From Autosport 33 minus 1

[Mags]

Hemelgarn pulls Indy entry
Lack of sponsor stymies stalwart IRL team


Lazier was second in the 2000 500 for Hemelgarn and won the IRL


Hemelgarn Racing has canned plans to run a car in this year's Indy 500, because it cannot find a sponsor for the event.

Ron Hemelgarn's team won the 1996 Indy 500 and the 2000 IRL Championship with Buddy Lazier and is one of the series' longest serving teams, but is now concentrating on running a car in the Infiniti Pro Series for Paul Dana and exploring options for a Champ Car programme later in the season.

"If you can't do Indy, it's really difficult to fill in just for the other IRL races," Hemelgarn Racing manager Lee Kunzman told Indystar.com. "We're in the racing business, so if I want to keep my crew, I've got to find a place for them to race. What I'm looking for is survival."

Hemelgarn's withdrawal, added to that of PDM Racing, makes it less likely that a full 33-car field will line up for the 500 on May 30.