Herta hopes to capitalize on team’s Indy 500 win

Indianapolis 500-winning car owner Bryan Herta recognizes he has something special in two-time race winner Dan Wheldon and still-young Bryan Herta Autosport, and he wants to capitalize on it.

That’s why Herta said today he’s willing to “stay the course" with the program aimed for being a full-time Izod IndyCar Series team in 2012.

Herta said the No. 98 car, which has only competed in two IndyCar races, probably won’t race again this season unless IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard agrees to let the 500 winners compete for the $5 million bonus Oct. 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Wheldon, now a free agent, certainly wouldn’t qualify as a newcomer to the sport, but Herta said he’d bring a buzz to the season-ending event.

“He’d sell tickets," Herta said. “It would be exciting to see if he could win that, too."
Bernard plans to announce the five chosen participants this summer.

Said Wheldon of Herta’s plans: “He’s an astute businessman. If he can’t do it right he’s not going to do it."

Herta’s team previously committed to be IndyCar’s test team for the new chassis program. Indy Star