Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan
| Owners | |
|---|---|
| Dale Coyne Racing | Dale Coyne |
| Vasser Sullivan | Jimmy Vasser, James "Sulli" Sullivan |
| Team Information | |
| Base | Plainfield, Il |
| Series | Verizon IndyCar Series |
| Car Number | 18 |
| Race Driver |  Sébastien Bourdais |
| Sponsors | SealMaster, Spectrum, Sport Clips, American Racing, Mouser Electronics, molex, Geico, Valpak, Hyde Power Potion |
| Manufacturer | Honda |
| Career | |
| Debut | 2018 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg |
| Races Completed | 3 |
| Race Victories | 1 |
| Pole Positions | 1 |
Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan was announced on Monday, February 5, 2018.[1] It is led by veteran driver and team owner Dale Coyne, 1996 IndyCar champion Jimmy Vasser and sports marketer James “Sulli” Sullivan. The team will campaign the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser-Sullivan driven by Sebastien Bourdais for the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series.
Dale Coyne Racing was started in 1984 by then driver Dale Coyne in CART. In July 2009, the team celebrated its first win with Justin Wilson at Watkins Glen.[2] Wilson would also win at Texas Motor Speedway in 2012,[3] and Mike Conway added a third in the first race of the 2013 Belle Isle doubleheader weekend.[4] Rookie Carlos Huertas made a run to the checkered flag to win the first Houston race in 2014,[5] the team’s fourth career victory. Sebastien Bourdais marked his return to the team by winning the 2017 season opener at St. Petersburg.[6]
Vasser and Sullivan previously collaborated and were partners at KV Racing Technology and KVSH Racing, The combination won the 2013 Indianapolis 500 with driver Tony Kanaan[7] and five more races over the next three years (2014-2016) with Bourdais behind the wheel.[8]
Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan is based in Plainfield, Ill., about 40 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.
Dale Coyne[edit]
Dale Coyne is a former Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) driver and team owner. Coyne was the only Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) owner to serve on the CART and United States Auto Club boards at the same time in the 1990s.[9] He also was picked by his fellow owners to be CART’s interim CEO in 1994-95. Cone also aided with the designing and building of Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill. The drag racing facility drew the attention of then-Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George and, along with International Speedway Corp. (ISC), they expanded the facility to build Chicagoland Speedway. Coyne served as president of the facility through the construction and opening season.[10] Along with George, he served on its management committee until its eventual buyout by ISC in 2007. Cone is also the largest Sonny’s BBQ franchisee in the United States.[11]
Jimmy Vasser[edit]
Jimmy Vasser is a former IndyCar driver and the 1996 IndyCar Series champion. He competed in 14 full seasons plus one race in 2006 and 2008 (both at Long Beach)[12] and was co-owner of KV Racing Technology from 2004-2016 and KVSH Racing 2014-2016.
In addition to his championship, Vasser was runner–up in 1998 and third in 1997 [12] and has won some of racing’s most coveted trophies including: The PPG Cup in 1996, the Best Driver ESPY Award in 1997; the Borg Warner Trophy (as an owner) in 2013 and the Vanderbilt Cup for his victory at the inaugural U. S. 500 in 1996. In addition to the U. S. 500, his major race wins include: two victories at California Speedway, the Marlboro 500 in 1998 and his last career win in 2002 (his average speed of 197.995 mph was the fastest 500-mile race in U.S. history until 2014).[13] Vasser also had victories at such races as the Long Beach Grand Prix and Surfers Paradise, Australia in 1996, Nazareth Speedway and the Milwaukee Mile in 1998, Laguna Seca Raceway, 1997 and Houston in 2000.[12]
Vasser was the 1986 SCCA National Formula Ford champion (winning the SCCA President’s Cup)[14] and was a 24 Hours of Daytona class winner in 1992. While he spent many years away from the Indy 500 due to the CART-IRL split, he did win three 500-mile races and his 1996 championship was the first for Honda in IndyCar competition. Vasser started 238 races including a then record 211 consecutive starts.[12]
Vasser owns Chevrolet and Toyota dealerships as well as V12 Vineyards in Napa, CA.[15]
James “Sulli” Sullivan[edit]
James Sullivan, known as “Sulli”, founded SH Racing in 2010. He formed an alliance with KV Racing Technology in 2011, as a co-entrant at the Indianapolis 500 finishing eighth in his debut.[16] The alliance continued for two more seasons and included a victory in the 2013 Indy 500.[17]
In 2014, Sulli announced the creation of KVSH Racing with Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser. Sulli also owned the SH Rallycross team that competed in Red Bull Global Rallycross with former Formula One driver Nelson Piquet, Jr. taking the Bronze Medal in the 2014 X Games.[18] Sullivan has also fielded teams in Supercross and Motocross.
In addition to racing, Sulli co-founded sports nutrition supplement Protein Bullet and the Dallas-based private equity fund Modena Capital Group. He graduated from Baylor University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Entrepreneurship and Marketing.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Vasser, Sullivan return to INDYCAR in partnership with Coyne". indycar.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ↑ H., Dustin. "Justin Wilson Wins At Watkins Glen!". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ↑ "Justin Wilson shocks the IndyCar world at Texas". autoweek.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ↑ "Late addition Conway wins first IndyCar dual in Detroit". usatoday.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ↑ "Rookie Carlos Huertas takes IndyCar victory in Houston". tampabay.com. 29 June 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ↑ "2017 IndyCar Series Race Results - Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ↑ Writer, JENNA FRYER, AP Auto Racing. "Tony Kanaan finally wins Indy 500, ends heartbreak". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ↑ "Driver Sebastien Bourdais Career Statistics - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ↑ Whitaker, Sigur E. (23 October 2015). "The Indy Car Wars: The 30-Year Fight for Control of American Open-Wheel Racing". McFarland. Retrieved 17 April 2018 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "Chicagoland Speedway". RacingCircuits.info. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ↑ http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-11-24/business/os-sonnys-sells-restaurants-20101124_1_restaurants-control-sonny-s-real-pit-bar-b-q
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 "Driver Jimmy Vasser Career Statistics - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ↑ "Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ↑ "Road Racing Awards - Sports Car Club of America". www.scca.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ↑ "V12 Vineyards". www.v12vineyards.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ↑ "05/29/2011 race: Indianapolis 500 (IndyCar) - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ↑ "Complete Indy 500 finishing order". sbnation.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ↑ "X Games Austin 2014 Results". X Games. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
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