Andretti confirms Indy 500 entry for Harvey

"Jack is a rising talent in open-wheel racing," said team boss Michael Andretti. "He's had an impressive career in the Mazda Road to Indy ladder and the British F3 series and we're really pleased to be able to give him a shot in an Indy car at this year's Indy 500."

Having claimed race wins at both the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the Freedom 100 in 2015 (pictured above), Harvey is no stranger to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; however, the 2017 500-mile event will be the British driver's first Verizon IndyCar Series race. Harvey, 23, holds six victories in 30 Indy Lights starts and claimed the British F3 championship in 2013.

"It's one of the biggest races in the world. I think for any driver trying to compete in the 500 would be a bucket list race," said Harvey (pictured). I came in 2014 for the first time. I honestly didn't really realize what the 500 was all about, the significance of it, the grandeur of it. I fell in love with it. It is truly the greatest sporting spectacle I've ever seen.

"To get my first opportunity to drive with Andretti Autosport is a dream come true because everybody knows what a great team they are. Even people from the UK who don't know much about the 500, they absolutely recognize the name.

"I think as a single-car entry for the 500 this year, there's nobody that has a better opportunity than what I've got. I think a lot of the regular-season drivers would like to have this also.

"The guys at AutoNation were extremely instrumental in helping me get to this stage," he added. "The last 18 months have been the most difficult I've had to go through racing-wise without having a regular-season to drive. To come through all that, where we are now is an incredible achievement, I think."

South Florida-based AutoNation, the largest U.S. automotive retailer, will support Harvey's entry. The longtime Andretti partner also features branding on the No. 28 DHL car of Ryan Hunter-Reay and has partnered with Hunter-Reay's Racing for Cancer initiative.

"AutoNation is excited to build on our partnership with Andretti Autosport through the sponsorship of Jack Harvey," AutoNation CMO and EVP Marc Cannon. "Jack is a talented driver who will be joining AutoNation in the fight against cancer by supporting our Drive Pink initiative. By racing the No. 50 car, Jack is celebrating the 50 million customers AutoNation has serviced over the last 20 years, who show their encouragement through their Pink Plates to benefit breast cancer research. The entire AutoNation team will be rooting for Jack Harvey and Ryan Hunter-Reay on race day."

Harvey joins Indianapolis 500 champions Alexander Rossi and Hunter-Reay, running alongside teammates Marco Andretti and Takuma Sato.