Mo Nunn expands to two cars for 2003.

Mo Nunn Racing will double its efforts for the 2003 Indy Racing League season by expanding to a two-car team and partnering with Toyota, team owner Morris Nunn said last night.

The team, operated by five-time CART championship-winning engineer Nunn, will begin its fourth year by fielding a pair of Toyota-powered Panoz G-Forces with Firestone tires for the 2003 IRL season.

One car will be a Hollywood-sponsored entry featuring returning driver Felipe Giaffone and the other for a new sponsor/driver combination that will be announced in early December.

2001 IRL Rookie of the Year Giaffone, 27, joined Mo Nunn Racing for its Indy Racing debut as driver of the No. 21 Hollywood/Mo Nunn Racing entry in 2002. He finished fourth in the driver championship with 12 top-seven finishes in 15 events, which included the team's first race win, at Kentucky Speedway in August. Giaffone also finished third at the Indianapolis 500.

"Based on our performance in 2002, we have great confidence that both of our cars will be in the thick of the championship hunt in '03," Nunn said. "Felipe, (team manager) Peter Parrott and the entire team were so good all season, and our showing at the Indy 500 was a real shot in the arm for the program we are building. Going to two cars is a logical step for us, and partnering with Toyota makes our outlook incredibly promising."

Mo Nunn Racing, based in Indianapolis, was formed in December 1999, and is the latest team to announce an expansion in the IRL.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing recently expanded its IRL operation to two cars for Tomas Scheckter and Scott Dixon, while Andretti Green Racing is bringing team owner-driver Michael Andretti and young stars Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan to the IRL in 2003.

It also was recently announced that 2002 Infiniti Pro Series champion AJ Foyt IV would climb to the IRL next season in a car owned by his grandfather, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner AJ Foyt, driving as a teammate to 2000 IRL Rookie of the Year Airton Dare.

The 16-event Indy Racing League schedule for 2003 begins 2 March at Homestead.