IRL: Ronnie Johncox Joins Jonathan Byrd/McCormack Motorsports

Indianapolis, IN 3/13/00---Jonathan Byrd/McCormack Motorsports is pleased to announce Indy Racing veteran and USAC midget standout, Ronnie Johncox, as one of the team's drivers beginning with this weekend's MCI Worldcom 200 in Phoenix.

Johncox, a 31 year old native of Michigan, joins the team with six Indy Racing starts to his credit, with a top finish of 11th in the Longhorn 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in his maiden Indy Racing race.

Speaking about his feelings in joining the Jonathan Byrd/McCormack team, Ronnie said "I'm excited about it. The blend of two successful teams captures the best of two worlds and should yield further success. I feel a very strong commitment behind me and my efforts in the car, and I've never driven a car that felt better prepared than the one prepped by Jeff (Braun), Mark (Olson) and the rest of the crew. I'm happy and grateful, really, to be a part of it."

"As for this weekend's race, we are taking a very realistic approach. I'm very comfortable at PIR in an Indy car, especially after having run there in a midget. We had a good test therein February, so the extra familiarity with the racing circuit is a definite plus. Winning, of course, would be fantastic, but as a new team and driver working together for the first time, our goal is to go out and continuously improve throughout the weekend. With that goal in mind, a top ten finish would be a tremendous result, and I do believe that the team and myself are capable of that. At Phoenix, however, survival can be key, and simply finishing at this track can make for a good day."

"For the season, I hope to maintain and improve my performance behind the wheel so that I will have the opportunity to work together with the team on a consistent basis. This team knows how to do it right, and I hope I can reward their faith in me by improving myself at every turn. Right now, though, my primary goal is to make the next two races, run well, and get myself ready mentally and physically to be competitive at the Indianapolis 500, and from there on to be a full time force at the front of the field everywhere we go."