BROWNSBURG, Ind. – Legacy Autosport and five-time USAC Silver Crown Series champion Kody Swanson have joined forces to compete in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship presented by Cooper Tires at Lucas Oil Raceway on Friday night.
Swanson will drive in the Indy Pro 2000 event with the help of sponsors Metalloid Corp, Fatheadz Eyewear and Rosewood Machine and Tool.
“The Road to Indy has been a training ground for a number of drivers with their sights set on the Indianapolis 500. I’ve been fortunate to race throughout the Midwest, but haven’t been able to break into the rear-engine style formula cars that lead to the 500,” said Swanson. “I feel fortunate that Legacy and I had a chance to test together earlier this year. It was definitely different compared to what I’m used to driving, so I’m glad to at least have a little experience to draw from for this week’s race. Being my first race, I’ll say that I am excited about it being at Lucas Oil Raceway and somewhere that is familiar for me.
“While I haven’t run there with this series, I do have laps on the track, and I hope that will help me make the transition to these new cars.”
Swanson is a five-time Silver Crown champion, with 30 career victories and 30 poles in USAC’s premier division.
His Indy Pro 2000 appearance will mark one of five races in three days, as Swanson will drive in Indy Pro 2000 and Silver Crown at Lucas Oil Raceway on Friday, run a pavement sprint car and a pavement midget on Saturday at LOR and then travel to the dirt mile of the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Sunday to race in Silver Crown’s Hoosier Hundred.
“I do think my racing experience will help in some ways, but might not be applicable in others. These cars are very different on a number of levels, from aero to suspension and tire types and seemingly everything between,” Swanson noted. “Certain aspects of my experience may not translate as well, and I already wonder about how they’ll act in traffic and how they might change as the race progresses, so I’m interested to see how similar things are once we get started.
“Racing is such a tough sport, and there are a number of factors that play into every race and circumstance. I’m grateful for all that Mike (Legacy) and Fred (Metalloid) have done to get this started, and for Rico (Fatheadz Eyewear) and Jeff (RMT) joining us to support that effort and to make this first race a possibility,” he continued. “I really hope that things go well for us at Lucas Oil Raceway this week, and that it will help create more opportunities for us to race together in the future.”
Louis Meyer, the owner of Legacy Autosport, is eager to have Swanson in one of his cars this weekend.
“You cannot be a fan of grass roots racing without knowing names like AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti and, when I was younger, Tony Stewart,” said Meyer. “Those drivers used that ladder to take them to Indy. Today things are a little different, and that path has taken these type of drivers elsewhere. Kody has been rewriting the record books and putting on spectacular displays of driving in USAC. He deserves to get his shot at Indy and all of us at Legacy Autosport want to help him get the start to realizing his dream with the Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires.
“I am excited to be working with Kody; he is such a genuinely good person and a super talented driver. I hope this is the start of both his and Legacy Autosport’s move up towards IndyCar.”