JR Hildebrand has been confirmed as the driver of the No. 11 A.J. Foyt Racing Chevy at all of the ovals on the NTT IndyCar Series calendar. The Californian joins Tatiana Calderon, the Colombian rookie set to drive at the 12 road and street course races, in the team’s No. 11.

Hildebrand brings his vast oval experience to the team where he drove one of its entries at last year’s Indianapolis 500. He will serve as an oval mentor to rookie Kyle Kirkwood and continue to help Dalton Kellett in his ongoing growth in the series.

“I’m excited to have this opportunity to get back in the car, do a little more racing, and work with the A.J. Foyt Racing squad again,” said Hildebrand. “Although the results may not have looked special on paper, I was really impressed by what we accomplished last year at the 500 and look forward to attacking these other ovals on the IndyCar schedule alongside Kyle and Dalton.”

Hildebrand’s season starts next week on the Texas Motor Speedway oval and continues with May’s Indy 500, the Iowa doubleheader in July and closes at World Wide Technology Raceway in August.

“We had a great experience working with J.R. last year, and there is no doubt he is very competitive at Indianapolis,” said team president Larry Foyt. “He is still very motivated to drive Indy cars and is a setup-savvy, technical driver who will be a strong addition to our oval races this year.”