Hunter-Reay Signs with Rahal Letterman Racing

to drive the No.#17 Team Ethanol Entry 

Thursday, July 19, 2007

By indycar.com staff

Ryan Hunter-Reay will be immersed in IndyCar Series racing this weekend when he takes the No. 17 Team Ethanol Dallara/Honda/Firestone onto the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the inaugural Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by Westfield Insurance.

Rahal Letterman Racing announced that Hunter-Reay will replace Jeff Simmons in the entry for the remaining six races of the season. In 25 starts since moving into the seat after the death of Paul Dana in March 2006, Simmons had 11 top-10 finishes. He had a high this year of sixth at Texas Motor Speedway in June.

"We have made important strides in our IndyCar program this year and we feel like this is something that we needed to do to maintain that pattern of improvement and growth," Rahal Letterman Racing co-owner Bobby Rahal said. "Jeff stepped into a difficult situation last season and did a lot for our team and our sponsors, but we feel at this time that this is the right move for the long-term future of Rahal Letterman Racing."

Hunter-Reay started second and finished third in the 2003 (and last) CART race at Mid-Ohio.

IndyCar Series Lapel Pin. "I am very happy to be joining a quality organization such as Rahal Letterman Racing," Hunter-Reay said. "This is a strong opportunity for me and I am eager to help the team move forward and get some results through the remainder of the season."

Hunter-Reay began his career by winning six national karting championships before moving onto the Skip Barber program, where he was Rookie of the Year in the Barber Dodge Pro Series in 2000. He moved to Toyota Atlantic competition in 2002, and led the series with three race wins and three poles. The performance caught the attention of Stefan Johansson, who hired Ryan to drive for his first-year CART team in 2003.

He became the first American rookie in 20 years to win a CART race with a victory in Australia in 2003, then set a series record by leading all 250 laps in a 2004 victory at The Milwaukee Mile. Hunter-Reay made 43 starts over three seasons with two wins, one pole and 18 top 10s. He has spent the past two seasons running part-time in the Rolex Grand American Series, where he co-drove with NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson in this year's Rolex 24 At Daytona, as well as in A1GP competition.

"I am very happy to be joining a quality organization such as Rahal Letterman Racing," Hunter-Reay said. "This is a strong opportunity for me and I am eager to help the team move forward and get some results through the remainder of the season."