Indy 500 winner Hunter-Reay to represent USA in 2014 Race of Champions

By foxsports
Published

There are many great things that come with winning the Indianapolis 500 such as racing immortality, your face on the BorgWarner Trophy and, of course, the "financial benefits."

For Ryan Hunter Reay, it also includes a trip to Barbados to compete in the 2014 Race of Champions.

The winner of the 98th Indianapolis 500 will represent the Verizon IndyCar Series in the annual Race of Champions at the Bushy Park Circuit in Barbados on Dec. 13-14.

"I'm absolutely thrilled to be returning to the Race of Champions for the second time," said Hunter-Reay, who previously raced in the Race of Champions when it was held in Thailand following his 2012 series championship. "My first ROC in Bangkok was an amazing experience, going head-to-head with some of the best drivers from every different motor sport discipline from around the world."

The Race of Champions features drivers from all different types of motorsports disciplines in a head-to-head knockout competition in a variety of equally matched vehicles. Hunter-Reay is the third driver confirmed for ROC along with Formula One driver Romain Grosjean, the winner of the event when it was last held in 2012, and sports car legend Tom Kristensen.

"It's great news that Ryan is coming back to the Race of Champions," ROC organizer Fredrik Johnsson said. "This year's Indianapolis 500 was a true classic and Ryan did brilliantly to hold off his rivals by such a tiny margin after that thrilling dice to the checkered flag. We can now look forward to seeing Ryan take on greats from all over the world of motorsport in December. He's right at the top of his game and, now that he's already had a taste of the ROC machinery, he's sure to be a big threat to all the other drivers."

Hunter-Reay is the most successful American driver currently racing in open-wheel competition and one of the most versatile drivers in the sport. He has 14 career IndyCar victories in addition to race wins in the American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am. This past season, Hunter-Reay won three races with checkered flags at the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama, the Indianapolis 500 and the Iowa Corn Indy 300. He finished sixth in the Verizon IndyCar Series points standings driving the No. 28 DHL Honda for Andretti Autosport.

"Experience really helps with the short amount of seat time in each of the different types of ROC race car," Hunter-Reay said. "When it's time to head to Barbados for the race weekend, I'll be focused on winning. It's an honor to represent America, INDYCAR and the Indy 500 in such a prestigious event."

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