IPS: Cheever Racing expands effort.

Indy Pro Series driver Nick Bussell will return for a second year in the series as a teammate to Chris Festa on Eddie Cheever's new IPS team.

Twenty two year old Michigan native Bussell has competed in 14 Indy Pro Series races with a high finish of second at Pikes Peak International Raceway. He will drive the #52 Cheever Racing entry.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for us to expand our effort to train and develop the best young drivers," Cheever said. "The Indy Pro Series offers an established platform, and we look forward to showing Nick and Chris the path to the Indianapolis 500."

In his first season in the Indy Pro Series, Bussell finished fourth in the standings while racing for two teams, JL West Motorsports and Vision Racing. He started on the front row for the Liberty Challenge on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, and set a series record by finishing all 14 of races.

"This is going to be a really good opportunity for me," Bussell said. "With the amount of experience a guy like Eddie Cheever has, it's is going to go a long way toward helping me progress. There are a lot of things I can gather from his knowledge and his years of experience. I'm really looking forward to this."

Festa, who finished sixth in the 2005 Indy Pro Series standings, joined Cheever's first year Indy Pro Series programme in January.

"With two events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and a good combination of oval and road course races, the Indy Pro Series is a good place for America's future open-wheel racers to be driving and learning," said Cheever, the 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner and current IndyCar Series owner-driver said.