Hunter-Reay gets IndyCar ride with team owned by Tony George

Ryan Hunter-Reay will fill the seat of a second Dallara at Vision Racing in the IndyCar Series.

Hunter-Reay, who won his first IndyCar Series race at Watkins Glen, N.Y., road course this past season, will join Ed Carpenter at Vision and will drive the No. 21 entry, the team announced this week.

The season's first race -- the Honda Indy Grand Prix -- is Sunday at St. Petersburg, Fla.

The 8th race in the 17-race season is the June 27 SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway.

Tony George, the CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Racing League, is the owner of the Vision Racing team.

In a statement, George noted that the team would have preferred to have secured Hunter-Reay's services earlier so it would have had more time to prepare for the season opener. Nevertheless, George said, "the opportunity to welcome such a proficient driver and individual to the team was more than favorable."

Hunter-Reay, 28 and a native of Boca Raton, Fla., came to the IndyCar Series in 2007, replacing Jeff Simmons at Rahal Letterman Racing after Simmons was released by the team. In six starts in '07, Hunter-Reay produced three top-10 finishes.

Last season, in 17 starts for Rahal Letterman, Hunter-Reay had 10 top-10 finishes to go along with his win at Watkins Glen. After Rahal Letterman lost the sponsorship of Ethanol, he was without a ride.

Despite his relative IndyCar inexperience (23 IndyCar Series starts), Hunter-Reay is the only driver to have wins in IndyCar Series, CART and Champ Car sanctioned events.

In a press release, Hunter-Reay said that his ride with Vision Racing "is a huge opportunity on so many levels. I am very grateful to Laura and Tony George for their confidence in me and making this a reality."

George said Hunter-Reay's racing skill is apparent. "Rather than have him watching from the sidelines or driving against us," George said, "it only made sense to bring him into our operation for the 2009 season. With Ryan now joining Ed [Carpenter], we have a driver lineup that is more than capable of helping the team grow in its fifth season and capture the teams' first victory."

IZOD, which has a personal contract with Hunter-Reay, will be an associate sponsor of his car. Team officials said they hope to announce primary sponsorship after this weekend's race.

For more information about the IndyCar series and the Richmond International Raceway event, visit http://www.indycar.com or http://www.rir.com .

Contact Shawn Fenner at

.