Antinucci to Team 3G for Watkins Glen

Richard Antinucci

This weekend, Richard Antinucci will make his IndyCar Series debut for Team 3G in the fifth Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen. Series veteran Jaques Lazier had driven the past three oval races.

A full day of testing helped the 28-year-old with the transition and confirmed he was the correct choice on the course.

"I was very impressed with the IndyCar; it's been the fastest car I've had a full day to test in and will race in," said Antinucci, who recorded nine top-five finishes, including two victories, in the '08 Firestone Indy Lights season. "I had a great day. My fitness isn't exactly like Scott Dixon's might be at this point because I haven't been racing. I've been training and preparing as much as I can without driving the car. As they say, the best training is driving the car.

"I covered about a race distance, and working with the team we made immediate inroads and set a decent pace. I'm competitive so I always want to do better, and I left there with ideas and notes that we can pick up where we left off and hopefully gain another big chunk. "

Beck, co-owner of Team 3G and an IndyCar Series veteran team owner, appreciates the honest assessment and is looking forward to Antinucci competing at The Glen, where he won and finished second in a Firestone Indy Lights twin bill last year.

"We're looking forward to Watkins Glen, having tested there, and Richard did a great job," he said. "We noticed some things