Canadian veteran Alex Tagliani will return to Indianapolis in the month of May to pilot a third AJ Foyt Enterprises entry in both the Grand Prix of Indy and the Indianapolis 500.
The 2009 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year will drive the #35 Alfe Heat Treating Dallara-Honda in both races alongside full-time regular drivers Takuma Sato and Jack Hawksworth, with the number of his car representing the record 35 consecutive race starts of AJ Foyt between 1958 and 1992.
It will be Tagliani’s first time racing the road course at Indianapolis, and drove for Foyt in the 2015 Indy 500, qualifying twenty-second and finishing on the lead lap in seventeenth.
“I feel very privileged and honored to be driving the Alfe Heat Treating Honda,” said Tagliani. “Alfe is a great company and I met a lot of good people last year with their headquarters being so close to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“I’m very excited to be driving for the AJ Foyt Racing organization again. To be driving for them at the Speedway during the month of May is very special. The 100th Running of the Indy 500 will make it even more unique.
“I’m looking forward to driving the Indy road course in an IndyCar – I’ve heard a lot of amazing things on the performance of the car.
“It will be difficult because I haven’t driven an IndyCar on a road course in several years. Getting used to the guys and working with the team is very important if you want to maximize the performance of the driver, the team and the car.
“Hopefully we can do a good job for the whole Alfe team and everyone who has been so supportive of me like Sexton Properties and everyone I’ve been involved with at the Speedway over the last two years.”
