INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Jay Howard Driver Development (JHDD) today announced that the team will be adding the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires to its defined ladder program with a strong driver line-up to go with it.
Having won multiple races in the USF2000 category, the first rung of the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires ladder, in addition to the drivers’ championship last season, the natural progression for the team was to finalize a defined pathway all the way to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. With the formation of an Indy Pro 2000 effort, and thanks to the JHDD’s alliance with Carlin Racing, drivers can now climb the Road to Indy ladder all the way to the top level of the sport under the watchful eye of Jay Howard.
Having a strong driver pairing for any team is important, but especially when it’s the first season in a new category. Fortunately, JHDD will be in good hands for its debut season in Indy Pro 2000 with last season’s USF2000 Champion Christian Rasmussen piloting the Road to Indy scholarship branded car alongside former teammate Wyatt Brichacek, who has shown promising speed in pre-season testing.
“I’m very happy to be back with JHDD on the Road to Indy,” noted Rasmussen, the 2020 USF2000 Champion. “We have a very exciting season ahead of us in Indy Pro 2000 and it is shaping up to be very competitive. I am always up for the challenge, however, and I can’t wait to get started. It will truly be an honor to represent the Road to Indy as one of their scholarship drivers.”
“I’m really excited to be making the jump up to Indy Pro 2000 for the upcoming season,” a motivated Brichacek commented, who will be entering his fourth season with the JHDD squad. “With a full year of experience on the Road to Indy and returning with JHDD, I have high expectations for this year. I’ve been working hard during the off-season to improve myself, and with the little time I’ve had in the car, I already feel right at home. With the help of the whole JHDD team I’m sure we can make this season a successful one!”
For team owner Jay Howard, the creation and resulting expansion of the team has been built around the notion of working with fast, hungry and coachable drivers. The likes of Rasmussen and Brichacek have been perfect examples for the program in recent years, making the decision for Howard to expand the program an easy one.
“I’m delighted to confirm JHDD’s participation in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship,” commented former INDYCAR driver Howard. “Making such a decision was simple as having worked with Christian and Wyatt for a number of years now, helping them learn their craft and achieving success along the way, we all wanted to keep that journey going. We’ve been out testing, we’ve been learning quickly, the boys have been fast, and when the green flag drops in Alabama next month, we will be ready.”
JHDD and their Road to Indy teams don’t have long to wait until the action starts, with official series action slated to get underway with Spring Training at Barber Motorsports Park, April 4 – 6, before the opening rounds of the season take place at the same venue less than a fortnight later, April 16-18. Fans can follow all of the action live via Road to Indy TV and gain behind the scenes insights courtesy of the JHDD social media channels.
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About JHDD
The Jay Howard Driver Development (JHDD) team was set up with a focus of providing the very best race team in the junior ranks of open-wheel racing. Fielding cars in the major American open-wheel development series, Jay is giving back to the sport he dearly loves, teaching his drivers the secrets of winning races, championships and being leaders. Having achieved much success in his career, passing this experience onto his drivers and watching them develop is a passion of Jay’s.
Jay has worked hard to put the best people around him and his program, from ex-F1/IndyCar engineers and mechanics, to the latest technology and software to separate JHDD from the rest. Jay has purposely left no stone unturned with his team’s preparation in order to best prepare his drivers both short term and long term. No matter what the drivers’ goals are, JHDD delivers.