07/13/2008 Prendeville Infineon Program Story
 
Note: High-res photos are available for downloading at the bottom of the 
"Media" section of racinglapsforbestfriends.com. 
 
For more info:
Linda Mansfield
Cell: 317-201-0729
E-mail: LindaKMansfield@cs.com
 
 
 
 
Fans Can Donate to a Great Cause
While Enjoying This Weekend's
Firestone Indy Lights Doubleheader
 
 
By Linda Mansfield
 
Fans can take an active role in Saturday and Sunday's Firestone Indy Lights 
doubleheader at Infineon Raceway while helping a great cause through Andrew 
Prendeville's Racing Laps for Best Friends program.
 
Through a Web site at racinglapsforbestfriends.com, fans can make donations 
to the not-for-profit Best Friends Animal Society based on the number of laps 
Prendeville completes in the twin 30-lap races. 
 
The Best Friends Animal Society is a charitable organization that is one of 
the largest animal welfare concerns in the world.  Its headquarters are in 
Kanab, Utah, where it cares for some 1,500 animals on any given day.  Best Friends 
also works with shelters and rescue groups around the world, including here 
in California. Their common goal is a day when there will be no more homeless 
pets. 
 
Best Friends provides adoption, spay/neuter and educational programs. It has 
an impressive network of members nationwide that assists their local areas as 
well as national and even international cases.
 
Best Friends' sanctuary in Utah often becomes the home of animals that other 
groups have been unable to place. It has been in the news this year because it 
was given the responsibility to care for and rehabilitate 22 of the dogs 
formerly owned by NFL player Michael Vick.
 
Prendeville was inspired to develop the Racing Laps for Best Friends program 
by his mother, Pat, who has donated to Best Friends for many years and even 
adopted two cats from the group. 
 
Prendeville wanted to use racing to try to raise both exposure for Best 
Friends and donations for it. With Best Friends' blessings and guidance he named 
his car the Best Friends Animal Society No. 5, set up the on-line donations 
system at racinglapsforbestfriends.com, told the press about his plans, and the 
program was off and running.
 
Its first event was the Freedom 100 in May 2007 at the Indianapolis Motor 
Speedway. According to Best Friends, by the middle of 2008 the program had 
already surpassed the $50,000 it raised for Best Friends last year.
 
Fans participating in the per-lap program can make donations to Best Friends 
in any monetary amount from 25 cents and up based on the number of laps 
Prendeville completes in any or all of his Firestone Indy Lights races.  The 
tax-deductible donations go entirely to Best Friends.
 
If a fan pledges a dollar a lap and Prendeville finishes all the laps in both 
Firestone Indy Lights races here at Infineon Raceway this weekend, the fan's 
credit card will be charged with a $60 donation to Best Friends at the end of 
the weekend. If he should finish the first race and only complete half of the 
second race, the donation would be $45. 
 
In addition to making per-lap donations, fans can also purchase Best Friends 
raffle tickets at racinglapsforbestfriends.com.  Prizes are sessions at the 
famous Bertil Roos Racing School.
 
If fans look closely at Prendeville's car they'll spot a cartoon rendition of 
Ballsy, a stray dog Best Friends rescued after Hurricane Katrina.  Ballsy now 
lives at Best Friends' sanctuary. Prendeville sponsors him via Best Friends' 
Web site at bestfriends.org. Fans can learn more about Ballsy on Prendeville's 
blog about him at racinglapsforbestfriends.com.
 
Prendeville finished all the laps of both races here last year.  He had his 
best finish of the 2007 season when he placed third in the second half of last 
year's doubleheader.
 
Prendeville is a member of RLR/Andersen Racing of Palmetto, Fla., the 
official development team of IndyCar's Rahal Letterman Racing.  His teammate on the 
Firestone Indy Lights circuit is J.R. Hildebrand. He has 10 other teammates 
too, because Andersen Racing also fields multiple entries in the F2000 
Championship Series and Star Mazda. 
 
Prendeville is a native of Chatham Township, N.J.  The 26-year-old driver 
lives in Las Vegas. He finished second in the 2004 Cooper Tires Formula Ford 2000 
national championship, helping Andersen Racing win the team championship that 
year. He won the SCCA Formula Continental national championship at the 
Valvoline Runoffs in 2002.  His brother, Doug Prendeville, finished second in that 
event and is one of Andersen Racing's current F2000 drivers.
 
In addition to racinglapsforbestfriends.com, bestfriends.org and 
indycar.com/indylights, more information is available at andrewprendeville.com and 
andersenracingteam.com.