With Ethanol Sponsorship
source:
paddocktalk.com
Hemelgarn returns to IndyCar Series with Dana, Ethanol: Ron Hemelgarn, who
won the 2000 IndyCar Series and 1996 Indianapolis 500 as a team owner, returns
full time to the IndyCar Series with Paul Dana behind the wheel of the No. 91
Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing Dallara/Toyota/Firestone for the 17-race season.
"I got a feel for how they run their shop and what the attitude is in the shop
last year when we had a good season in the (IRL Menards Infiniti) Pro Series,"
said Dana, who was runner-up in the 2004 standings. "The 2000 championship that
they won seems like a long time ago, but a lot of the same guys are in the shop.
They remember what it's like to win, and they're hungry to do so again. I like
being surrounded by people who are hungry and motivated, and the Hemelgarn guys
definitely are."
Hemelgarn, an entrepreneur in fitness and financial industries, has been
involved in racing since sponsoring the cars of Dick Simon (1978-79), Spike
Gelhausen and Josele Garza (1980). He purchased the Primus team in 1984 and
created Hemelgarn Racing.
The team made an immediate imprint on the IndyCar Series, with Buddy Lazier
starting from the pole position in the inaugural race on Jan. 27, 1996, at Walt
Disney World Speedway. Lazier also was behind the wheel for the victory in the
"Greatest Spectacle in Racing" later that year and the IndyCar Series title. The
team was runner-up in the series standings in 2001.