🇺🇸 Jimmy Kite

Jimmy Kite is a retired professional oval racer who spent nine seasons in the IndyCar Series beginning in 1997, driving for Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing. Over 34 starts, all on ovals, he competed in a national-level field mixing amateurs with graded professionals and established champions.[1]

Kite raced from 1997 to 2005, taking his final IndyCar start at age 22 in that final season, finishing 22nd in the championship standings. His record across the series included five Indianapolis 500 starts, a notable milestone for oval racing but unrewarded in terms of finishes or points. He finished ahead of established professionals including Tony Stewart, the 1997 IndyCar champion, on two occasions, and of Dario Franchitti, who would go on to win four IndyCar titles, once during their head-to-head meetings.[2]

Against his regular opponents, Kite typically finished behind Scott Sharp, a Platinum-graded professional with over 150 IndyCar starts, and Buddy Lazier, the 2000 IndyCar champion. His team, Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing, fielded him across 11 of his starts but took no wins during its time in the index.