Since I’ve written about Jeff Simmons so many times here I’ve got to let you know that he’s been replaced as the driver of the Team Ethanol car. It’s a tough sport. The new driver is Ryan Hunter-Reay. I wish Jeff and his fiance, Stephanie all the best.
So let’s all welcome new Team Ethanol car driver Ryan and hope he has an awesome start at the upcoming Honda Mid-Ohio 200 in Lexington, Ohio.
Rahal Letterman Racing today announces that American open-wheel and sports car race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay will take over as the driver of the team’s #17 Ethanol-sponsored car in the IndyCar Series, effective immediately.
“We have made important strides in our IndyCar program this year and we feel like this is something that we needed to do to maintain that pattern of improvement and growth,” said RLR co-owner Bobby Rahal. “Jeff stepped into a difficult situation last season and did a lot for our team and our sponsors, but we feel at this time, that this is the right move for the long-term future of Rahal Letterman Racing.”
Hunter-Reay worked his way up the American open-wheel ladder, having great success at every level. He began his career by winning six national karting championships before moving onto the Skip Barber program, where he was rookie-of-the-year in the Barber Dodge Pro Series in 2000. He moved to Toyota Atlantic competition in 2002, and led the series with three race wins and three poles, while also pacing the championship in laps led. The performance caught the attention of road-racing ace Stefan Johansson, who hired Ryan to drive for his first-year Champ Car World Series squad in 2003.