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Hildebrand Teams With Ed Carpenter Racing For Indy 500

J.R. Hildebrand   [John Wiedemann Photo]

St. Petersburg, Fla. – Ed Carpenter Racing announced a few days ago that J. R. Hildebrand, the 2011 Indy 500 rookie of the year, would be joining the team for the Indianapolis 500 in May, and in a press conference in St. Petersburg this weekend, team principal Ed Carpenter introduced a partnership with Preferred Freezer Services for Hildebrand’s No. 21 entry.

Hildebrand will drive the blue and white Preferred Freezer Services Chevrolet-powered IndyCar with the temperature- controlled, refrigerated-warehouse storage and logistics’ company’s legendary polar bear logo on the car. Preferred Freezer Services, a New Jersey company, has grown from a single facility in 1989 to 35 locations throughout the United States.

Until now, ECR is the only single-car team running in the Verizon IndyCar Series and once Hildebrand joins the organization, the Carpenter-Hildebrand combination will be the only All-American team entered in the Indy 500.

Said Carpenter, the 2013 Indy 500 pole winner, “In our third season, we’ve been trying to grow and add quality cars. Having a second car with J. R. will make us that much stronger at Indianapolis. Hopefully, this is something we can build on.”

Hildebrand, the 2011 Indy 500 runner-up, said, “Based on the experience I have had at Indianapolis, it is exciting to come back and have another shot at it. I am very confident that running with Ed Carpenter means I have another shot to run up front. With Indianapolis, it is the mecca for speed in auto racing and where new innovation happens. It is always an exciting prospect to come back and be a part of it.”

The 26-year old driver is a three-time starter in the Indianapolis 500.

According to Hildebrand, the arrangement with Carpenter has been in the talking stage for months, but it couldn’t be structured until sponsorship was obtained. “We’ve been working on it, and it is exciting to see it come to fruition,” noted Hildebrand. “It is a program that if the right pieces fall in place, it is one that we can build on.”

Practice for the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500 starts on May 11.

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