The 2009 Indy Lights champion made his debut in IndyCar last season, when he replaced injured Mike Conway at Dreyer & Reinbold in back-to-back races at Mid-Ohio (18th place) and Sonoma (24th place). For 2011, he will replace former IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon. According to a statement from Panther Racing, the deal was signed for multiple years, so there's a good chance we'll see much of Hildebrand in the series from 2011 onwards.
“I couldn't be more excited to be at Panther Racing,” said Hildebrand, whose other career highlights include a testing opportunity with Force India Formula One team last December.
“This is my first full-time IndyCar ride and the Panther # 4 car is one of the best seats in the IZOD IndyCar Series, so to be able to start my career with a team with this kind of pedigree is just huge. I already feel with the small amount of experiences I've had here, and just being around the shop that it's going to be a great fit for all of us,” he added.
Panther Racing CEO and Managing Partner John Barnes did not give any explanation as to why he decided to replace Wheldon with a newcomer, but expressed his hopes for a competitive campaign in 2011 despite Hildebrand's short experience in an IndyCar racer.
“JR is an extremely impressive young man, and he's going to be a great fit for the National Guard and Panther Racing. We feel like JR is going to be a tremendous asset to the IZOD IndyCar Series, and what really set him apart is his ambition and his intelligence. (...) We know we all have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but our expectations are very high for the 2011 season,” said Barnes.
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