LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 19, 2009) - The tight twists and turns that the Long Beach, Calif. streets provide were not too kind to Vision Racing drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay and Ed Carpenter in today's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. In spite of any mishaps, bumps and miscues, both Hunter-Reay and Carpenter advanced from their starting positions and brought their cars to the finish line in one piece with 11th and 18th place finishes, respectively.

From a 12th place starting position on the grid, Hunter-Reay battled a strong push and wild rear-end of the car for the majority of the race. Thanks to solid pit strategy, he ran as high as third in the No. 21 William Rast/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine and remained in the top-ten for a great deal of the race.

While running in ninth with just three laps to go, the ill-handling car became too much for Hunter-Reay as he fought to keep it pointed forward and at full speed. He slipped to 10th and was passed on the last lap by Alex Tagliani to finish in the 11th spot.

Hunter-Reay remains within the top-five in the IndyCar Series championship point standings as he is fifth with 59 points (25 behind the leader).

IndyCar Series racing resumes next weekend at Kansas Speedway for the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 on Sunday, April 26 at 4 p.m. ET on VERSUS.

###

Ryan Hunter-Reay - No.21 Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone
Finishing Position: 11TH 
Qualifying Position: 12th 

On race:

"It was just a long day. We did some cheap fixes to the car to make it good over new tires, which might have good for qualifying, but it wore the rear tires off of it way too quick so that left us a sitting duck at the end of the stint. It was a long day and one that you've just got to get through and get on with it. We didn't have a good car here. The guys did a great job with the stops and we brought the car home. I should have hit the wall about 35 times and the car is coming back in one piece. We got blocked on a couple of occasions, but it just wasn't our day. We were slow again on the straights and I wasn't getting any kind of run on anybody and we couldn't draft. I don't know why that was the case, but we'll have to look at that before Kansas. It's a big concern."

###

About Vision Racing:  Vision Racing is owned and operated by Tony and Laura George as well as actor Patrick Dempsey of ABC's Grey's Anatomy and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana in a 32,000 square foot facility. The team competes full-time in the IndyCar Series and is entering its fifth season of IndyCar Series competition. The team features returning IndyCar Series driver Ed Carpenter and welcomed veteran Ryan Hunter-Reay for 2009. In the past calendar year, the team has scored nine top-ten finishes and five additional top-five finishes including a fifth place finish in the Indianapolis 500 by Ed Carpenter and a second place run by Ryan Hunter-Reay on the streets of St. Petersburg in the 2009 season opener. Also new for 2009 is a return to the Firestone Indy Lights Series with driver James Davison, as well as a technical partnership with new FIL team Bryan Herta Autosport and driver Daniel Herrington. Vision Racing continues to proudly perpetuate the legacy of the Hulman-George family through motorsports excellence, by demonstrating the traditions and heritage of the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Racing.

www.VisionRacing.com  /  www.Twitter.com/VisionRacing  /  www.YouTube.com/VisionRacing  /  www.Facebook.com