After a successful first season as partners, Davey Hamilton and Sam Schmidt will join forces again in 2013 to field the No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports car for Simon Pagenaud. 

As a one-car team in 2012, the No. 77 Honda-powered entry yielded strong results with Pagenaud winning Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors after finishing fifth in the IZOD IndyCar Series standings with four podium finishes. 

"I'm happy that Sam and I are going to continue our partnership with Simon driving the No. 77 car," Hamilton said. "We had a great season last year and Ric Peterson joining Sam should make the entire team even stronger. Without Ric there would have been no way to sign Tristan (Vautier) and provide Simon with a teammate."
 
During the offseason, Schmidt added equity owner Ric Peterson to form Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, which resulted in the addition of a second IZOD IndyCar Series entry and teammate for Pagenaud. The second car, driven by rookie Tristan Vautier, will increase the data available to Pagenaud's engineers and elevate both programs.
 

"After seeing Simon run neck-and-neck with some of the strongest cars in the IZOD IndyCar Series last year, we are hungrier than ever to start winning races," Schmidt said. "With Davey and HP on board again in 2013, we're one step closer to accomplishing our goals. Being aligned with a technology giant like HP is an honor and truly elevates our team."

Pagenaud's car will continue to sport the light blue and white Hewlett-Packard colors.

"HP has been a great partner for me over the years and I'm looking forward to new and exciting accomplishments on track with them," Hamilton said.

SFHR amps up 2013 with new partner Klipsch 

Indianapolis-based Klipsch, a leading global manufacturer of premium speakers and headphones, will outfit the new Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing facility in Speedway, Ind.

"Working together with Klipsch, we look forward to entertaining visitors and hosting large events at our new race shop with the enhanced sound of an SFHR experience," team co-owner Sarah Fisher said. "It is very important to the growth of our company to continue building relationships with partners like Klipsch, who believe in the value of our team and our program with the IZOD IndyCar Series."

Race fans welcome to attend Feb. 27 test at Sonoma for free

Race fans can attend a free IZOD IndyCar Series test from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 27 at Sonoma Raceway.

Six teams are confirmed for the test, highlighted by KV Racing Technology and drivers Tony Kanaan and Simona de Silvestro. Kanaan won the inaugural IZOD IndyCar Series race at Sonoma in 2005.

Other teams confirmed for the test include Panther Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (Oriol Servia), Dragon Racing (Sebastien Bourdais), Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (Tristan Vautier), Ed Carpenter Racing (Ed Carpenter) and Panther Racing (JR Hildebrand).

Attendees who purchase a ticket to the Aug. 23-25 GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma will be given a pit tour. A news conference will be held during the lunch break and fans will be admitted free, as well, pending space. 

For tickets to the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma, call 800-870-RACE (7223) or visit www.racesonoma.com/indycar.