Wheldon Memorial Pro-Am Draws Stars of INDYCAR

Josef Newgarden knows the pressure is on. He has big shoes to fill.

A two-time Verizon IndyCar Series race winner in 2015, Newgarden was hand-selected by Scott and Mark Borchetta of Big Machine Records to be their team's professional driver for the third annual Dan Wheldon Memorial Pro-Am Karting Race Honoring Justin Wilson on Sept. 19

"The pressure is definitely on," Newgarden said. "It's big pressure. (Big Machine Records has) won Indy 500s and series championships. They've won this race two years in a row (with Marino Franchitti as the pro driver in 2013 and Tony Kanaan in 2014), and they called me and said, 'We expect to win a third time.'"

Newgarden will join some of INDYCAR's biggest stars for the race, which honors the memories of a pair of Verizon IndyCar Series drivers in Wheldon and Wilson. The event at New Castle (Ind.) Motorsports Park will raise money for the Dan Wheldon Foundation, Alzheimer's Association and Wilson Children's Fund.

Also among the pro drivers entered in the event are: 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon and 2014 champion Will Power, fellow Verizon IndyCar Series drivers Marco Andretti, Ryan Briscoe, Ed Carpenter, Gabby Chaves, James Hinchcliffe and Sage Karam, former driver and current team co-owner Sarah Fisher and newly crowned Indy Lights champion Spencer Pigot.

Each pro driver is paired with three amateurs to form kart teams sponsored by the likes of American Honda, Firestone, Target, Comfort Revolution and Indianapolis Motor Speedway/INDYCAR.

Admission is free and gates open at 7 a.m. ET, with practice and qualifying leading up to the 1-hour, 45-minute race at 12:45 p.m. There will also be an autograph session featuring the pro drivers from 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

The event has raised more than $165,000 to establish The Sue Wheldon Fund, which has supported a New Investigator Research Grant and early stage programs of the Greater Indiana Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association as well as the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter's care and support programs.

Carpenter, Karam, Newgarden and Pigot are also among those entered for the Robo-Pong 200 endurance kart race Sept. 20 at the same track.

"I'm hoping we get a lot of people out to New Castle Motorsports Park," added Newgarden. "It's such a cool event, even though I've lost the last two years. You'll see a lot of INDYCAR stars racing on Saturday and we do this every year to honor Dan, but this year we're also honoring Justin and helping his family, so I hope everyone comes out."

Contact:

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