From Tony Barhorst
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – IndyCar driver Sarah Fisher, who launched her career in the same type of cars that compete in the “Rumble in Fort Wayne,” will make a special appearance at the 12th annual indoor racing classic.
The eight-time Indianapolis 500 starter will greet fans and sign autographs on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 27 during the final day of the “Rumble in Fort Wayne” at the Memorial Coliseum Expo Center. Additionally, she and her husband, Andy O’Gara, have entered a Sarah Fisher Racing midget for O’Gara’s 14-year-old brother, Kyle, an aspiring driver who made his debut in Ford Focus midgets this past summer.
The two-day event, which begins Saturday, Dec. 26, features midgets, winged outlaw modified midgets, MiniCup stock cars, karts, Jr. Sprints and JEGS quarter midgets all racing on a 1/6-mile track, with complete programs each day.
“Sarah Fisher epitomizes the progression of a young driver to the top levels of racing,” Rumble Series president Tony Barhorst said. “She’s a perfect example of a young driver who went from quarter midgets and go-karts to midgets and winged sprints, then on to the Indy cars. That’s the kind of progression we have here in the Rumble Series with drivers moving up the ladder.”
Fisher, a 29-year-old Ohio native, has been one of IndyCar racing’s most popular drivers since qualifying for her first Indy 500 in 2000 right out of the sprint and midget ranks. Her 76 career IndyCar starts include a second place at Miami-Homestead Speedway in 2001 and a third place at Kentucky Speedway as a rookie in 2000. She became the first woman to win the pole position for a major North American open-wheel race in 2002 at Kentucky.
Now an owner-driver, she formed Sarah Fisher Racing in January 2008 and will expand the operation to two cars for the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series. She plans to drive in nine events with Dollar General as her primary sponsor, while new teammate Jay Howard, the 2006 Firestone Indy Lights champion, will compete in four races with backing from Tire Kingdom. The team recently moved into a 15,000-square-foot shop in Indianapolis, triple the size of its previous base.
Fisher will sign autographs and pose for photos from 2-3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 27 as part of the Indy DownForce FanZone.
Further information about the “Rumble in Fort Wayne,” including ticket prices and race headquarters hotel rates, is available at rumbleseries.com or by contacting Barhorst at tbracefest@aol.com.