Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:
1. Briscoe to race for Panther in Milwaukee
2. Carpenter: Reading is fundamental
3. Of note
1. Briscoe to race for Panther in Milwaukee: Ryan Briscoe will return to Panther Racing’s No. 4 National Guard Chevrolet for the Milwaukee IndyFest at the Milwaukee Mile, team officials announced June 11.
Briscoe made two starts this year with Panther during the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit, and also started in the Indianapolis 500 last month with Chip Ganassi Racing.
“We’re excited to have Ryan Briscoe back this weekend,” Panther managing partner John Barnes said. “It was great to work with him a few weeks ago in Detroit and he obviously knows his way around the Milwaukee Mile, so we feel like we’ll be able to have a good weekend in the National Guard Chevrolet. We’re working on getting him signed for several other races this season, so hopefully we’ll have that finalized in the short term future.”
Briscoe has seven career IZOD IndyCar Series wins and 13 pole starts in 107 starts. In 2008, Briscoe earned his maiden IZOD IndyCar Series victory and gave team owner Roger Penske his 300th in all forms of motorsports. He started from the pole and finished second in 2009, while placing 11th and 14th the previous two seasons with Team Penske.
“I felt like the team gelled really well when we worked together in Detroit and I’m sure we’ll be able to pick right up where we left off this weekend in Milwaukee,” said Briscoe, who will leave following the June 15 race to continue preparations for the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Oriol Servia, who made his Panther Racing debut last weekend in Texas, is confirmed to compete in the No. 4 car June 23 at Iowa Speedway.
2. Carpenter: Reading is fundamental: IZOD IndyCar Series team owner/driver Ed Carpenter held the attention of grade-school children at Indianapolis Public School 60 on June 10 as part of the Indiana Department of Education’s campaign for summer literacy, the Hoosier Family of Readers.
The program, which engages local celebrities to be guest readers and relay to students some of their favorite childhood books, seeks to encourage students to continue reading through the summer vacation.
3. Of note: Coastal.com, the largest online retailer of eyeglasses and contacts in North America, will continue as the primary sponsor of the No. 55 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports car driven by Tristan Vautier for the next three races. … The next “INDYCAR 36,” featuring two-time IZOD IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing, will be broadcast at 11 p.m. (ET) June 20 on NBC Sports Network. Earlier that evening, how seats are made for IZOD IndyCar Series drivers will be among the segments on “How It’s Made” on the Science Channel (9 p.m. ET) in the U.S.
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The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Milwaukee IndyFest on June 15 at The Milwaukee Mile. The race will be televised live at 4 p.m. (ET) by the NBC Sports Network (Verizon FiOS 90/590, DirecTV 220, DISH 159 and AT&T UVerse 640) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211 and www.indycar.com.The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Milwaukee 100 at 2 p.m. (ET) on June 15 at The Milwaukee Mile. The race will be televised by NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. (ET) on June 15.
