Sarah Fisher Racing
Encyclopedia
Sarah Fisher Racing is an auto racing team that competes in the IRL IZOD IndyCar Series
, founded in January 2008. The team has one driver, Ed Carpenter
.
to start SFR.
The team announced a partial schedule for the 2008
IndyCar Series
season that will include the Indianapolis 500
. The team's primary sponsor for the Indianapolis 500 was set to be Gravity Entertainment
who claimed to represent and have rights to RESQ
energy drink, set for a new product launch in May, but when May arrived Gravity Entertainment
(who in fact, did not have the rights to represent RESQ as it turned out) failed to deliver any money and put the team's plans of competing at the Indy 500 along with Kentucky and Chicago in jeopardy.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway
opened for practice on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 for the 2008 Indy 500 and Fisher's team continued to move forward without primary sponsorship.The team became front and center when then-presidential hopeful Senator Hillary Clinton paid the team a visit on Indiana's primary election day creating a media frenzy. .
As the month went on, SFR continued to pick up associate sponsors which included, Hartman Oil, ProLiance Energy, AAA
, Direct Supply, Indianapolis college, IUPUI, as well donations from fans at $51,000 dollars. Fisher solidly placed the car in the field in 22nd position and picked up Text4Cars.com as the primary sponsor on the Friday before the Indy 500 miles (804.7 km) race.. The race started on a bad note for the team when the car stalled at the green flag but the team was able to get it going again. Fisher spun on the first caution but made no contact on Lap 12 in Turn 4. She was not as lucky on Lap 106 when a crash by Tony Kanaan collected her car landing her in a disappointing 30th, after running as high as third in the race. After the race, Fisher told ESPN
's Jamie Little
she was unsure if the team would be able to make it to Kentucky and Chicago because of the crash.
The team announced on July 16, 2008, that Dollar General
has become the primary sponsor for the Kentucky Speedway
and Chicagoland Speedway
races.. Fisher tested at Kentucky Speedway on July 31 and August 1 in preparation for the upcoming Meijer Indy 300
. Fisher qualified 16th for the race, ran as high as 10th, before a right rear suspension failure on the final lap hampered her finish. The failed part sent Fisher coasting to the finish line to finish 15th. Fisher crashed out of the Chicagoland Speedway race on lap 116 and was credited with 24th.
as a sponsor. It was announced on January 13, 2009, in USA Today that the team would run four (4) events and later added two (2) additional races April 26, 2009. The team qualified 21st for the 2009 Indianapolis 500
. and finished 17th. The team was showcased on three national programs during the month of May which included, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, CBS' The Price is Right
and FUSE TV
's No. 1 Countdown.
It was announced at the end of 2009 that the team would expanded to two cars for the 2010 season. Fisher would drive the #67 in seven races with Dollar General (all the ovals with the exception of Japan), and newly hired Jay Howard woud drive the #66 Service Central machine in Kansas, Indy, Texas, Mid-Ohio, and Chicagoland. SFR put Howard quickly to work to build his brand name joining forces with MTV
for a national promotion where Howard served as a driver coach for a music-obsessed teen named Lauren for four weeks during MTV's primetime show Real World/Road Rules Challenge
beginning Oct. 28 and ending Nov. 18 with the fifth installment airing during the mtvU
Woodie Awards in 2009.
replaced Fisher for two road course events in 2010 (St. Pete and Barber Motorsports Park) and the team later added Long Beach to Rahal's schedule. The team continued to struggle in 2010 with just one top-10 finish (ninth at St. Pete with Rahal) and the balance of the teams results were 15th place or worse. The team pulled Howard's 2010 Indy 500 qualifying time on Bump Day on a gamble to duplicate his already qualified time, leaving the No. 66 Service Central machine without a spot in the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500.
At ChicagoLand Speedway
, Fisher lead her first laps since 2002 under a pit strategy, but later went two-laps down to finish 15th, while her teammate Howard's car continued to have issues and which would fulfill Howard's contract with the team. In an effort to salvage the teams relationship with Howard's sponsor, SFR agreed to fulfill Service Central's five-race (Howard drove in just four events after the team pulled his qualifing time for the Indy 500) agreement and added the Kentucky Indy 300 race to the No. 66 car schedule but chose to have Rahal drive the car. The change didn't seem to pay off as Rahal qualified just 25th of 27th cars for the twilight race, finishing 20th (5 laps down) and the last car running and urged media outlets including SpeedTV and the Indianapolis Star to note the No. 66 car has been slow regardless of the driver.
would be the team's new driver beginning in 2011. The team would celebrate its first win at the 2011 Kentucky Indy 300 on October 2, 2011.
(2008–2010) Jay Howard
(2010) Graham Rahal
(2010)
IndyCar Series
The IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and...
, founded in January 2008. The team has one driver, Ed Carpenter
Ed Carpenter
Ed "Special Ed" Carpenter is an IRL IndyCar Series driver. He is the stepson of Indy Racing League founder Tony George and is currently competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series, driving for Sarah Fisher Racing.-Early career:...
