Famed Actor & Passionate Racer Joins Vision Racing

Famed Actor & Passionate Racer Joins Vision Racing

Star of 'Grey's Anatomy' Accepts New Role as Co-Owner of Indycar Series Team

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Known for his scene-stealing turns in such '80s nostalgia classics such as "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Loverboy," Patrick Dempsey continues to please America with his explosive charisma and versatile talent. Now, armed with his skills on the silver screen, Dempsey will be making hearts race in a literal way as an IndyCar team co-owner.

After attending the 2004 Indianapolis 500 as a "celebrity guest" and meeting Vision Racing owners Tony and Laura George, Patrick's longtime passion for racing began to flourish. A year later, following another meeting with the Georges in May 2005, Dempsey expressed a keen interest for their new team and followed IndyCar competition diligently throughout the 2005 season. During the off-season, Dempsey and the George family officially partnered, and the team is pleased to announce that he has joined them as a co-owner of Vision Racing.

Dempsey said, "I am thrilled to be a part of the Vision team and I feel like a kid in a candy store. I think Ed Carpenter and Tomas Scheckter is a formidable combination and I believe they demonstrated this by their performance at the first test. I also cannot think of anyone other than Tony and Laura George that I would want to partner with in IndyCar Racing. All my experiences at Indy have been magical."

Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George fostered Dempsey's initial wonder for IndyCar, inspiring him with his original "vision" in 1995 of starting an open-wheel auto-racing series based upon the traditions of the Indianapolis 500's 90-year heritage of open wheel racing.

George added, "During the winter off-season we really concentrated on a building program that had as its foundation; a strong nucleus of people from 2005. Laura and I are proud to have Patrick as a partner in Vision and value his contribution and council as we have built this team."

Fast forward ten years and Dempsey remains impressed with the maturation of the Indy Racing League and George's willingness to invest in the Series by acquiring and leading his own team. Vision Racing's 2005 debut at the Indianapolis 500 with an 11th place finish as a relatively new organization -- all the while upholding one of the original founding principles of the League, the "cost containment" philosophy -- held Dempsey strong as an active member and fan.

Dempsey's no stranger to the racetrack when he's not in front of the camera. A true racer at heart, he's currently driving professionally in "Grand American Cup" class sports car racing with Hypersport. Patrick also attended the Skip Barber and Panoz Racing Schools and began racing in the Panoz GT Series in 2004. Dempsey finished an impressive third at the Panoz GT race in Road Atlanta in early May 2005. He also competed in the April 2005 Toyota Celebrity Race at Long Beach and the 2005 Baja 1000 with drivers Boris Said and Oriol Servia.

There's no question that Dempsey's passion for motorsports and his new endeavor is a classic result of lifelong memories of experiencing the Indianapolis 500 with his father as well as his daily life as a car enthusiast. What else would one expect from a guy whose everyday car is a classic "James Dean" 1959 356 Porsche he purchased from the rewards of one of his first acting jobs?

While a veteran actor, Dempsey is currently most recognizable for his work as Dr. Derek Shepherd in ABC's medical drama, "Grey's Anatomy," in which he stars opposite Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh, and Katherine Heigl.

Dempsey earned an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Aaron Brooks, Sela Ward's psychologically unbalanced brother, in the critically acclaimed television program, "Once & Again." In 2004, Dempsey co-starred opposite Hilary Swank and Angelica Huston in the highly-acclaimed HBO production, "Iron Jawed Angels." Other recent credits include Disney's film "Sweet Home Alabama" opposite Reese Witherspoon.

Dempsey is also recognized for his memorable 2003 guest appearance on NBC's hit show, "Will & Grace," as Will's love interest. Additionally, he starred in the NBC movie based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment" opposite Ben Kingsley. He also appeared in the television miniseries, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" with Michael Caine. He co-starred with Oliver Reed in the biblical epic, "Jeremiah." Other television movies and miniseries include "JFK: Reckless Youth," "A Season in Purgatory," "Blood Knot," "The Right to Remain Silent," "Shallow Grave," and "Blonde."

