WATKINS GLEN, N.Y., July 3 - Firestone Indy Lights driver Andrew Prendeville knows it's a small world.

He also realizes it's a better one thanks to the courage of American military heroes like Spann Watson and his own late grandfather, Edward Prendeville.

Andrew Prendeville will drive RLR/Andersen Racing's Best Friends Animal Society No. 5 in two Firestone Indy Lights races at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, N.Y. on Saturday as part of that track's Fourth of July festivities. His events, the Corning Duels, are part of the Camping World Grand Prix IndyCar Series weekend.

On another patriotic holiday, Memorial Day, he was honored to have retired Lt. Col. Spann Watson and his son, Weyman Watson, as his guests when he competed in the Firestone Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 23 prior to the Indianapolis 500 two days later.

Spann Watson, now 91, was one of the original Tuskegee Airmen who helped America win World War II and also end racial segregation in the U.S. military.

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first all-black aviation unit in the United States military. Formed in July 1941, its members trained at the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Ala., from where they got their name.

The military had just begun to be integrated at that time. A prevailing idea of that day's society was that blacks were not capable of being pilots, a notion the Tuskegee Airmen were determined to prove false.

America was not doing well in the war at the time. It was losing white pilots and their navigators at an alarming pace. When the Tuskegee Airmen were finally given a chance in 1942, they were assigned to escort bombers flown by white Americans in order to protect them. The 332nd Fighter Group, which the Tuskegee Airmen's 99th Fighter Squadron later fell under, ended up flying 1,578 combat missions without the lost of a single bomber, changing history both politically and socially. "Read more"»

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LAS VEGAS, July 1 - Fans can get involved in the excitement of two Firestone Indy Lights races in a single day and simultaneously help a great cause Saturday through Andrew Prendeville's Racing Laps for Best Friends program as highlighted on the racinglapsforbestfriends.com Web site.

For the first time ever the series will stage two races on one day when the Corning Duels are held Saturday at 11:15 a.m. and 3:20 p.m. at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, N.Y. Both events are slated to be 29 laps long. That's important, because fans make pledges to the not-for-profit Best Friends Animal Society based on the number of laps Prendeville completes in all of the Firestone Indy Lights races in his Best Friends Animal Society No. 5.

Per-lap donations are accepted in any amount starting at 25 cents. Payments are made safely on-line through credit cards. All of the proceeds go directly to Best Friends.

Should a fan pledge $1 per lap for both races and Prendeville finishes all the laps possible on Saturday, the fan will make a $58 donation to Best Friends at the end of the day.

Prendeville finished all the laps in the doubleheader at the Glen last year, although those races were held on separate days. The Las Vegas-based driver, a New Jersey native, finished in the top 10 in both events.

Fans can also purchase raffle tickets to benefit Best Friends on the racinglapsforbestfriends.com Web site. The prizes are sessions at the famous Bertil Roos Racing School.

Practice sessions will be held at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday before SWE Qualifying at 5 p.m. that day sets the starting line-up for the first race. "Read more"»

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PALMETTO, Fla., June 26 - Andrew Prendeville and J.R. Hildebrand had a successful test day with their Firestone Indy Lights cars yesterday at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, N.Y. as the RLR/Andersen Racing team prepared for a doubleheader to be held there July 5.

Unfortunately another one of the Palmetto, Fla.-based team's drivers, Charles Hall, only got a handful of laps of testing in on Wednesday due to mechanical problems with a car the team leased from another team. Without that valuable seat time, Hall and the teams jointly decided to postpone his Firestone Indy Lights debut for now.

Hall, of Sheffield, England, is the current point leader in the Star Madza Championship presented by Goodyear.

"We struggled all day with Charles's car, so we've withdrawn his entry in the Watkins Glen doubleheader," said team co-owner John Andersen. "Other competitors in the paddock did everything they could to try to help us in a variety of ways, and the people from Speedway Engines went above and beyond in their efforts. We had fuel pressure and electrical problems, and we just couldn't get it sorted out in time to give Charles enough laps. His Firestone Indy Lights debut is postponed for now, but we all expect that it'll happen sometime before the end of the year. In the meantime, his focus remains the Star Mazda Championship."

Andersen said he was very happy with the progress made during the test with the team's other two cars. Prendeville drives the Best Friends Animal Society No. 5, while Hildebrand is at the controls of the Allied Interior Products No. 25. "Read more"»

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NEWTON, Iowa, June 21 - RLR/Andersen Racing's J.R. Hildebrand and Andrew Prendeville brought their cars back to the paddock in one piece, which is always a challenge at Iowa Speedway, after finishing eighth and 12th, respectively, after 115 laps of torrid competition in the Jeld-Wen 100 Firestone Indy Lights race Saturday.

Hildebrand, of Sausalito, Calif. and Indianapolis, started seventh in the Allied Building Products No. 25 and was never out of the top 10. Prendeville, of Las Vegas, advanced five positions with his Best Friends Animal Society No. 5, as he started 17th.

Neither drivers' positions in the championship changed after Saturday's points were tabulated. Hildebrand is still third, and Prendeville is still tenth.

Raphael Matos, who is fourth in the point standings, was one of Hildebrand's primary rivals during Saturday's race. They started side-by-side, and Matos got by him in the early going to push Hildebrand to eighth. Hildebrand got seventh on lap eight when he passed Brent Sherman, and he ran many subsequent laps in that spot, sandwiched between Matos and Sherman. "Read more"»