J. R. Hildebrand
Hildebrand at the 2013Grand Prix of Long Beach
Nationality	American
Born	John Randal Hildebrand Jr. (1988-01-03)January 3, 1988 (age 37) Sausalito, California, U.S.
Racing licence	FIA Gold
Previous series
2019 2009 2008–09 2007 2005–2006 2005 2004	Americas Rallycross Championship Firestone Indy Lights A1 Grand Prix Champ Car Atlantic Series U.S. F2000 Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Cup SCCAFormula Russell
Championship titles
2009 2006 2004	Firestone Indy Lights U.S. F2000 SCCA Formula Russell
Awards
2005 2011	Team USA Scholarship Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year
IndyCar Series career
68 races run over 13 years
2022 position	30th
Best finish	11th (2012)
First race	2010Honda Indy 200 (Mid-Ohio)
Last race	2022Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Wins Podiums Poles 0 3 0

John Randal Hildebrand Jr. (born January 3, 1988) is an Americanrace car driver. He last competed in theIndyCar Series driving part-time in the No. 11 Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Enterprises. Hildebrand won the2009 Indy Lights championship and came close to winning the2011 Indianapolis 500, hitting the wall on the final corner of the race and crossing the line in second place.

At the age of fourteen, Hildebrand started racinggo karts in the Jim Russell Arrive and Drive Championship atInfineon Raceway in Northern California; winning not only his first race but the championship that year. In 2003, he raced in the Jr. 80cc Shifter class finishing a close second, and at the end of that year made the transition from karts to cars by winning the Jim Russell Graduate Runoffs; racing inFormula Russell in 2004. That year, he went on to win the series championship; also participating in theRed Bull Driver Search. He then moved up toPacific F2000 in 2005; finishing second overall as rookie of the year, also being chosen for theTeam USA Scholarship, earning him a ride in theFormula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy, in which he finished third. In 2006, he dominated theU.S. F2000 National Championship; winning the championship and twelve out of fourteen races.

In recognition of his impressive 2006 performance, Hildebrand won the Gorsline Scholarship and was elected to the AARWBA All American Auto Racing First Team.

For 2007, he moved to theChamp Car Atlantic series, driving forNewman Wachs Racing. He finished seventh in points and was the top US rookie in the series. After the season's conclusion he made two starts forRLR-Andersen Racing in theIndy Pro Series. Hildebrand then went on to contest the entire series schedule, which was renamed the Firestone Indy Lights Series, for RLR-Andersen in2008.^[1] He captured his first series win in the fourth race of the season atKansas Speedway, his second start on an oval. He finished fifth overall in the 2008 championship.

For the 2009 season he signed with defending championship-winning teamAGR-AFS Racing,^[2] and after winning four races and taking five pole positions, he eventually claimed the title at the penultimate round atChicagoland. That year he also competed in the final round of theA1 Grand Prix series forA1 Team USA atBrands Hatch, finishing fourth in the Sprint race. He was again elected to the AARWBA All American Auto Racing First Team for 2009.

American Le Mans Series' Genoa Racing signed Hildebrand to race an LMPC class car for2010. He contested the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Long Beach Grand Prix.

Hildebrand spent three days testing for theForce IndiaFormula One team in December 2009, at theJerez circuit, in a car shared withPaul di Resta.^[3][4][5]

Hildebrand made hisIndyCar Series debut in2010, competing in two races forDreyer & Reinbold Racing as a substitute driver for the injuredMike Conway. On Tuesday, December 14, 2010, it was announced that Hildebrand signed a multi–year contract to drive the No. 4National Guard entry forPanther Racing, starting in2011 after impressing the team during a test.^[6]

Later in 2011, Hildebrand qualified for theIndianapolis 500 and was the most successful rookie during his premiere race. Hildebrand was able to lead at the halfway point for Panther Racing and stayed on the lead lap for the entire race. This allowed him to take a gamble during his last pit stop, stretching out his fuel load to an eventual lead on the final lap. On the very last turn, he slid out of the racing lane and into the retaining wall while passing rapidly slowingCharlie Kimball, allowingDan Wheldon to take the victory. Despite the damage to his car – including the loss of a wheel – Hildebrand retained enough speed to cross the finish line in second place.

