Choi and Megenbier ready to challenge for USF2000 Championship top honors during famed 'Night Before the 500'

MINNEAPOLIS, MIN. – Afterburner Autosport embarks on its latest junior formula car adventure this coming Saturday (May 26), when the Minnesota-based squad races on an oval for the first time. As part of the famed 'Night Before the 500' event at Lucas Oil Raceway, the talented duo of Timmy Megenbier and Heamin Choi will contest Round Five of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. If the start of the 2012 campaign is any indication, Afterburner Autosport is more than ready to continue its march up the scoring charts in Indiana.

Ever since Afterburner Autosport made the decision to compete in the Mazda Road to Indy program via the USF2000 Championship, one of the events circled on the 2012 calendar was race five at Lucas Oil Raceway. Despite being a newcomer to oval competition, the premier event is a great opportunity to showcase the squad's ever-growing expertise in the junior formula car ranks.

Thanks to a recent one-day official series test at the 0.686-mile banked oval just down the road from the home of motorsports in North America - the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Afterburner Autosport enters the lone oval race on the series schedule with some valuable data and experience. Both Megenbier - having finished seventh in last year's race with a privateer effort - and Choi learned a great deal during the two test runs, working with the team engineers and mechanics to fine tune their racing steeds, which is vital in oval competition.

For both Megenbier and Choi, the Saturday night race in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd represents not only another chance to further display their talents behind the wheel, but also to build on a solid start to the 2012 campaign. Piloting the No. 17 Caputo Cheese/Rahal Foods/Power Stop/Afterburner Autosport, Megenbier enters Round Five having scored two top-10s in the opening four races, and currently sits eighth in the title fight. Series rookie Choi makes the trip to Indiana in the No. 21 F1Pilot.com/Afterburner Autosport car having scored an inaugural top-10 finish during the previous event in Florida.

"I'm excited about racing at Lucas Oil Raceway with Afterburner Autosport," commented Megenbier. "As a new team we are continually getting stronger each time out. We learned a lot during the test, and when combined with what I experienced last year at Indy, I believe we are going into the race ready to battle for a place on the podium."

"It's my first oval race, and it's going to be a very interesting," stated Choi. "The track is physically and mentally more demanding than a road course, and its length is relatively short, so after few laps the cars are going to be mixed together. Passing at high speed is crucial for this race, and radio work is also important. I learned a lot in testing, and it will be another learning weekend."

Afterburner Autosport's pursuit of Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda top honors resumes with Round Five at Lucas Oil Raceway. The on-track action commences on Friday (May 25), with three hours of pre-event testing. The lone oval race on the championship calendar officially gets underway just before lunch on Saturday (May 26), with two 30-minute practice sessions prior to single-car qualifying. The 'Night Before the 500' race is slated to begin at 7:40 pm local time under the lights. Live timing and scoring will be available at www.f2000.com/Multimedia/Live.aspx. 

Afterburner Autosport races with associate sponsorship from www.AuroraBearing.com.

Additional information on Afterburner Autosport is available from the team’s website @ www.afterburnerautosport.com. For direct contact, email afterburnerautosport@gmail.com or call 630-251-1709.

For additional Information on Timmy Megenbier visit www.timmymegenbier.com. For direct contact info please contact Patrick Burke at patrick@pmbmotorsports.com or 815-693-2564.

Learn more about Heamin Choi at www.f1pilot.com or by direct contact at heamin@f1pilot.com. 

Keep up to date via Twitter @ ABautosport1 @ H3amin @ TimmyMeg17 and Facebook pages @ Afterburner-Autosport @ Heamin.Choi @ Timmy.Megenbier.

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About Afterburner Autosport:
Afterburner Autosport was formed in 2010 with the sole purpose of leading the way in the USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda competition. Under the guidance of two-time SCCA Formula Continental National Champion Brian Tomasi and fellow F2000 racer and engineer Tim Walsh, the team has over 20 years of experience in open-wheel competition. The Minnesota, Min.-based squad, having captured two podium finishes in its inaugural pro racing season last year, will make its USF2000 Championship debut in 2012, fielding multiple cars in the top Championship class.