Dan Wheldon and Bryan Herta will be reunited in an effort to win the 100th anniversary of Indianapolis 500 as Weldon will drive the Bryan Herta Autosport entry car, of what it might be the first event in a long-term racing agreement.
Dan Wheldon and Bryan Herta used to be teammates at the then-Andretti Green Racing during the 2005 IZOD IndyCar Series season. In fact that season Dan Wheldon won the Indianapolis 500 among a series-record six victories and went on to the championship. Herta also recorded a victory that season – as did teammates Dario Franchitti (two) and Tony Kanaan (two) -- and finished third in the ’05 Indy 500 (Vitor Meira was in between).
Bryan Herta, Indycar veteran driver and co-owner of the team with longtime race engineer Steve Newey commented:
“It goes without saying that Dan knows his way around the Speedway. He has achieved a tremendous amount of success there and all of us have high expectations going into the month of May. No only is he a great driver, but he's a great friend. As a former teammate of Dan’s, I appreciate what he brings to the table with his professionalism, determination and attitude, and it will be a big plus to us.
We're committed to grow our team. We started organically with a one-car Firestone Indy Lights team and competed at Indy last year. Our goal is to be a strong team in the IZOD IndyCar Series."
Wheldon became the first Englishman since Graham Hill in 1966 to stand in Victory Circle at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2005 and his success was followed with runner-up finishes in 2009 and 2010 with Panther Racing. Overall, he’s had five top-five finishes in eight starts.
“I’m really excited to be joining Bryan Herta Autosport for the centennial running of the Indianapolis 500 and I’m excited to announce this news in my hometown of St. Pete. Bryan has been a friend – and a teammate – for a long time now and because of that I have the utmost confidence in him and his team to provide me with the tools to win my second Indy 500. He groomed me as a youngster. Going into the month of May, I think we stand in a very good position. At this point, I won’t be a full-time IndyCar participant this season, but I don’t think we will be at a disadvantage having not raced in the first four races of the season because they are not on ovals; they are running on road and street courses.
We will have plenty of preparation time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and paired with the fact that Honda always supplies us with reliable engines, I think we’ll be able to hit the ground running. I’m really excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to get to Indy.”
