Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing

The cast: Driver – Josef Newgarden. Chief engineer – Nathan O’Rourke. Race strategist – Mike O’Gara.

Twitter: @josefnewgarden, @SFHRindy

The car: No. 67 Honda-powered Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing

Snapshot: Newgarden starred recently in videos of “The Harlem Shake: Indy style” and the 12-episode mini-series “The Offseason.” Watch the "Harlem Shake: Indy style" HERE

The stats: Newgarden, the 2011 Firestone Indy Lights champion, posted a best finish of 11th after starting 19th in the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg. … He qualified in the top 10 six times, with a best of fourth in the finale at Auto Club Speedway. … He qualified seventh and started on the front row at Long Beach (third race in series) because of engine penalties to other entrants. … He led first career lap in finale. … He did not compete in the round at Baltimore because of a hand injury suffered in race at Sonoma two weeks earlier.

The gist: Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, which will make its 51st IZOD IndyCar Series start in the opener March 24 at St. Petersburg, will compete in the full season for the second consecutive year. The team was formed in February 2008. In December 2011, Fisher announced a partnership with Wichita, Kan.-businessman "Wink" Hartman to form Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. The team will move into its purpose-built race shop on Main Street in Speedway, Ind., in early spring.

They said it: “Performance-wise, I thought we were great,” Newgarden said. “Results-wise, we have to do a lot better and I think we can. Last year was so difficult, and I don’t want to use excuses, but the circumstances that we had were so difficult. We didn’t even get an engine until March 3. We were still competitive in the opener, which is a testament to the team. Just to receive the engine so late, to have really no development on the chassis and really no time to smooth everything out for the year was tough because once the season did start it was hectic all the way through July. Us being prepared now with six months of offseason and testing at Sebring will do wonders for us.”  

Added team co-owner Sarah Fisher: “I’m excited that (Newgarden) gets to go back to places. At St. Pete last year was his very first pit stop. Some of the things that he’s learned through last season and has had the whole offseason to digest, I think he’s going to be a whole lot stronger than he was last year.”