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USF2000 CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVER ZACH VEACH BREEZES INTO THE WINDY CITY ON A MISSION

Andretti Autosport Driver Launched Anti-Texting App before Gearing Up for Race Weekend

JOLIET, Ill. (July 29,2010) Andretti Autosport’s 15-year-old Zach Veach has been getting a lot done before he gets behind the wheel this weekend for the Harrah’s Autobahn Grand Prix presented by Mazda. Living up to his feature in this month’s issue of Amazing Kids!, a not-for-profit magazine showcasing amazing and inspirational kids, Veach has been working to spread his message to end distracted driving. The young driver launched a Droid® anti-texting application, called urTXT, as part of Ziggy’s Safe Driving Day (named after Veach, whose nickname is “Ziggy”), in conjunction with Mazda North America. The new phone feature sends an automatic response to incoming texts that the person they are trying to reach is driving and will text them later. Veach, named one of CNN’s “Intriguing People” this past May, held the event at Autobahn Country Club on Tues. to encourage teens to practice safe habits behind the wheel.

“I came to Chicago to drive fast and win,” said Veach, who has been campaigning for Oprah Winfrey’s No Phone Zone since April of this year. “But I’m also here to further the message of safe driving. I can’t wait to compete this weekend after such success with Ziggy’s Safe Driving day.”

The No. 7 Team ADS car will compete in the weekend-long event at the 3.56 mile country club road course in Joliet, Ill.; 45 miles southwest of Chicago. The track features four race circuits on its 355-acre facility. This is the track’s second year holding this event, hosting seven professional race series, with a total of 11 races throughout the weekend for fans to enjoy. "I'm really excited going into the Autobahn race weekend,” said Veach. “We made some adjustments that puts me higher in my car and got me more comfortable. I'm hoping that will be an advantage compared to what I've had throughout the season thus far. We are testing Thursday and Friday so having twice the track time compared to normal will also be a big help. I had all the participants from my Teen Safe Driving day sign my driving gloves earlier this week and hope that's the good luck charm I've been missing."

The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda double-header will take place July 31 – Aug. 1. Live coverage will be provided by HDNet. To keep up with the Andretti Autosport team and the rest of the USF2000 series, visit: usf2000.com or for live timing and scoring, visit usf2000timing.com.

About Zach Veach
Zach Veach is a 15-year-old autoracing driver that competes in the Indy Racing League’s ‘Road to Indy’ USF2000 Championship Series for Andretti Autosport. Veach began his racing career at age 12 in go-karts. It was in 2007, where Veach caught the eye of Dave Fisher, father of IZOD IndyCar Series driver and team owner, Sarah Fisher. For the next two years Fisher [Dave] coached and developed Veach’s talent, as he did with Fisher [Sarah] in the early stages of her career. By the middle of 2009, in just 16 months, Veach had progressed from entry-level karting to Formula BMW. In late 2009, Veach signed with Jensen Motorsport to compete in the Atlantic Championship Series, before it folded in early 2010. Veach has created a safe-driving initiative: Ziggy’s Teen Safe Driving Campaign, with seminars and supportive school programs to be held in race markets where Veach competes in 2010. He’ll release his first published iPhone and Droid application, due out in mid-2010, to help consumers avoid dangerous text messaging while driving. Further, he’s set to author a book, due out on his 16th birthday, “99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Getting Your Drivers License,” which will serve as a supplemental read for driver’s educations programs across the country, set to be released Dec. 9, 2010. For more information, please visit www.zachveach.com.

About Andretti Autosport
Based in Indianapolis, Ind., Andretti Autosport is led by racing legend Michael Andretti. Andretti Autosport, which is the winningest team in Indy Racing League history, fields multiple entries in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Andretti Autosport also campaigns multiple cars in the Firestone Indy Lights series in a joint venture with AFS Racing and two cars in the USF2000 National Championship. The company boasts three IZOD IndyCar Series championships (2004, 2005 and 2007), two Firestone Indy Lights titles (2008 and 2009) and has won the Indianapolis 500 twice (2005 and 2007). For more information, please visit www.AndrettiAutosport.com.

About AutoBahn Country Club
Autobahn is a 3.56-mile country club road course located 45 miles southwest of Chicago in Joliet, Ill. Autobahn features four race circuits including a Karting circuit. For additional information visit www.autobahncountryclub.net.



July 31- August 1, 2010

Star Mazda

Autobahn Country Club

August 21-22, 2010

American LeMans Series

Road America

september 31 - October 1, 2010

American LeMans Series

Road America

USF2000 and Andretti Auto Sports