Newgarden Joins Revamped Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing

Josef Newgarden, the 2011 Firestone Indy Lights champion, has signed on with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing for the 2012 Izod IndyCar Series season. Newgarden, a 20-year-old native of Nashville, Tennessee, claimed five wins on his way to winning the Lights crown in his first season there. Fisher's operation has also added businessman Wink Hartman to bolster the team's ownership.

Newgarden was very excited to announce his plans. "First of all, I'd like to thank Andy, Sarah, and Wink for providing me with this opportunity," said Newgarden. "It's a perfect fit. SFHR and myself have a lot of the same qualities, and I'm really looking forward to working with everyone throughout the year. I'm sure we're going to have great chemistry, and I'm excited to get 2012 rolling."

Fisher added that the addition of Hartman will also help secure the team's future. "I'm very excited to welcome Wink as a partner to SFHR," said Fisher. "Wink has been a part of the team and a personal mentor since 2008, and in this new era of our team and the direction we're going, we're excited to have his leadership." Hartman was equally as pleased. "I'm excited about the great news for SFHR today," said Hartman. "It shows Sarah's continued growth in selecting Josef to be the driver for the future of the team. We look forward to a great 2012 season with Josef behind the wheel."

Sponsorship for what they hope will be a full campaign is still in the works, but they do believe everything will be in place for a full-season effort.