Herbalife-sponsored athlete Townsend Bell will once again be behind the wheel of the No. 99 Dallara/Honda/Firestone racecar sponsored by Herbalife and entered by Sam Schmidt Motorsports (SSM) in the 2011 Indianapolis 500 in May. This year’s renewal of the 500-mile race marks the 100th anniversary of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
The Indy 500 will be a reunion for Bell, Herbalife and team owner Sam Schmidt as they created a competitive partnership in the 2010 race. Bell qualified the eye-catching white and green No. 99 Herbalife car in the top-10 and was as high as fifth place late in the race before a penalty pushed the team back to a 16th-place finishing position.
Herbalife is a global nutrition and direct-selling company headquartered in Los Angeles. The company is heavily involved in sports marketing, sponsoring both world-class events and athletes.
“Townsend has relied on our nutrition products for several years to
perform at his best and we’re excited that, this spring, we’re
introducing a new, scientifically formulated product line specifically
designed for athletes like him, who require healthy nutrition around the
clock,” said Michael O. Johnson, Herbalife chairman and CEO.
In
Bell, Herbalife has found a driver who trains rigorously and focuses his
energy and skills on winning the Indianapolis 500. With limited racing in
the past few years, Bell’s in
performance in the 2009 Indy 500 is proof he comes to Indianapolis each May incredibly
fit and ready to race. Starting 24th, the driver from San Luis Obispo,
Calif., methodically drove his way through the 33-car field to a
fourth-place finish that year, his best in the May classic. The 2011 Indy
500 will be his fifth.
“Being in competitive equipment has always been important to me in my
career,” said Bell, the 2001 Firestone Indy Lights champion. “With
this being the 100th anniversary
of the Indianapolis 500, I am excited that I’ll be returning to the
Speedway with a team and sponsor that will allow me to run up front.
Partnering with Herbalife allows Sam’s team to prepare a great racecar,
and I can’t wait to climb back in it.”
This year is Sam Schmidt Motorsports’ 10th anniversary of fielding cars
in the Indianapolis 500. SSM was formed in 2001 after Schmidt’s own
driving career ended in a 2000 testing accident in Orlando, Fla. Driver
Davey Hamilton started 26th in the 2001 Indy 500 in a Sam Schmidt
Motorsports Dallara and finished 23rd.
“It’s
a thrill to be partnered again with Herbalife and Townsend Bell for the
Indianapolis 500,” Schmidt said. “This will be the first time
competing in the Indy 500 that our team will be returning with the same
driver, sponsor and engineering combination. The continuity will be
fantastic and, hopefully, we can improve on our great performance last
year.”
In addition to entering cars in the Indianapolis 500, Sam Schmidt Racing
is the most
successful team in the Firestone Indy Lights series, which is the leading
support series to the IZOD IndyCar Series. Driver J.K. Vernay’s
championship in 2010 was the team’s fourth Indy Lights championship.
Schmidt has visited victory lane 37 times as a car owner in the series.
Practice for the 2011 Indianapolis 500 begins on Saturday, May 14, and the
100th-anniversary race is on Sunday, May 29
Sam Schmidt Motorsports was established in 2001 and is owned by former driver Sam Schmidt, who was injured in 2000 in testing crash at Orlando, Fla. Now a quadriplegic, Schmidt formed a championship team in the Firestone Indy Lights Series with 30 race wins and three driver titles. In addition, Sam Schmidt Motorsports has qualified nine cars in the Indianapolis 500 since 2001. The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation (SSPF) was started in 2000. SSPF is leading the charge to cure paralysis by funding scientific research, medical treatment, rehabilitation and technological advances, benefiting stroke victims and people diagnosed with ALS, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. For more information, visit http://www.samschmidt.org
