The shape(s) of Roth.

Roth Racing's full-time entry into the IndyCar Series in 2008 is a story of perseverance, both for owner/driver Marty Roth and for rookie team-mate Jay Howard.

Roth, a long-time competitor in Indy Lights and the Indy Pro Series, took his first step toward team ownership in 2004, purchasing Panther Racing's Indy Pro Series equipment, before, a few months later, also purchasing IndyCar Series equipment and fielding an entry in the Indianapolis 500.

In 2006, the Canadian competed in three IndyCar Series races and, last year, made four starts, recording a career-best finish of 14th at Chicagoland. This year, the team expands to a two-car effort for the entire season, essentially as a consequence of IndyCar's TEAM [Team Enhancement and Allocation Matrix] initiative.

The scheme provides a minimum of $1.2m to each car entered for the entire IRL season, including the Indianapolis 500, with the purse for the 92nd Indy 500 increasing to at least $13.4m. Roth Racing's expansion to two cars is a direct result of the programme, with 2006 Indy Pro Series champion Howard joining Roth in the line-up.

"It's a huge step up from where we started from," Roth said, "This is what you need to do to build a product that would attract sponsors. That's what we at Roth Racing have done. This is a product that we offer to a sponsor to represent them in a first-class manner.

"We hope to have a very competitive team out there. We're going out there to be a strong, competitive team and win some races."

Howard has also persevered. After winning Formula Ford Zetec championships in both his native Britain and the United States in 2003 and 2005 respectively, he captured the Indy Pro Series title in 2006. After an IndyCar Series ride didn't materialise for 2007, however, Howard waited patiently for the chance to prove his mettle in 2008.

"It was definitely worth [sitting out a year]," he said, having passed his oval rookie test at the end of February at Homestead-Miami Speedway, "Things are happening a little faster than in the Pro Series car, but it was really good how much I could relay what I learned in the Indy Pro Series car into the big car.

"That was beneficial to me. We're really happy with the times we race, and now it's forward, forward, forward for us. Expectations are high."