Irish Racer Peter Dempsey Travels to Baltimore for Penultimate Season Event

By ROCKET SPORTS and ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK on August 29, 2012

Peter Dempsey (red shirt), shares a second place trophy with the Rocket Sports & Entertainment Network team at the 2012 St. Pete Grand Prix media kart race (RSEN file photo)

courtesy of Peter Dempsey PR Department

Chicago, Ill. (August 29, 2012) – Irish racecar driver Peter Dempsey will travel to Baltimore, Maryland this weekend for the penultimate Firestone Indy Lights race of the season. Following a tremendous turnout last year, the series is returning to the two mile, 12 turn street course for the second ever Grand Prix of Baltimore event. Dempsey, 26, conquered the challenge of the new course last season to qualify second for the race, missing the pole starting position by a hair. The Irishman ultimately finished ninth after encountering multiple challenges throughout the hour-long race.

Dempsey will return to Baltimore this weekend piloting the No. 9 TruFuel/Belardi Auto Racing car fresh off his most exciting race of the season in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. In a spectacle reminiscent of the 2011 St. Petersburg season-opener, the delightfully dicey driver charged his way from fifth to first on lap one, proceeding to lead the field for eight laps before a gearbox issue forced him to retire. After coming that close to his maiden victory in the series, Dempsey is fiercely dedicated to fighting for a win for Belardi Auto Racing and TruFuel at this weekend’s Baltimore Grand Prix.

“I’m really excited to be heading back to Baltimore this weekend,” stated Dempsey. “Last year, Baltimore was one of the best weekends of the year with it being a sold out event, so I’m really looking forward to having the fans come back in the gates and support the No. 9 TruFuel/Belardi Auto Racing car!

“Coming off a solid few races with the team, I feel like we have really shown what we can do. We are heading into the weekend with a lot of confidence that we can be competitive, we have really established a good relationship and everyone is working hard to get the best results for the team. I was fast last year and just missed out on pole in qualifying, so I really hope I can bring that speed back to Baltimore this weekend. It’s a little sad knowing that this is the last street course of the year and that the season is coming to a close, but I’m really looking forward to 2013.”

Though the Baltimore Grand Prix only marks Dempsey’s fourth ever race with Belardi Auto Racing, he and the team have gelled quickly and already proven they are among the top competitors in the Firestone Indy Lights Series. This weekend will also be the final street course of the season, one circuit style on which Dempsey thrives. Those factors combined with his thirst for a long-awaited victory in the series make Baltimore a highly anticipated event for the series standout.

The weekend will commence with a 45-minute practice session on Friday, August 31 followed by another practice session and qualifying on Saturday, September 1. The Firestone Indy Lights race will be broadcast live on NBC Sports on Sunday, September 2 at 12:30 pm EST, and live timing and scoring will be available onwww.racecontrol.indycar.com.

About Peter Dempsey: Peter Dempsey is a racecar driver from Ashbourne, Ireland best known for winning the most races (9) in the history of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear and for being one of only two drivers to win the Walter Hayes Trophy three times. Peter is currently the only Irish-born driver to be competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series ladder. After a successful motorsports debut in Europe with his father’s racing team Cliff Dempsey Racing, Peter moved his career to the U.S.A. in 2008 where he has been climbing the Mazda Road to Indy ladder ever since. Peter is currently racing in the Firestone Indy Lights Series, the third step in the Mazda Road to Indy development program, and is just one step below his ultimate goal, the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Indy 500. For more information, please go towww.peterdempsey.com.

About TruFuel: Founded in 2006, TruSouth Oil, LLC is an industry leader in the blending and packaging of automotive and industrial lubricants as well as a host of innovative specialty products. TruSouth’s leadership team has long standing industry experience and has recently added significant engineering, product development and marketing expertise to their core capabilities. TruSouth manufactures a comprehensive set of automotive and industrial lubricants; their mission is to deliver high quality coupled with consumer insight driven innovation for their customers throughout North America. TruSouth’s latest award-winning success, TruFuel® pre-mixed fuel for 2-cycle engines, is now available at outdoor power equipment distributors and dealers nationally, as well as leading retailers such as Wal*Mart, The Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, Ace, O’Reilly Auto Parts and True Value Hardware. For more information, please go to www.trufuel50.com.