different countries or territories: the
United States, England, Ireland, Gibraltar, Poland and Norway.
Its Firestone Indy Lights drivers that will be racing at Infineon are both
Americans and rookies. J.R. Hildebrand, who is currently sixth in the point
standings with one victory, will be competing at his home track because he's from
Sausalito, Calif. His teammate, Daniel Herrington, who began his senior year
as an engineering student at North Carolina State University last week, is
from Winston-Salem, N.C. They'll compete in a twin 30-lappers at Infineon on
Saturday at 11:45 a.m. and Sunday at 11:30 a.m. local time. The doubleheader
will be shown on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. Eastern Aug. 28. Andersen Racing is the official
development team of IndyCar's Rahal Letterman Racing, and the Firestone Indy
Lights Series is the official development series of the IndyCar Series.
Andersen Racing's Star Mazda contingent will welcome a new driver this
weekend, as 19-year-old Richard Kent of Olney, England will make his first start
with the team at Mosport. Kent, who is from the same area near Milton Keynes
that produced IndyCar's Dan Wheldon, has been honing his skills in the tough
Formula Palmer Audi series in England after a successful karting career. More
information on Kent can be found on his Web site at richardkent.eu.
Andersen Racing's other Star Mazda drivers competing at Mosport are Charles
Hall of Sheffield, England, the series' current point leader; Peter Dempsey of
Ashbourne, County Meath, Ireland, who won its last two races; Tom Gladdis of
the British territory of Gibraltar, who like Hall has one victory; and another
promising rookie, Natalia Kowalska of Biesiekierz, West Pomeranian
Voivodeship, Poland. Their race at Mosport, which will be televised at 11 a.m. Eastern
time on SPEED on Sunday, Sept. 7, will get the green flag at 3:50 p.m. Eastern
time Saturday.
Andersen Racing's Anders Krohn of Sandnes, Norway has a big lead in the F2000
Championship Series point standings, as he's won five of the 10 races already
run this year. Two of the team's other F2000 drivers, Jonny Baker of Farnham
Common, Buckinghamshire, England and Doug Prendeville of Whippany, N.J., have
also posted victories this year. Its fourth F2000 driver, Scott Willard of
Weston, Conn., is always a contender in the series' masters class. Their
30-minute races at Mosport are slated to start at 5:45 p.m. Eastern on Saturday and
12:05 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. Andersen Racing is Van Diemen's factory team in
the F2000 series.
The entire team is sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp. More
information can be found on the team's Web sites at andersenracingteam.com and
andersenracepark.com.
About Allied Building Products Corp.:
Allied Building Products Corp., headquartered in East Rutherford, N.J., is
one of the largest roofing and siding distributors in the United States. Founded
in 1950 with five employees and two trucks, today it is a $1.8 billion
building material distribution company with over 3,500 employees, more than 200
branches in 30 states, well over one million square feet of office and warehouse
space, and an inventory of approximately 85,000 products, from residential
roofing and siding to doors, windows, waterproofing, manufactured stone, interior
products and commercial roofing systems. For more information see
alliedbuilding.com.
About Andersen Racing:
Andersen Racing strives to provide the best and most comprehensive training
possible for future open-wheel superstars while giving its marketing partners
media exposure and hospitality opportunities at some of the most prestigious
events in North America. It provides a unique, three-step program utilizing
multiple entries in three different series: the F2000 Championship (webcast), Star
Mazda (televised on SPEED) and Firestone Indy Lights (televised on ESPN2). In
2008 it will field multiple entries in 42 races in 19 states and provinces at
some of the best facilities on the continent, including the famed
Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Andersen Racing's principals, brother Dan and John Andersen, have extensive
experience in series administration as well as team management. They've worked
with many of today's top open-wheel stars, including several Indy 500 winners.
Andersen Racing is sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp. It is the
official development team of Rahal Letterman Racing, which competes in the IndyCar
Series. In addition, its F2000 team is also the official factory team of Van
Diemen. The team is headquartered at Andersen RacePark, an 18-acre facility
in Palmetto, Fla. that includes a 1-mile test track. For more information see
andersenracingteam.com and andersenracepark.com.