Cheever Racing today announced a
comprehensive
driver development program with
the goal of bringing its own new talent to the Indy Racing
League's IndyCar Series. Formtek
and CareCentric, Inc. will partner with veteran Indy Racing
League team to field an Indy Pro Series entry for American
driver Chris Festa this season.
"The Indy Pro Series, now
well established in its fifth season, offers Cheever Racing an
opportunity to take a young gun
like Chris and build him up with the final expectation of
racing at the Indianapolis 500," owner Eddie Cheever, Jr.
said. "Our entire group is looking forward to working with
Chris on this objective."
This will be the second year of
competition in the Indy Pro Series for the 20-year-old
from Atlanta, Ga. Festa finished
sixth in the series standings in 2005 with a season-best
result of second place at Phoenix International Raceway, and
five other top-five finishes.
"I am excited to be joining
Cheever Racing, it is a great opportunity," Festa said. "I
have
great respect for Eddie as a
driver and owner. I have met the team of engineers and
mechanics I will be working with, and together I believe we
will be a serious contender in the Pro Series- and that this
will be a bridge to the IndyCar Series and even some Grand-Am
races."
Festa, a current marketing major
at Florida State University, has one focus in racing: to
compete at the top levels of
open-wheel competition. He has followed a racing career path
that started with racing karts from ages 13 to 18, to racing
Toyota Atlantics in 2004 and now the Indy Pro Series.
The No. 51 Formtek/CareCentric
Cheever Racing entry will be the first Indy Pro Series
team for Cheever Racing, one of
the original teams of the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series.
"With two events at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and a good combination of oval
and road course races, the Indy
Pro Series is a good place for America's future open-wheel
racers to be driving and
learning," Cheever said.
The 2006 Indy Pro Series
championship begins March 26 at Homestead-Miami
Speedway. The highlights of the
12-race series includes the Freedom 100 on May 26 at the
historic Indianapolis Motor
Speedway oval, and the Liberty Challenge during the United
States Grand Prix weekend at Indy on July 1.
About Formtek:
Formtek is a group of
long-established companies, each with a wellknown
name and a history of providing
innovative and reliable equipment to the metal forming
and metal processing industries.
About CareCentric:
CareCentric first participated in
motorsports four years ago and has
sponsored entries in various
forms of American open-wheel racing including FF2000, Formula
Renault 2000, Star Mazda, Toyota Atlantic and currently the
Indy Pro Series.
CareCentric provides information
technology, business operation and outsourcing
solutions and services to more
than 1,200 customers. CareCentric's customers include
freestanding, hospital-based and
multi-office home health care providers, including skilled
nursing, private duty, home
medical equipment and supplies, long-term care, home-care
pharmacy and hospice. Complete
information solutions enable these home-care lines of business
to utilize and generate comprehensive, integrated financial,
operational and clinical data. CareCentric is headquartered in
Atlanta, Ga., with offices nationwide.
About Cheever Racing:
Based in Indianapolis, Cheever
Racing opened its doors in
1997 to race in the IRL IndyCar
Series. The team went on to win the 1998 Indianapolis 500. A
leader in American motorsports, the team is built on owner
Eddie Cheever Jr.'s 30-plus years of experience in Formula
One, sports cars and open-wheel racing. In 2006, Cheever
Racing is set to compete in the Grand American Rolex Sports
Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve and the
Indy Pro Series. Notably, the team is looking to enter its 10
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