Hemelgarn confirms return, inks Dana.

Ron Hemelgarn has confirmed that his eponymous team will be returning to the Indy Racing League on a full-time basis in 2005, and revealed that Infiniti Pro Series stand-out Paul Dana will graduate with the outfit this season.

Hemelgarn won the 2000 IndyCar title and 1996 Indianapolis 500 with Buddy Lazier at the wheel of the #91 car, but was forced to drop down to the MIPS as a lack of sponsorship prevented him from running a competitive effort in the senior series. A successful season with Dana rejuvenated the squad, however, and the pair will step up to a full 17-race IRL campaign with the backing of sponsor Ethanol.

"I take pride in being one of the sort of founding fathers of the IRL," said Hemelgarn, who briefly returned to run Lazier in last year's Indianapolis 500, "I'm very pleased and honoured to carry that on."

Dana follows a long line of drivers who have competed under the Hemelgarn banner, including Scott Brayton, Gordon Johncock, Tom Sneva, Stan Fox, Billy Vukovich III, Arie Luyendyk and Lyn St James, and insists that he is ready to seize the opportunity being presented to him.

"It's a dream come true," Dana admitted, ""It's what I've worked ten years to be able to do, and to take the last step and reach the top level of the sport is just an unbelievable opportunity.

"It's still a little surreal right now, and I only think I'll believe it when the green flag drops at Homestead. The parity in the IndyCar Series is unreal, so you have to be hungry for every little possible gain you can find, because it will move you right up or down the grid. I don't have any illusions of how intense it is at the top level - I'm just anxious to get started."

Dana started either on the front or second row in ten of the twelve MIPS races with Hemelgarn in 2004, including a pole starting position in the opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He also took one victory, at Milwaukee, among the seven top-five finishes that helped him to overall runner-up honours.

"I got a feel for how they run their shop, and what the attitude is there, when we had a good season in the Pro Series last year," he commented, "The 2000 championship that they won seems like a long time ago, but a lot of the same guys are in the shop. They remember what it's like to win, and they're hungry to do so again. I like being surrounded by people who are hungry and motivated, and the Hemelgarn guys definitely are."