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J. R. Hildebrand
Hildebrand at the 2013 Grand Prix of Long Beach
Nationality	American
Born	John Randal Hildebrand Jr. (1988-01-03) January 3, 1988 (age 36) Sausalito, California, U.S.
Racing licence	FIA Gold
Previous series
2019 2009 2008–09 2007 2005–2006 2005 2004	Americas Rallycross Championship Firestone Indy Lights A1 Grand Prix Champ Car Atlantic Series U.S. F2000 Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Cup SCCA Formula Russell
Championship titles
2009 2006 2004	Firestone Indy Lights U.S. F2000 SCCA Formula Russell
Awards
2005 2011	Team USA Scholarship Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year
IndyCar Series career
68 races run over 13 years
2022 position	30th
Best finish	11th (2012)
First race	2010 Honda Indy 200 (Mid-Ohio)
Last race	2022 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Wins Podiums Poles 0 3 0

John Randal Hildebrand Jr. (born January 3, 1988) is an American race car driver. He last competed in the IndyCar Series driving part-time in the No. 11 Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Enterprises. Hildebrand won the 2009 Indy Lights championship and came close to winning the 2011 Indianapolis 500, hitting the wall on the final corner of the race and crossing the line in second place.

Early career

At the age of 14, Hildebrand started racing go karts in the Jim Russell Arrive and Drive Championship at Infineon Raceway in Northern California; winning not only his first race but the championship that year. In 2003, he raced in the Jr. 80cc Shifter class finishing a close second, and at the end of that year made the transition from karts to cars by winning the Jim Russell Graduate Runoffs; racing in Formula Russell in 2004. That year, he went on to win the series championship; also participating in the Red Bull Driver Search. He then moved up to Pacific F2000 in 2005; finishing second overall as rookie of the year, also being chosen for the Team USA Scholarship, earning him a ride in the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy, in which he finished third. In 2006, he dominated the U.S. F2000 National Championship; winning the championship and 12 out of 14 races.

In recognition of his impressive 2006 performance, Hildebrand won the Gorsline Scholarship and was elected to the AARWBA All American Auto Racing First Team.

Atlantics and Indy Lights

For 2007, he moved to the Champ Car Atlantic series, driving for Newman Wachs Racing. He finished seventh in points and was the top US rookie in the series. After the season's conclusion he made 2 starts for RLR-Andersen Racing in the Indy Pro Series. Hildebrand then went on to contest the entire series schedule, which was renamed the Firestone Indy Lights Series, for RLR-Andersen in 2008. He captured his first series win in the fourth race of the season at Kansas Speedway, his second start on an oval. He finished 5th overall in the 2008 championship.

For the 2009 season he signed with defending championship-winning team AGR-AFS Racing, and after winning four races and taking five pole positions, he eventually claimed the title at the penultimate round at Chicagoland. That year he also competed in the final round of the A1 Grand Prix series for A1 Team USA at Brands Hatch, finishing 4th in the Sprint race. He was again elected to the AARWBA All American Auto Racing First Team for 2009.

American Le Mans Series

American Le Mans Series' Genoa Racing signed Hildebrand to race an LMPC class car for 2010. He contested the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Long Beach Grand Prix.

Formula One

Hildebrand spent three days testing for the Force India Formula One team in December 2009, at the Jerez circuit, in a car shared with Paul di Resta.

IndyCar

Hildebrand made his IndyCar Series debut in 2010, competing in two races for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing as a substitute driver for the injured Mike Conway. On Tuesday, December 14, 2010, it was announced that Hildebrand signed a multi–year contract to drive the No. 4 National Guard entry for Panther Racing, starting in 2011 after impressing the team during a test.

Later in 2011, Hildebrand qualified for the Indianapolis 500 and was the most successful rookie during his premiere race. Hildebrand was able to lead at the halfway point for Panther Racing and stayed on the lead lap for the entire race. This allowed him to take a gamble during his last pit stop, stretching out his fuel load to an eventual lead on the final lap. On the very last turn, he slid out of the racing lane and into the retaining wall while passing rapidly slowing Charlie Kimball, allowing Dan Wheldon to take the victory. Despite the damage to his car – including the loss of a wheel – Hildebrand retained enough speed to cross the finish line in second place.

On October 16, 2011, Hildebrand was involved in a 15-car chain-reaction crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the season-ending IZOD IndyCar World Championships. He sustained an injured sternum and was transported by ground ambulance to a Las Vegas area hospital, where he was admitted for treatment. The crash claimed the life of two-time Indy 500 winner and 2005 IndyCar Series champion Dan Wheldon.

Following a last-place finish in the 2013 Indianapolis 500, Hildebrand was released by Panther Racing. He had announced earlier in the year that he would be running selected Formula DRIFT races as a teammate to Tyler McQuarrie.

In 2014, Hildebrand joined Ed Carpenter Racing for the Indianapolis 500, driving the No. 21. On November 4, 2016, it was confirmed that Hildebrand would take over the Ed Carpenter Racing No. 21 car for the 2017 season, replacing Josef Newgarden. He finished 15th in the points standing for the season, achieving a second-place finish in Iowa and a third in Phoenix. Following the season Hildebrand was not retained by the team.

For 2018 Hildebrand was signed for by Dreyer & Reinbold Racing to pilot their car in the Indy 500 (their only entry of the season) and finished 11th. He returned in the same role in 2019, finishing 20th. He again returned in 2020 for the same one-race role, despite the team's increased commitment to a part-time schedule. He finished in 16th.

In 2021 Hildebrand drove a specially liveried car for A.J. Foyt Enterprises, commemorating the 60th anniversary of team owner A.J. Foyt's first of four Indianapolis 500 wins. He finished in 15th place.