On October 16, 2011, Hildebrand was involved in a fifteen-car chain-reaction crash atLas Vegas Motor Speedway in the season-endingIZOD IndyCar World Championships. He sustained an injured sternum and was transported by ground ambulance to a Las Vegas area hospital, where he was admitted for treatment. The crash claimed the life of two-time Indy 500 winner and2005 IndyCar Series champion Dan Wheldon.^[7][8]

Following a last-place finish in the2013 Indianapolis 500, Hildebrand was released by Panther Racing.^[9] He had announced earlier in the year that he would be running selectedFormula DRIFT races as a teammate toTyler McQuarrie.^[10]

In 2014, Hildebrand joinedEd Carpenter Racing for theIndianapolis 500, driving the No. 21.^[11] On November 4, 2016, it was confirmed that Hildebrand would take over the Ed Carpenter Racing No. 21 car for the 2017 season, replacingJosef Newgarden.^[12] He finished 15th in the points standing for the season, achieving a second-place finish inIowa and a third inPhoenix. Following the season Hildebrand was not retained by the team.^[13]

For 2018, Hildebrand was signed for byDreyer & Reinbold Racing to pilot their car in the Indy 500 (their only entry of the season) and finished eleventh. He returned in the same role in 2019, finishing twentieth.^[14] He again returned in 2020 for the same one-race role, despite the team's increased commitment to a part-time schedule. He finished in 16th.^[15]

In 2021, Hildebrand drove a specially liveried car forA.J. Foyt Enterprises, commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of team ownerA.J. Foyt's first of fourIndianapolis 500 wins. He finished in fifteenth place.

In 2018, Hildebrand competed in thePikes Peak Hillclimb, driving aPorsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport, finishing 2nd in Porsche Trophy category behindTravis Pastrana.

In 2021 it was quietly announced Hildebrand would compete in the Open Wheel Class, driving a IndyCar.^[16] That effort fell through due to numerous technicalities which could not be overcome in time to compete.

On February 1, 2022, it was announced Hildebrand had entered the 2022 running of the event,^[17] competing in the Open Wheel Class, driving a 2022 Dallara IR18 Evo IndyCar.^[18] While not an IndyCar sanctioned event, all of the IndyCar suppliers are involved in it,^[19] as well as chassis manufacturerDallara.

In 2006, Hildebrand graduated fromRedwood High School inLarkspur, California as aNational Merit Scholar.^[20] While in high school, he also played varsity baseball. He applied and was accepted by several top universities, including theUniversity of California Los Angeles (UCLA),Berkeley, and theMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). MIT granted a three-year deferral, but he eventually allowed it to lapse as he continued to pursue his racing career.^[21][22]

(key)

^* Season still in progress.

¹ Race cancelled due to death ofDan Wheldon

** Podium (non-win) indicates 2nd or 3rd place finishes.

*** Top 10s (non-podium) indicates 4th through 10th place finishes.

(key)

Year	Entrant	Car	No.	Driver	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	ARX2	Points
2019					MOH		GAT		TRR		COTA	MOH
	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Olsbergs MSE	48	J. R. Hildebrand	4	4	3	4						9th	79

(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)

• Official Website
• IndyCar Driver Page
• IndyCar 36: JR Hildebrand – IndyCar documentary

• 1988 births
• A1 Team USA drivers
• American Le Mans Series drivers
• Atlantic Championship drivers
• Drifting drivers
• Formula D drivers
• Formula Palmer Audi drivers
• Indianapolis 500 drivers
• Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year
• Indy Lights champions
• Indy Lights drivers
• IndyCar Series drivers
• Living people
• People from Sausalito, California
• Racing drivers from Marin County, California
• U.S. F2000 National Championship drivers
• WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers
• 24 Hours of Daytona drivers
• Newman Wachs Racing drivers
• AFS Racing drivers
• Dreyer & Reinbold Racing drivers
• Panther Racing drivers
• Ed Carpenter Racing drivers
• A. J. Foyt Enterprises drivers
• Bryan Herta Autosport drivers
• Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers
• Andretti Autosport drivers

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