For more information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
Cell: (317) 201-0729
E-mail: LindaKMansfield@cs.com
Romancini Will Start Third
For RLR/Andersen Racing
Saturday at Kentucky Speedway
SPARTA, Ky., July 31 - The starting grid for Saturday's 100th Firestone
Indy Lights race sanctioned by the Indy Racing League was determined by the
current entrants' points standings after persistent weepers kept the series off
Kentucky Speedway all day Friday. RLR/Andersen Racing's Mario Romancini
will start third when the 67-lap race gets the green flag at 5 p.m. Eastern
time on Saturday, while his teammates, Ali Jackson and Pablo Donoso, will start
eighth and last in the 19-car field, respectively.
Weepers are water that comes up through the track surface due to a
saturated water table. Approximately 5 inches of rain fell on the area this week,
but Friday was sunny and warm and Saturday is expected to be the same.
With no practice for the Firestone Indy Lights drivers at all on Friday,
Romancini and Jackson will take their first laps here Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
during a 45-minute practice session. Donoso already has one race here under
his belt.
A 30-minute practice session will follow at 2:15 p.m. before race time.
Romancini, of Sao Paulo, Brazil, will start beside Wade Cunningham on the
inside of Row 2 with his No. 5, which is sponsored by Andersen Racing, Revita
Recycling, Win Brazil Marketing, Allied Interior Products and Lafarge North
America.
Jackson, of Moyvalley, County Kildare, Ireland, will start eighth in the
No. 9, which is sponsored by the Moyvalley Golf and Hotel Resort and Allied
Interior Products.
Donoso, of Santiago, Chile, drives car No. 6, which is sponsored by
Andersen Racing, Allied Interior Products and Donoso LTDA.
The 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.
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 s
ignage 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, which features live timing and scoring, is at
indycar.com/indylights. Other 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.