Charlie Kimball, who finished 10th in the Firestone Indy Lights championship as a rookie in 2009, has signed with AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport for the 2010 season.
Kimball, 24, a native of Camarillo, Calif., posted two top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 15 starts. Kimball made one previous start for Andretti Autosport at Zandvoort in 2008 as part of the team's A1GP effort under the Team USA banner.
"We're excited to bring Charlie on board with AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport for 2010," Andretti Autosport chairman, president and CEO Michael Andretti said. "He is a great guy and a driver that has a lot of potential. He was a pleasure to work with at Zandvoort back in 2008 and we're looking forward to watching him develop next season."
Kimball is the second driver signed by the team for 2010. Englishman Martin Plowman was announced as an AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport driver Oct. 10. Drivers competing for the team have won the past two Firestone Indy Lights titles (J.R. Hildebrand in 2009 and Raphael Matos in 2008).
"We're looking forward to working with Charlie next year," AFS Racing owner Gary Peterson said. "AFS/Andretti Autosport has been privileged to win the last two Firestone Indy Lights championships. We've seen the competition rise each year since the inaugural race in 2002, and Michael and I would very much like to set our place in the history of this series with a third consecutive title."
Kimball launched his single-seater racing career in 2002 and has competed in several international series since, highlighted by a five-win effort in the 2005 British Formula 3 Championship. At that time, Kimball established himself as the first American to win a British Formula 3 race in 13 years.
"I'm very excited to be joining AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport for 2010," Kimball said. "This is a great step for me to take and I want to thank Gary and Michael for giving me the opportunity to drive for them. I learned a lot about the Firestone Indy Lights as a rookie this year and am looking forward to leveraging that experience into a run for the championship in 2010."