.
2008 IndyCar Series
SFR was originally founded in late 1999 as a platform to handle Sarah Fisher's endorsements and business ventures. Fisher announced on February 27, 2008, that she would begin fielding her own race team in the IndyCar Series in 2008. Fisher, along with her husband Andy O'Gara, his father, John O'Gara and Fisher's then-agent/manager Klint Briney all left Dreyer & Reinbold RacingDreyer & Reinbold Racing
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is an American motor racing team in the open wheel Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, with one series win by co-owner Robbie Buhl, who owns the team with Indianapolis BMW, Infiniti, Volkswagen and Maserati dealer Dennis Reinbold....
to start SFR.
The team announced a partial schedule for the 2008
2008 IndyCar Series season
The 2008 IndyCar Series season was the 13th season of the IndyCar Series. Its premier event was the 92nd Indianapolis 500 on May 25. The first race was held March 29 at Homestead. It was the 97th recognized season of top-level American open wheel racing....
IndyCar Series
IndyCar Series
The IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and...
season that will include the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
. The team's primary sponsor for the Indianapolis 500 was set to be Gravity Entertainment
Gravity Entertainment
Gravity Entertainment was a film and television production company formed in 1997. The company was modeled on the traditional Hollywood Studio, where the main business is development and production of motion pictures and television programming....
who claimed to represent and have rights to RESQ
RESQ
RESQ is a brand of energy drink which was originally developed in Austria in 1999 and was intended to be sold exclusively on the North American beverage market...
energy drink, set for a new product launch in May, but when May arrived Gravity Entertainment
Gravity Entertainment
Gravity Entertainment was a film and television production company formed in 1997. The company was modeled on the traditional Hollywood Studio, where the main business is development and production of motion pictures and television programming....
(who in fact, did not have the rights to represent RESQ as it turned out) failed to deliver any money and put the team's plans of competing at the Indy 500 along with Kentucky and Chicago in jeopardy.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
opened for practice on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 for the 2008 Indy 500 and Fisher's team continued to move forward without primary sponsorship.The team became front and center when then-presidential hopeful Senator Hillary Clinton paid the team a visit on Indiana's primary election day creating a media frenzy. .
American Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...
, Direct Supply, Indianapolis college, IUPUI, as well donations from fans at $51,000 dollars. Fisher solidly placed the car in the field in 22nd position and picked up Text4Cars.com as the primary sponsor on the Friday before the Indy 500 miles (804.7 km) race.. The race started on a bad note for the team when the car stalled at the green flag but the team was able to get it going again. Fisher spun on the first caution but made no contact on Lap 12 in Turn 4. She was not as lucky on Lap 106 when a crash by Tony Kanaan collected her car landing her in a disappointing 30th, after running as high as third in the race. After the race, Fisher told ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's Jamie Little
Jamie Little
Jamie Little from Las Vegas, Nevada is the pit reporter for NASCAR Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series coverage on ESPN/ABC. Little is a former pit reporter for ESPN/ABC coverage of the Indy Racing League, although she returned to her pit reporting duty for the 2007 and 2008 Indianapolis 500...
she was unsure if the team would be able to make it to Kentucky and Chicago because of the crash.
The team announced on July 16, 2008, that Dollar General
Dollar General
Dollar General Corp. is a U.S. chain of variety stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 2011, Dollar General operated over 9,300 stores in 35 U.S. states....
has become the primary sponsor for the Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, which has hosted ARCA, NASCAR and Indy Racing League racing annually since it opened in 2000. The track is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and Jerry Carroll, who, along with four other investors, owned...
and Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, USA, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing including the opening event in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IZOD IndyCar Series, recording...
races.. Fisher tested at Kentucky Speedway on July 31 and August 1 in preparation for the upcoming Meijer Indy 300
Meijer Indy 300
The Kentucky Indy 300 was an IndyCar Series race held at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky.The IRL IndyCar Series debuted the race in 2000...
. Fisher qualified 16th for the race, ran as high as 10th, before a right rear suspension failure on the final lap hampered her finish. The failed part sent Fisher coasting to the finish line to finish 15th. Fisher crashed out of the Chicagoland Speedway race on lap 116 and was credited with 24th.
2009 IndyCar Series Season
The team returned in 2009 with Sarah Fisher as driver for six (6) races and Dollar GeneralDollar General
Dollar General Corp. is a U.S. chain of variety stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 2011, Dollar General operated over 9,300 stores in 35 U.S. states....
as a sponsor. It was announced on January 13, 2009, in USA Today that the team would run four (4) events and later added two (2) additional races April 26, 2009. The team qualified 21st for the 2009 Indianapolis 500
2009 Indianapolis 500
The 93rd Indianapolis 500 was held on Sunday May 24, 2009, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. It was the 14th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and the premier event of the 2009 IndyCar Series season....
