Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Pre-Race Notes & Quotes: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Race Fast Facts
Verizon IndyCar Series drivers: James Hinchcliffe (No. 5), James Jakes (No. 7)
Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires drivers: RC Enerson (No. 7), Jack Harvey (No. 42), Ethan Ringel (No. 71), Scott Anderson (No. 77)
Event title: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Location: Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida
Track: 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street circuit
2015 event counter: The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is the 1st race (of 16) for the Verizon IndyCar Series, and the 1st and 2nd races (of 16) for Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires

Verizon IndyCar Series
Practice sessions: Friday, March 27 from 12:30-1:45 p.m. ET and 4:15-5:30 p.m.; Saturday, March 28 from 12:30-1:15 p.m.
Qualifying: Saturday, March 28 from 4:15-5:30 p.m. ET
Race: Sunday, March 29 with pre-race activities beginning at approximately 3 p.m. ET and an estimated green flag at 3:37 p.m.

Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires
Practice sessions: Friday, March 27 from 9:30-10:00 a.m. ET and 3:30-4:00 p.m.
Qualifying: Saturday, March 28 from 9:30-10 a.m. ET
Race: Saturday, March 28 – green flag estimated at 2:25 p.m. ET; Sunday, March 29 – green flag estimated at 12:45 p.m.

Broadcast Information
TV race broadcast (USA): ABC
Race broadcast (radio): IMS Radio Network, XM 211 and Sirius 211

IndyCar Quotes:
James Hinchcliffe (No. 5)
“St. Pete is like the first day of school, providing that you like school, that is! I love going there. The race is awesome, the track is fun and it’s a place that I’ve always run well at. It’s been nice getting back in the cars to go testing but I think the whole Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team just wants to get back to racing and see what we can do in the Arrow car. It can’t come soon enough.”

James Jakes (No. 7)
“I’m very excited about starting the season in St. Pete this weekend, and really looking forward to driving the No. 7 MediaTech SPM Honda around there. We’ve had a busy few weeks leading up to the race and hopefully everything we’ve learned will benefit us for the Verizon IndyCar Series season opener. We’re looking to start the season strong so that we have a good baseline for 2015.”

Indy Lights Quotes:
Scott Anderson (No. 77)
“It’s going to be very interesting to see how everyone runs at St. Pete. This is one of my favorite street circuits and an awesome event overall. It’s been a long off-season without much seat time, so I’m excited to get on track. I’m especially looking forward to putting together everything we’ve learned in testing and applying it in our first race with the new car.”

RC Enerson (No. 7)
“The St. Pete course is definitely one of my favorite tracks. I have had really good results there in the past and it’s a hometown race for me, which makes it just that much more special to be competing there.”

Jack Harvey (No. 42)
“I’m really looking forward to racing again in St. Pete. It was my first ever race in America and it’s where I earned my first podium. My goal is to remember it as the first win of 2015. We had a very good test leading up to this weekend so I’m confident we can achieve this goal.”

Team Social Media
Website: www.SPMindycar.com
Twitter: @SPMindycar
Instagram: @SPMindycar
Facebook: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

Driver Social Media
James Hinchcliffe
Website – www.Hinchtown.com
Twitter – @hinchtown
Facebook – Hinchtown
Instagram – @hinchtown

James Jakes
Website – www.JamesJakes.com
Twitter – @JamesJakes
Instagram – @JamesJakes

Scott Anderson
Website – www.ScottAndersonRacing.com
Twitter – @ScottDKAnderson
Facebook – Official Scott Anderson Racing
Instagram – @scanders01

RC Enerson
Website – www.RCenerson.com
Twitter – @RCenerson
Facebook – RC Enerson Racing
Instagram – @RCenerson

Jack Harvey
Website – www.JackHarveyRacing.com
Twitter – @Jack_Harvey42
Instagram – @Jack_Harvey42

Ethan Ringel
Website – www.EthanRingelRacing.com
Twitter – @EthanRingel
Facebook – Ethan Ringel Racing
Instagram – @EthanRingelRacing

Fan Opportunities
Verizon IndyCar Series autograph session with James Hinchcliffe and James Jakes: Saturday, March 28 from 2:15-3:15 p.m. ET in the INDYCAR Fan Village.
Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires autograph session with Scott Anderson, RC Enerson, Jack Harvey and Ethan Ringel: Saturday, March 28 from 11:15-11:45 a.m. ET in the INDYCAR Fan Village.

About Schmidt Peterson Motorsports:
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) was established in 2001 and is owned by former IndyCar driver Sam Schmidt and Canadian businessman Ric Peterson. Schmidt was paralyzed (quad) in 2000 after an accident during testing at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla. SPM fields cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series, including the Indianapolis 500, and the Indy Lights Series presented by Cooper Tires. SPM is the most successful team in Indy Lights Series history with sixty-five race wins and seven championships. In addition, SPM won the coveted Indy 500 pole position in 2011, and has won four Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2013 and 2014.