Cornelius, NC (January 18, 2011)- HP Racing, LLC, a renamed entity formed by owners Randy Humphrey and Phil Parsons is pleased to announce the formation of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team HP Racing (HP). Debuting in 2011 HP is set to compete with the No. 66 Toyota Camry with driver Michael McDowell at the controls. McDowell qualified for 17 Sprint Cup Series races in 2010 driving for PRISM Motorsports, including the Daytona 500 in February.
After moving into a spacious shop at the JTG Racing facility in Harrisburg, North Carolina, the team is currently expanding its fleet of Sprint Cup Series racecars and upgrading equipment. Under the direction of Crew Chief Gene Nead, the team is slated for its first round of competition in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 20th. Nead has a long standing relationship with the core of HP Racing and looks to continue a successful affiliation in 2011.
“It is great to reunite with Randy and Phil at HP. The new shop and equipment will help us develop partnerships to grow this race team and help us push into the next level of competition,” McDowell expressed. “I have had great success with Gene Nead in the past and feel confident we can qualify and run competitively in the races we attempt.”
Aside from Daytona, HP intends to compete in select races, including events at Bristol Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen International, with others to be named at a later date. HP is actively seeking sponsorship to fund the remaining races on the Sprint Cup Series Schedule and is positioning itself as a viable race team for partnership with organizations looking to break into the racing industry.
“HP is a reinvention of our race team that has been operating for a couple years. We’re still the same people, but we see this as a tremendous opportunity to compete on a more consistent basis in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series,” said Co-Owner Phil Parsons.
“We really feel like we’ve elevated our program and we’re thrilled about the team we’ve put together. It’s an exciting time for us and we’re thankful to be able to reunite Gene Nead and Michael McDowell. We have all the elements in place to succeed, and with sponsorship we’ll be able to race competitively on a consistent basis,” Co-Owner Randy Humphrey commented.
In preparation for the 53rd running of the Daytona 500, HP Racing will travel to Daytona International Speedway for a test session this Friday and Saturday.
