Andretti Autosport driver Ryan Hunter-Reay will be honored with the National Automotive Racing Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday, Feb. 23 at the gala for the 13th annual Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance presented by Mercedes-Benz and AutoNation.
Hunter-Reay, the 2012 NTT IndyCar Series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner, has accumulated 18 races wins in an Indy car career that began in 2003. The 38-year-old Floridian won two races last season and finished fourth in the points, his best result in the championship since he won the title six years prior.
The three-day event at the Boca Raton Resort & Club in Florida will showcase an extensive collection of more than 200 automobiles and motorcycles. Bentley Motorcars, celebrating its 100th anniversary, is the designated marque of the year at the event.
Jay Leno, former host of the “Tonight Show” and current star of “Jay Leno’s Garage,” will attend the three-day event and perform at the dinner gala when Hunter-Reay will be awarded. For information on tickets, visit bocaCDE.com or call 954-537-1010.
Harner named VP of operations at AJ Foyt Racing
Scott Harner, who has spent more than 30 years in motorsports, was named Friday to become the vice president of operations at AJ Foyt Racing. Harner will be based at the team’s shop in Speedway, Indiana, and will call race strategy for Tony Kanaan in the No. 14 ABC Supply Chevrolet.
“I'm thrilled to have Scott joining AJ Foyt Racing,” team president Larry Foyt said. “He brings a great deal of experience and skills that will complement the team we have in place. Having a managerial presence in the Indianapolis shop was much needed, and when Scott became available we knew he was the right person for the job.”
Harner most recently was with Chip Ganassi Racing, where he worked for more than 25 years. His roles at CGR included mechanic, transporter driver, fabricator and spotter until he was named team manager in 2000. The past 15 years, Harner was co-team manager of Ganassi’s NTT IndyCar Series program.
Harner will oversee the day-to-day operation of the Speedway shop while team director George Klotz will do the same for the shop in Waller, Texas. Klotz will also be race strategist for Matheus Leist in the No. 4 ABC Supply Chevrolet. Eric Cowdin remains Kanaan’s engineer, with Danielle Cucchiaroni filling the role for Leist. The team also announced that Mark Sampson will be Kanaan’s chief mechanic.