The 2006 Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Male of the Year will be playing Hilary Swank's husband in "Freedom Riders," a forthcoming film about a teacher and her mission to inspire her students to pursue education beyond high school. He's also acting as hard-working single father trying to do what's best for his daughter in a Disney live-action and animation movie, "Enchanted."

Aside from acting accolades and spending time behind the wheel of his own racecar, Dempsey's partnership with the George Family is set to guide Vision Racing to new-found success in the Indy Racing League. In fact, Dempsey's arrival at Vision is happens to be yet another addition to the team in what has become a long list of off-season improvements. Such upgrades and expansions include IndyCar veteran driver, Tomas Scheckter in the newly added Vision Racing #2 Dallara/Honda/Firestone IndyCar Series entry, the hiring of David Cripps, Scheckter's former engineer at Panther Racing, as well as reinforcing the team in personnel and equipment.

These new prescriptions are thought to be just what the doctor ordered for Vision Racing, even if it's just a doctor played on TV.

About Ed Carpenter: Ed Carpenter is preparing for his third season in the IRL IndyCar Series, and his second year with sophomore-team, Vision Racing. The 24-year-old made his IndyCar debut at Chicagoland Speedway in 2003 for PDM Racing, which made him the first driver to compete in an IRL Indy Pro Series event and an IndyCar Series event on the same weekend. Carpenter's rookie season with Red Bull Cheever Racing also saw his best start (7th at Texas Motor Speedway) and his best finish (7th at Kentucky Speedway). The 2003 graduate of Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind., is married and currently resides in Speedway, Ind.

About Tomas Scheckter: Tomas Scheckter joins Vision Racing this season in a newly added second Indy Racing League IndyCar entry. Scheckter has two wins, eight poles, and 1,311 laps led, in four seasons of IndyCar competition. Scheckter's 2005 performance with Panther Racing was quite impressive with a win at Texas, three poles (Homestead, Texas and Nashville) as well as nine top-five starts and seven top-five finishes. The 25-year-old, Cape Town, South Africa native is the son of 1979 Formula One Champion Jody Scheckter. He enjoys golf, wakeboarding, cycling, remote control cars, and currently resides in Indianapolis, Ind.

About Vision Racing: Vision Racing was formed in February 2005 when Indy Racing League founder Tony George and his wife Laura purchased the assets of Kelley Racing from Tom Kelley. In February 2006, actor Patrick Dempsey, the star of the ABC drama "Grey's Anatomy," officially joined the team. Dempsey's personal racing endeavors and his passion for motorsports led him to partner with Tony and Laura George. In their second year of existence, Vision Racing has their sights set on consistent top-ten finishes and their first win. The team's driver lineup consists of a promising IndyCar Series tandem in Ed Carpenter and Tomas Scheckter.

About Indy Racing League: The IRL IndyCar Series opens the 2006 season with the Toyota Indy 300 on March 26 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race will be broadcast live on ABC Sports and the IMS Radio Network. The IMS Radio Network broadcast is also carried on XM Satellite Radio channel 152, "XM Extreme" and www.indycar.com. The fifth season of Indy Pro Series competition also opens on March 26 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Patrick Dempsey Media Contact: Henry Eshelman
BWR Public Relations
(310) 248-6109
heshelman@bwr-la.com

Vision Racing Media Contact: Michael Kaltenmark
(317) 809-1945
publicrelations@visionracing.net

NOTE TO EDITORS: To be included on the Vision Racing PR distribution
list or for more information, please send your contact information to
publicrelations@visionracing.net.

Source: Indy Racing League

CONTACT: Henry Eshelman of BWR Public Relations, +1-310-248-6109,
heshelman@bwr-la.com, for Patrick Dempsey and Indy Racing League; or Michael
Kaltenmark of Vision Racing +1-317-809-1945, publicrelations@visionracing.net

Web site: http://www.indycar.com/

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