Team E Reunites with Mitchell for Freedom 100 at Indy
May 10, 2011

Team E Racing is excited to confirm that talented American racer Rusty Mitchell will pilot the team’s Firestone Indy Lights entry in the 2011 edition of the Firestone Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As part of the world renowned Indianapolis 500 event, the Texan will make his second career series start with the former New Team of the Year on May 27th, seeking to build on a solid debut outing on the streets of Long Beach.

Team E, in its continued pursuit of giving talented young racers the opportunity to showcase their skills in the highly-competitive Indy Lights series, will reunite with Mitchell for the premier race on the 2011 series calendar…the Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The first oval race of the season will be an opportunity for both Mitchell and Team E to build on a partnership that netted a solid 11th place result on the often treacherous streets of Long Beach, Calif.

While Round Four will mark the first Indy Lights oval race for Mitchell, both he and the Florida-based squad have previously enjoyed success in oval competition. Team E scored its lone Indy Lights victory on the demanding Milwaukee Mile, and added a runner-up finish at the Nashville Super Speedway in its inaugural 2008 season. The St. Petersburg, Fla., team also has both a top-six finish and a top-five qualifying result on its resume at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mitchell meanwhile never finished outside of the top-10 in his four career oval starts in the Star Mazda Championship, twice just missing a podium finish with fourth place results at O’Reilly Raceway Park (2010) and the Iowa Speedway (2009).

Prior to piloting 17 Team E/Motorola/ Petro Communications entry on the 2.5-mile super speedway in Indiana, Mitchell will take part in official Indy Lights rookie oval testing at Chicagoland Speedway (May 10) and official pre-event testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (May 13).

“Team E is looking forward to Rusty Mitchell running his first Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” stated Team E Racing principal Neil Enerson. “There is nothing like Indy. The experience Rusty is gaining this year is invaluable. He has taken on a lot in his second rookie race, but he continues to shown his maturity and we are confident he will have a good result.”

“I’m very excited and thankful for the opportunity to be able to run at Indy,” added Mitchell. “It has always been a huge goal and dream of mine since I started racing karts as a kid. I know Team E has been very quick on ovals in the past, and I have no doubt we will continue that tradition. We will be testing in Chicago at the rookie test and at Indy for the open test before we race on the 500 weekend. Once again I can’t thank Motorola and Petro Communications enough they have been partners and sponsors of mine for a long time, and without them I wouldn’t be able to have this great opportunity. I also want to thank Team E for their tireless effort and support of me throughout this season.”

Mitchell and Team E Racing begin their pursuit of a Firestone Freedom 100 victory on Thursday, May 26, with two morning practice runs, prior to single-car qualifying in the afternoon. Round Four of the Firestone Indy Lights series will take place on May 27 (Carb Day), with the green flag slated to wave at Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 12:36 p.m. local time. In advance of the event, Mitchell and Team E are continuing to search for additional funding to build on the current program. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Mitchell ( rmitch82@gmail.com ) and/or Enerson ( Neil@teameracing.com ).