JR Hildebrand moves from IndyCar to Formula D (Update)
As far as my 2014 plans go, there are 3-4 potential IndyCar seats that I am pursuing and I feel in the running for, but navigating the financial waters to procure sponsorship to solidify those opportunities, or to work with the teams in doing so have been more difficult than I (and a lot of others I think) anticipated. As such, I'm looking at other series and situations where I think I can continue to gain valuable experience and work toward future programs – sports cars, possibly even Formula E – I think the concept is rather interesting and exciting.
My goal is to remain in open wheel for sure.
And for the record, while it may have appeared as though I picked up the Formula D deal last year as soon as I split w Panther, the events that I did in FD were on my calendar from the beginning of the season, so good, bad or otherwise, it was my plan all along to do a bit of drifting last season. I think some people thought I switched to it midseason as an alternative to ICS. While it was a ton of fun and really quite cool, it's not currently a part of my plans for this year. JR Hildebrand
01/05/14 JR Hildebrand is hoping that his 26th birthday, celebrated Friday will be the start of a much happier year, after going through a lot of “hell" the past couple of years including a 15 car chain reaction crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 16, 2011, that left him with an injured sternum and was transported by ground ambulance to a Las Vegas area hospital, and claimed the life of 2-time Indy winner Dan Wheldon.
Just months before, Hildebrand (nicknamed Captain America by fans) lost the Indy 500 to Wheldon when he crashed coming out of turn four, although he had enough speed to come in second, despite losing a wheel.
This past year, however, Hildebrand was terminated by Panther Racing after finishing in last place at the Indy 500. He also had his car broken into with items stolen, and then was forced to fend off an attempted robbery.
He now competes for Tyler McQuarrie in the Formula Drift series, aka Formula D-1, a 7-round championship that mixes together traditional racing with extreme sports at race tracks across the United States. Instead of being rated on who finishes the course in the fastest time, Formula Drift drivers are judged on execution and style. Examiner.com