Stanton Barrett to Race Indy Car Series in 2009. Hugh???

Greg Beck had been looking for a stable platform to compete in the IndyCar Series full time for quite some time. The veteran team owner found it with the assistance of a marketing veteran and a veteran professional driver who know how to market.

Greg Beck had been looking for a stable platform to compete in the IndyCar Series full time for quite some time. The veteran team owner found it with the assistance of a marketing veteran and a veteran professional driver who know how to market.

The result is the formation of Team 3G (three guys), which formally announced Sept. 26 at Kansas Speedway its intention to compete in the IndyCar Series full time in 2009 with Stanton Barrett behind the wheel of the No. 98 Curb/Agajanian/Team 3G entry. Why Kansas Speedway? It’s where Barrett was driving in the Nationwide Series event this weekend.

“I am thrilled to be joining Team 3G and the IndyCar Series in 2009,” said Barrett, who has competed in NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series for the past 15 years. “I feel the time is right to move to the IndyCar Series. They have a lot of momentum, and I think they will continue to grow in popularity with fans and corporate marketers.”

Marketing partners for the team Include Interush.net, Phytter Phone, Curb Records, and Grandstay.net, with additional partnerships to be announced.

“Stanton will integrate nicely with the IndyCar Series competition,” Beck said. “He has plenty of oval experience from driving in NASCAR, and has road racing experience from early in his career.”

Beck and Steve Sudler, who brings 15 years of motorsports sponsorship and marketing experience, renewed acquaintances at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Pleasantries evolved into discussions about the future in unified North American open-wheel racing under the IndyCar Series banner.

“(Sudler) was looking to get more involved in a business that would grow,” Beck said. “He knew our weak point was the marketing side of it. We started talking that the two of us working together would be better than either one of us trying to work alone. He’s handling the marketing side of it and I’m basically handling the competition side.

“It certainly re-energizes in a way our efforts. We’ve always been here and trying to work at it, but with Steve being here it’s been a big boost because he has so many connections. We’re just so much further ahead than we ever have been in the year for next year.”

It was through such connections that Beck and Sudler heard that Barrett, 25, a former movie/TV stunt man and U.S. bobsled team sponsor, was interested in “changing scenery.” In the mid-1990s, Barrett, whose godfather is Paul Newman and whose father, Stan, helped launch the Skoal Bandit NASCAR program, attempted to put together a few deals to run in the 500-Mile Race.

Previous drivers during various iterations of Beck Motorsports have included Robbie Buhl, Robby McGehee, Alex Barron, Billy Boat, Stephan Gregoire and Roger Yasukawa. As Curb/Agajanian/Beck, the team competed at Twin Ring Motegi in April with Yasukawa. The pairing was unsuccessful in qualifying for the 92^nd Indianapolis 500 in May.

“We’re excited about being able to announce something this early to run the full season, and it gives us some opportunities from now to the end of the year, even through Stanton’s Nationwide program, to entice some additional sponsorship,” Beck said. “And it really gives us some concrete things to work on between now and the beginning of the season (April 5 at St. Petersburg, Fla.).

“With Stanton coming on board, it gives us some components from a driver aspect that are fairly unique. We have a driver who will be involved in two series.”

Barrett plans to run a limited Nationwide program in 2009 that doesn’t conflict with the IndyCar Series schedule.

The result is the formation of Team 3G (three guys), which formally announced Sept. 26 at Kansas Speedway its intention to compete in the IndyCar Series full time in 2009 with Stanton Barrett behind the wheel of the No. 98 Curb/Agajanian/Team 3G entry. Why Kansas Speedway? It’s where Barrett was driving in the Nationwide Series event this weekend.

“I am thrilled to be joining Team 3G and the IndyCar Series in 2009,” said Barrett, who has competed in NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series for the past 15 years. “I feel the time is right to move to the IndyCar Series. They have a lot of momentum, and I think they will continue to grow in popularity with fans and corporate marketers.”

Marketing partners for the team Include Interush.net, Phytter Phone, Curb Records, and Grandstay.net, with additional partnerships to be announced.

“Stanton will integrate nicely with the IndyCar Series competition,” Beck said. “He has plenty of oval experience from driving in NASCAR, and has road racing experience from early in his career.”

Beck and Steve Sudler, who brings 15 years of motorsports sponsorship and marketing experience, renewed acquaintances at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Pleasantries evolved into discussions about the future in unified North American open-wheel racing under the IndyCar Series banner.

“(Sudler) was looking to get more involved in a business that would grow,” Beck said. “He knew our weak point was the marketing side of it. We started talking that the two of us working together would be better than either one of us trying to work alone. He’s handling the marketing side of it and I’m basically handling the competition side.

“It certainly re-energizes in a way our efforts. We’ve always been here and trying to work at it, but with Steve being here it’s been a big boost because he has so many connections. We’re just so much further ahead than we ever have been in the year for next year.”

It was through such connections that Beck and Sudler heard that Barrett, 25, a former movie/TV stunt man and U.S. bobsled team sponsor, was interested in “changing scenery.” In the mid-1990s, Barrett, whose godfather is Paul Newman and whose father, Stan, helped launch the Skoal Bandit NASCAR program, attempted to put together a few deals to run in the 500-Mile Race.

Previous drivers during various iterations of Beck Motorsports have included Robbie Buhl, Robby McGehee, Alex Barron, Billy Boat, Stephan Gregoire and Roger Yasukawa. As Curb/Agajanian/Beck, the team competed at Twin Ring Motegi in April with Yasukawa. The pairing was unsuccessful in qualifying for the 92^nd Indianapolis 500 in May.

“We’re excited about being able to announce something this early to run the full season, and it gives us some opportunities from now to the end of the year, even through Stanton’s Nationwide program, to entice some additional sponsorship,” Beck said. “And it really gives us some concrete things to work on between now and the beginning of the season (April 5 at St. Petersburg, Fla.).

“With Stanton coming on board, it gives us some components from a driver aspect that are fairly unique. We have a driver who will be involved in two series.”

Barrett plans to run a limited Nationwide program in 2009 that doesn’t conflict with the IndyCar Series schedule.