For more information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
Cell: (317) 201-0729
E-mail: LindaKMansfield@cs.com
Can Romancini Dazzle Again
On Saturday in Kentucky?
PALMETTO, Fla., July 29 - The way that Firestone Indy Lights rookie Mario
Romancini has taken to oval-track racing has been nothing short of
phenomenal. Both he and his team, RLR/Andersen Racing, hope that continues on Friday
and Saturday when the 21-year-old driver from Sao Paulo, Brazil tackles
Kentucky Speedway's 1.5-mile asphalt oval for the first time.
Palmetto, Fla.-based RLR/Andersen Racing has entered three cars for
Romancini, Ali Jackson and Pablo Donoso to drive in the Kentucky 100 Firestone Indy
Lights race on the track in Sparta, Ky. this Saturday night at 5 p.m.
Eastern time. Although this is only RLR/Andersen Racing's third year of
competition in this particular series it is already a powerhouse, and only one other
team has more entries in Kentucky's Firestone Indy Lights race.
The 20-car, 67-lap race will be broadcast on a taped-delayed basis on
Monday, Aug. 3 at 4 p.m. Eastern time on VERSUS. That telecast is scheduled to
include a special feature on Romancini, who is also slated to have an in-car
camera on board during the race.
Although he never drove on an oval track before he tested at
Homestead-Miami Speedway in February, Romancini has been truly impressive in the four
oval-track Firestone Indy Lights races held so far this year. He finished third
at both Kansas Speedway in April and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in
May, and then he won the pole and led every lap at the race on the Milwaukee
Mile May 31. He came from 13th to fourth at Iowa Speedway in June even though
he couldn't make any in-cockpit adjustments to his car's handling from the
mid-point of that race on due to a broken weight jacker.
Now Romancini, who drives the No. 5 sponsored by Andersen Racing, Revita
Recycling, Win Brazil Marketing, Allied Interior Products and Lafarge North
America, will have only two short practice sessions at noon and 4 p.m. Friday
to get acclimated to the track before qualifying is held at 7 p.m. Friday
night. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers who raced at Kentucky on
July 18 said the track surface was very bumpy, but there has reportedly been
some diamond grinding done in the turns since then in preparation for the
Firestone Indy Lights and IndyCar Series' visit this weekend. No matter what
they find, Romancini and his teammates will do their best to find a set-up
that will take them to the front. Romancini is in the heat of the points
race, as he's currently third in the driver point standings.
Although RLR/Andersen Racing's Jonathan Summerton tested at Kentucky
Speedway March 23-24, neither Romancini nor Jackson has ever even seen the place.
"Let's see how it goes!" said Romancini before boarding a plane from his
American base in Miami on Wednesday night to depart for the weekend's
activities. "We need to make as many points as possible."
Like Romancini, Jackson, of Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a rookie in the
series. The 20-year-old driver of the Moyvalley Golf and Hotel Resort/Allied
Interior Products No. 9 has been making steady progress since he joined
RLR/Andersen Racing, and hopes for a top-10 finish in Kentucky.
Donoso, 24, of Santiago, Chile, a former Andersen Racing Star Mazda driver,
rejoins the team after getting his best result of the season when he
finished eighth driving for RLR/Andersen Racing on July 4 at Watkins Glen
International in Watkins Glen, N.Y. Donoso contested four races with Brian Stewart
Racing and two with Genoa Lights before joining RLR/Andersen Racing for Iowa
and Watkins Glen. He'll be in the No. 6 this weekend, which is sponsored
by Andersen Racing, Allied Interior Products and Donoso LTDA.
Donoso has competed in one previous Firestone Indy Lights race at Kentucky
Speedway. He started 14th but was involved in an accident there in 2008 to
place 22nd in the final rundown.
Donoso is also slated to be Romancini and Jackson's teammate at the
Firestone Indy Lights race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio on
Aug. 9.
Saturday's race is the 100th Firestone Indy Lights race sanctioned by the
Indy Racing League.
All of Andersen Racing's race cars have been sporting the logo of Best
Friends Animal Society in July as a salute to that not-for-profit animal welfare
group, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this month. The donated
signage draws attention to Best Friends' quarter century of service to the
welfare of abused, abandoned animals at its 3,700-acre sanctuary in southwestern
Utah, and for its on-going work across the United States. Best Friends' No
More Homeless Pets program includes national campaigns in key American cities
to address the problems of saving pit bull dogs, speaking out against puppy
mills, addressing the problem of cat overpopulation and striving that one
day there will be no more homeless pets. More information on the organization
can be obtained at bestfriends.org.
For more information on Andersen Racing, which is sponsored by Allied
Interior Products and Lafarge North America and offers programs in karting,
Formula BMW and Star Mazda in addition to Firestone Indy Lights, see its Web site
at andersenracingteam.com. For more information on its 1-mile road course
test track in Palmetto, Fla., see andersenracepark.com.
The series' Web site is at indycar.com/indylights, while information and
tickets can be obtained at kentuckyspeedway.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 the Lafarge Group:
The Lafarge Group is the world leader in building materials, with
top-ranking positions in all of its businesses: cement, aggregates and concrete, and
gypsum. With 83,000 employees in 78 countries, the Group posted sales of
19.0 billion Euros in 2008.
Lafarge North America Inc. ("Lafarge North America" or "Lafarge"), a
Lafarge Group company, is the largest diversified supplier of construction
materials in the United States and Canada.
In 2009 and for the fifth year in a row, the Lafarge Group was listed in
the "Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World." With the
world's leading building materials research facility, the Lafarge Group places
innovation at the heart of its priorities, working for sustainable construction
and architectural creativity.
For more information about Lafarge North America, go to lafarge-na.com or
contact Louise Muth, director of external communications, at (703) 480-3707.
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, four-step program
utilizing multiple entries in four different platforms: karting, Formula BMW
Americas, Star Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights (televised on VERSUS). In 2008 it
fielded multiple entries in 42 races in 18 states and provinces at some of
the best facilities on the continent, including the famed Indianapolis Motor
Speedway.
Andersen Racing won the team championship for 2008 for both the F2000
Championship Series presented by Hoosier Racing Tire and the Star Mazda
Championship presented by Goodyear. Two of its drivers finished first and second in
the F2000 driver point standings, while another was sixth. Three of its Star
Mazda drivers placed third, fifth and sixth in that series' driver
standings. RLR/Andersen Racing finished sixth in the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights team
standings, while one of its drivers placed fifth in that series' driver
point standings.
Andersen Racing's principals, brothers 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. and Lafarge
North America. It is the official development team of Rahal Letterman
Racing. The team is headquartered at Andersen RacePark, an 18-acre facility in
Palmetto, Fla. that includes a 1-mile road course test track. For more
information see andersenracingteam.com and andersenracepark.com.