SARAH FISHER TO RACE AT ANDERSON WEDNESDAY

INDIANAPOLIS, IN.......Just an hour outside of Indianapolis lies Anderson Speedway, which houses a unique category of the racing world, called midget racing. Many current IndyCar and NASCAR drivers used midget car racing as a launching pad for their professional careers, including Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman and IndyCar's own, Sarah Fisher.


 


Fisher will return to the sport when she races in the USAC Kenyon Midget Series on Wed., July 22, 2009 at 8 p.m. EDT. She will be racing on the same night as her brother-in-law, Kyle O'Gara, 14, who has been racing for SFR in the Ford Focus Midget Series.


 


The owner of Anderson Speedway, Rick Dawson, rarely lends the track to other promoters, but says that Don Kenyon and DK Promotions, who are hosting the event, are the exception to the rule.


 


"Don's integrity and dedication to midget racing is unsurpassed in the industry," said Dawson. "His program is dedicated to the 'grass roots' racers, which is the heart of our industry. It's a great venue to develop new drivers and a playground for the seasoned veterans to have fun. Sarah Fisher is someone who has raced here and achieved great success in her career. We admire her professionalism and commitment to the sport."


 


Fresh out of high school, people really began to take notice of Fisher as a viable force in driving, through midget racing. She won five midget features, beating some of the best midget drivers in the country. She gained wins at smaller tracks, such as Flat Rock near Detroit, and on the treacherous, fast, high-banked half- mile at Winchester Speedway, where she became the first woman to win a feature event and stole the track record.


 


"Helping to bring awareness to local racers and the invaluable experience drivers attain on these short tracks is something I'm glad to be a part of," said Fisher. "This is the foundation of my career as a professional racecar driver and this is where you can really get a glimpse at the future of the sport. I hope to help Kyle [O'Gara] in his goals towards a racing career and to share with him my experiences in the sport."


 


To return to the sport as such an established driver gives Fisher the chance to reflect on the days when owning her own race team was just a glimmer in her eye.


 


"I have great memories of midget racing with my dad," said Fisher. "This is where I really fell in love with racing and had some of my first big wins."


 


It was the Winchester win that gained the attention of the IndyCar Series, as it went seamlessly with their mission of seeking short-track drivers to add to their roster. Shortly after, Fisher ran her first IndyCar race at Texas Motor Speedway and became the youngest driver to compete in an Indy Racing League event. Although young, Fisher's driving skills proved beyond her years and were described as "nothing short of spectacular".


 


Now at age 28, Fisher owns her own race team, Sarah Fisher Racing, just competed in her eighth Indianapolis 500, marking the most number of starts for a woman in the 93-year history of the race, gaining her national recognition and appearances on such platforms as, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, LIVE! with Regis & Kelly and The Today Show. She credits her success to the experience she gained racing in midget and sprint cars: the foundations of professional racing.


 


Fisher's return to the sport on Wed. marks a nostalgic nod to the first time she raced the No. 67. Whoever said you can't go back home?


 


About Sarah Fisher


 


At just 28 years old, Sarah Fisher has already competed in seven Indianapolis 500's, been voted "Most Popular Driver" four times in two separate Series (IndyCar and NASCAR), been awarded "Indy's Best & Brightest Leaders Under 40" and enters her second season as a team owner in 2009. Fisher is the first woman to qualify fastest for a major North American open-wheel event, the fastest woman to ever qualify for the Indy 500 and is the youngest woman to compete at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Fisher has been a guest or profiled on a variety of national platforms such as, LIVE! With Regis & Kelly, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Today Show, Glamour, People and Forbes Magazine, to name a few. In 2008, she formed her own race team: Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR), and made her first start as a team owner in the IndyCar Series' Indy 500. In May 2009, Fisher made her eighth start in the Indy 500, marking the most number of starts for a woman in the 93-year history of the race. Fisher's next IndyCar Series race is at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday, August 1. The race will be telecast live in High Definition (HD) at 8 p.m. (EDT) on VERSUS. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The radio broadcast also will be carried on www.indycar.com, with broadcast coverage summaries available at www.indycar.com and www.sarahfisher.com.


 


Website: http://www.sarahfisher.com