Dragonspeed has confirmed it will make its debut in the IndyCar Series in 2019 on a part-time basis, with an eye on a full-time 2020 tilt.
The American team will be fielding a single car effort and will be powered by Chevrolet engines.
Ben Hanley, with prior single-seater experience in junior formula – having reached GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5 – will pilot the car.
DragonSpeed’s schedule will include the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg on March 10, Barber Motorsports Park on April 7, the Indianapolis 500 on May 26, Road America on June 23 and its final appearance is set for the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 28.
The Florida-based outfit also currently races in the European Le Mans Series where it won the 2017 title; it also competes in the World Endurance Championship in both LMP classes.
"INDYCAR is enjoying a major upswing thanks to the quality of the racing produced by the current regulations," said Team Principal Elton Julian.
"The fans see it, the teams see it, the manufacturers and sponsors see it, and I think NBC saw it when they decided to take on the (exclusive) television coverage.
"With so much interest from new entrants, we’re also grateful for IndyCar’s support of our bid to join the series and to Chevy for making room for us in their engine programme."
"For the team, it’s a matter of our growing experience catching up to our ambitions. The last few seasons of endurance racing have given us an intensive platform for developing our preparation, race engineering, pit stop and strategy skills.
"There are some impressive open-wheel credentials up and down the team, and Ben’s pace and exceptional detail feel for setup and tyres should be a great asset.
"None of this is to underplay the difficulty of the challenge ahead, because INDYCAR is the toughest series we’ve ever contested, with the world’s biggest race as its centrepiece. "
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