Pikes Peak Hillclimb

In 2018, Hildebrand competed in the Pikes Peak Hillclimb, driving a Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport, finishing 2nd in Porsche Trophy category behind Travis Pastrana.

In 2021 it was quietly announced Hildebrand would compete in the Open Wheel Class, driving a IndyCar. That effort fell through due to numerous technicalities which could not be overcome in time to compete.

On February 1, 2022, it was announced Hildebrand had entered the 2022 running of the event, competing in the Open Wheel Class, driving a 2022 Dallara IR18 Evo IndyCar. While not an IndyCar sanctioned event, all of the IndyCar suppliers are involved in it, as well as chassis manufacturer Dallara.

Personal life

In 2006, Hildebrand graduated from Redwood High School in Larkspur, California as a National Merit Scholar. While in high school, he also played varsity baseball. He applied and was accepted by several top universities, including the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Berkeley, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). MIT granted a three-year deferral, but he eventually allowed it to lapse as he continued to pursue his racing career.

Racing record

American open–wheel racing results

(key)

USF2000 National Championship

Atlantic Championship

Indy Lights

IndyCar Series

Season still in progress.

Race cancelled due to death of Dan Wheldon

** Podium (non-win) indicates 2nd or 3rd place finishes.

*** Top 10s (non-podium) indicates 4th through 10th place finishes.

Indianapolis 500

Complete American Le Mans Series results

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

American rallycross racing results

Complete Americas Rallycross results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Car	No.	Driver	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	ARX2	Points
2019					MDO		GAT		TRR		COTA	MDO
	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Olsbergs MSE	48	J. R. Hildebrand	4	4	3	4						9th	79

Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

References

1. Hildebrand Joins RLR/Andersen Racing Archived March 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, SpeedTV.com, March 5, 2008
2. DiZinno, Tony. Hildebrand joins AGR/AFS juggernaut Archived June 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Motorsport.com, November 13, 2008
3. "Rookietest Jerez: Analyse dag 1". December 2009. MotorRacingBlog.nl
4. "Hildebrand and di Resta to test for Force India | joeblogsf1". Joesaward.wordpress.com. November 24, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
5. "JR Hildebrand Racing: Hildebrand to Test for Force India F1 Team". Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
6. "Panther Racing - News - Panther Signs JR Hildebrand to Multi-Year Contract Agreement for IZOD IndyCar Series". Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
7. "Dan Wheldon dies in huge crash at IndyCar finale". USA Today. October 16, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
8. "Dan Wheldon dies following IndyCar crash at Vegas". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. October 17, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
9. DiZinno, Tony (May 30, 2013). "Panther Racing terminates JR Hildebrand's contract". NBC Sports. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
10. DiZinno, Tony (April 10, 2013). "JR Hildebrand will go drift racing later this year". NBC Sports. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
11. IndyCar (March 20, 2014). "Hildebrand To Compete In '500'". Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
12. "Hildebrand confirmed as full-time Ed Carpenter driver". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. November 4, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
13. Pruett, Marshall (October 24, 2017) Carpenter continuing with road/street course plan Racer.com. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
14. DRR confirms Hildebrand for Indy 500. by Racer.com staff. Racer.com, April 22, 2019.Retrieved December 12, 2019.
15. IndyCar: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing to compete in at least 4 races in 2020. by Asher Fair. Beyond the Flag, January 8, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
16. https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a35491681/jr-hildebrand-pikes-peak-hill-climb-in-an-indycar/?src=socialflowTW 2021 Dallara DW12/IR18
17. "Field Set for 100th Pikes Peak Hill Climb". February 2022.
18. https://ppihc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022-PPIHC-Competitor-List.pdf
19. "The RACER Mailbag, February 9". February 9, 2022.
20. "Bay Area native Hildebrand 'looking forward' to being behind the wheel at Sonoma Raceway". The San Francisco Examiner. August 23, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
21. "Famous people who didn't go to MIT" Archived May 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine M.I.T. Admissions Office. 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
22. Redwood High grad picks IRL over MIT Archived April 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Santa Rosa Press-Democrat. August 20, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
23. "J. R. Hildebrand – 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
24. "J. R. Hildebrand – 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
25. "J. R. Hildebrand – 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
26. "J. R. Hildebrand – 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
27. "J. R. Hildebrand – 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
28. "J. R. Hildebrand – 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
29. "J. R. Hildebrand – 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
30. "J. R. Hildebrand – 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
31. "J. R. Hildebrand – 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
32. "J. R. Hildebrand – 2019 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
33. "J. R. Hildebrand – 2020 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
34. "J. R. Hildebrand – 2021 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
35. "J. R. Hildebrand – 2022 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.

External links

• Official Website
• IndyCar Driver Page
• IndyCar 36: JR Hildebrand – IndyCar documentary

• 1988 births
• A1 Team USA drivers
• American Le Mans Series drivers
• Atlantic Championship drivers
• Drifting drivers
• Formula D drivers
• Formula Palmer Audi drivers
• Indianapolis 500 drivers
• Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year
• Indy Lights champions
• Indy Lights drivers
• IndyCar Series drivers
• Living people
• People from Sausalito, California
• Sportspeople from Marin County, California
• Racing drivers from California
• U.S. F2000 National Championship drivers
• WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers
• 24 Hours of Daytona drivers
• Newman Wachs Racing drivers
• AFS Racing drivers
• Dreyer & Reinbold Racing drivers
• Panther Racing drivers
• Ed Carpenter Racing drivers
• A. J. Foyt Enterprises drivers
• Bryan Herta Autosport drivers
• Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers
• Andretti Autosport drivers