. and finished 17th. The team was showcased on three national programs during the month of May which included, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, CBS' The Price is Right
The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
and FUSE TV
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
's No. 1 Countdown.
It was announced at the end of 2009 that the team would expanded to two cars for the 2010 season. Fisher would drive the #67 in seven races with Dollar General (all the ovals with the exception of Japan), and newly hired Jay Howard woud drive the #66 Service Central machine in Kansas, Indy, Texas, Mid-Ohio, and Chicagoland. SFR put Howard quickly to work to build his brand name joining forces with MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
for a national promotion where Howard served as a driver coach for a music-obsessed teen named Lauren for four weeks during MTV's primetime show Real World/Road Rules Challenge
Real World/Road Rules Challenge
The Challenge is a reality television game show on MTV that is both dependent on and spun off from the network's two flagship reality shows, The Real World and the now cancelled series, Road Rules. It is currently hosted by T.J...
beginning Oct. 28 and ending Nov. 18 with the fifth installment airing during the mtvU
MtvU
mtvU is a division of Viacom's MTV Networks which produces a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as well as several digital cable packages...
Woodie Awards in 2009.
2010 IZOD IndyCar Series Season
The 2010 season began with Fisher's longtime agent/manager Klint Briney resigning his position with her team, leaving to start the talent agency, BRANDed. Fisher was slated to open the season at St. Pete but Graham RahalGraham Rahal
Graham Rahal is an American race car driver. He currently participates in the IZOD IndyCar Series. He is the son of 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal.-Early racing:...
replaced Fisher for two road course events in 2010 (St. Pete and Barber Motorsports Park) and the team later added Long Beach to Rahal's schedule. The team continued to struggle in 2010 with just one top-10 finish (ninth at St. Pete with Rahal) and the balance of the teams results were 15th place or worse. The team pulled Howard's 2010 Indy 500 qualifying time on Bump Day on a gamble to duplicate his already qualified time, leaving the No. 66 Service Central machine without a spot in the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500.
At ChicagoLand Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, USA, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing including the opening event in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IZOD IndyCar Series, recording...
, Fisher lead her first laps since 2002 under a pit strategy, but later went two-laps down to finish 15th, while her teammate Howard's car continued to have issues and which would fulfill Howard's contract with the team. In an effort to salvage the teams relationship with Howard's sponsor, SFR agreed to fulfill Service Central's five-race (Howard drove in just four events after the team pulled his qualifing time for the Indy 500) agreement and added the Kentucky Indy 300 race to the No. 66 car schedule but chose to have Rahal drive the car. The change didn't seem to pay off as Rahal qualified just 25th of 27th cars for the twilight race, finishing 20th (5 laps down) and the last car running and urged media outlets including SpeedTV and the Indianapolis Star to note the No. 66 car has been slow regardless of the driver.
2011 IZOD IndyCar Series Season
Fisher announced her retirement on Monday, November 29, 2010 after 25 years of racing while also announcing that Ed CarpenterEd Carpenter
Ed "Special Ed" Carpenter is an IRL IndyCar Series driver. He is the stepson of Indy Racing League founder Tony George and is currently competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series, driving for Sarah Fisher Racing.-Early career:...
would be the team's new driver beginning in 2011. The team would celebrate its first win at the 2011 Kentucky Indy 300 on October 2, 2011.
Drivers
Ed Carpenter (2011) Sarah FisherSarah Fisher
Sarah Marie Fisher is a retired American professional racecar driver who competed in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500...
(2008–2010) Jay Howard
Jay Howard
Jay Howard is an English professional race car driver who competes in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500 and resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. Howard was the 2005 U.S...
(2010) Graham Rahal
Graham Rahal
Graham Rahal is an American race car driver. He currently participates in the IZOD IndyCar Series. He is the son of 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal.-Early racing:...
(2010)
Sponsors
- AAAAmerican Automobile AssociationAAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...
Hoosier Insurance - Direct SupplyDirect SupplyDirect Supply is a privately held, nationwide provider of equipment, eCommerce services and other services to the senior living industry. Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin the company distributes more than one million products to the senior living industry...
- Dollar GeneralDollar GeneralDollar General Corp. is a U.S. chain of variety stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 2011, Dollar General operated over 9,300 stores in 35 U.S. states....
- FirestoneFirestone Tire and Rubber CompanyThe Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is an American tire company founded by Harvey Firestone in 1900 to supply pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheeled transportation common in the era. Firestone soon saw the huge potential for marketing tires for automobiles. The company...
- Hartman Oil
- HondaHondais a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
- Mechanix WearMechanix WearMechanix Wear, Inc. is a manufacturing company headquartered in Valencia, California, that produces high performance work gloves, specialized footwear, and related items for use in the automobile, construction, and emergency services, segments, among others....
- Arai
- SimpsonSimpson-Places:Antarctica*Simpson Peak Australia*Simpson DesertCanada*Simpson, Saskatchewan*Simpson Pass, a mountain pass on the British Columbia-Alberta boundary...
- Permatex