Ryan Hunter-Reay Secures Full 2010 Deal with Andretti

Ryan Hunter-Reay's good season with Andretti Autosport has made the team officials go out of their way to secure him a full-season deal in the 2010 campaign of the IndyCar Series. The American driver scored a superb win for Andretti at Long Beach this year and, shortly after, was announced that the team raised enough money to keep him in the racing suit until the Texas round.

In the meantime however, Michael Andretti continuously looked for new sponsors to join the boat (Hunter-Reay's initial deal was linked only with the support he received from championship's backer IZOD) and eventually pulled it off, ensuring he'll drive the #37 race car race by race until the end of the season.

“I can't even begin to describe my sense of relief, appreciation and excitement as we look forward to a complete season while challenging for the IZOD IndyCar Series championship. So many different people, organizations, companies and partners pulled together to make this a reality and I have to thank them for their belief in me,” said Hunter-Reay.

“Andretti Autosport and Michael Andretti have been so supportive in so many ways. They have really dug deep to not only get me and the #37 car on track this season, but to keep it there. As I've been saying all along, this team is incredibly good at what it does and that's why we've not only won together already, but we are now making it a full-season effort.”

In this weekend's race at Watkins Glen, Hunter-Reay finished as the best placed driver for Andretti Autosport, in the 7th spot. That got him a one-position leap in the overall classification, where he now sits in 6th place, only 22 points behind Team Penske's Helio Castroneves. Also, this result enabled him to pass teammate Tony Kanaan in the standings, therefore becoming the highest ranked Andretti Autosport driver this season.