Roth teams with Stewart in Infiniti Pro Series.

Marty Roth will drive the No. 3 Brian Stewart Racing entry in the 2002 Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series, team owner Brian Stewart announced April 1.

"I'm happy to be in the Infiniti Pro Series, especially with Marty Roth," said Stewart. "We've always had a good rapport. We ran Brian Stewart Racing's first race in Indy Lights together, and now we're running the first race in the Infiniti Pro Series. Marty and I have the same goal: to win the Indianapolis 500. The Infiniti Pro Series is our first step on the road to Indy."

Roth, from Toronto, is a former Superbike racer and also has competed in the Formula 2000 and Indy Lights series.

"The Infiniti Pro Series is a great stepping-stone to the Indy Racing League, which is our goal for 2003," said Roth. "Brian has put together a first-rate group of guys, and I have absolute confidence in our team. Brian Stewart Racing was the winningest team in Indy Lights, and we expect that we'll be just as competitive in the Infiniti Pro Series. I wouldn't want to be doing this with anyone other than Brian."

Roth and the Brian Stewart Racing team already have started preparing for the July 7 debut of the Infiniti Pro Series. Although the Infiniti Pro Series car has not arrived, they have recorded over 400 miles of testing in an Indy Lights car at Nashville Superspeedway. The 1.33-mile concrete oval will play host to the series' second event on July 20.

"I'm extremely happy with the way Marty has been testing," said Stewart. "He listens to what we have to say, and he keeps the hammer down. Marty's a real racer. He reminds me of other guys we've run like Paul Tracy and Cristiano da Matta."

A longtime Indy Lights stalwart, Brian Stewart Racing recorded 361 starts in the now-defunct development series between 1988-2001. One of the program's most consistently competitive organizations, Brian Stewart Racing earned 31 wins, 27 pole positions and two series championships.

Brian Stewart Racing, which maintains a race shop in Sutton, Ontario, outside Toronto, has fielded cars for such open-wheel standouts as Tracy, da Matta, Bryan Herta and Indy Racing League driver Jaques Lazier.

The inaugural season of the Infiniti Pro Series will begin July 7 at Kansas Speedway and culminate with the Sept. 14 season finale at Texas Motor Speedway. Nashville Superspeedway, Michigan International Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Gateway International Raceway and Chicagoland Speedway also will play host to Infiniti Pro Series events in 2002.

The 100-mile Infiniti Pro Series "sprints" will take place at the same track and on the same day as Indy Racing League events except for the Texas race, which will take place the day before the IRL's season-ending Chevy 500.

Infiniti Q45 engines will power new Dallara Automobili chassis built for the series, with Firestone Firehawk tires used exclusively on all cars. The V8 engines will produce approximately 450 horsepower for the single-seat winged chassis, providing an ideal training ground for the 650-horsepower, single-seat winged cars of the Indy Racing League.