Comments from HVM Racing Team Owner Keith Wiggins heading into this weekend’s events:
 
“Reaching 200 starts is a great milestone, but you don’t really think too much about what you’ve done in the past more than looking ahead to the next 200 starts and being stronger and more competitive.  We’re a team that has been fortunate to have had success in the past and have done so with many different drivers in many varying circumstances.  We’ve been able to help some young guys and give them the opportunities to be successful.  That was again the case this season with E.J.
 
“Of course, this season was full of new challenges with the unification of our sport.  It was a positive move in every way, but it didn’t allow for many teams to fully prepare for the IndyCar schedule.  We had already made plans for a full season on the Champ Car circuit.  Saying that, I think we’ve had our ups and downs with having a new car, only one driver, visiting new tracks and a driver new to ovals and the U.S.  That was a lot to take on in one season, but we still had high expectations and will continue to do so moving forward.
 
“The future is bright for open-wheel racing in North America.  We have one series with a new television package for next year, we will return to some premier events such as Toronto and Long Beach and the league is studying various engine packages with additional manufacturers for the future.  These factors all point to positive things for fans, teams and their commercial partners. 
 
“As a team, we’re ready for the next step in our history.  We will have a season under our belt and an upcoming winter test program moving forward.  Chicago is the final new track as Australia is already a known for us, having won their twice.  We’ll take these last two events to try and reach our goal this year of winning a race and continue to build for an even more successful 2009.”