Roth to graduate to IndyCar Series fulltime
The latter has the most bearing on his auto racing future. The Toronto native said he will move up to the IndyCar Series full time, beginning with the 90th Indianapolis 500 on May 28. Roth has competed in the past two 500-Mile Races, and has entered the No. 25 Roth Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone. Practice begins May 9.
"It's been a very busy first quarter," Roth said. "Making the decision to move to the IndyCar Series will allow our team to focus only on one car and one series. This year, Honda, being the sole engine provider, has certainly re-shuffled the deck, thereby making it economically viable to run in races other than Indy 500.
"This is the first time in 90 years a spec engine will be competing in the Indy 500. I think this will be a fantastic opportunity for a lot of teams and drivers."
Roth became the first Indy Pro Series owner-driver to move up to the IndyCar Series when he qualified for the Indianapolis 500 in 2004. He started 32nd and finished 24th. Last year, he placed 31st after handling issues forced him to retire after 47 laps.
Roth formed Roth Racing before the 2004 Indy Pro Series season after purchasing the equipment of reigning series champion Panther Racing (Mark Taylor behind the wheel). Last year, he had a career-best second place at Chicagoland Speedway to complement 12 other top-10 finishes.
In three Indy Pro Series races this year, he started fifth and finished ninth on the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval and was 14th and 12th on the St. Petersburg (Fla.) temporary street course.
Early in his career, Roth competed in various classes of motorcycles.
Roth has used his racing status to assist Shoot For A Cure Moto-Sport, a program from the American and Canadian Spinal Research Organizations (ASRO/CSRO) that helps raise funding and awareness for the improvement in quality of life for those challenged with spinal cord injuries.