Patrick Dempsey, star of Grey’s Anatomy, is set to compete in three different racing series at Miller Sports Park. He will be racing for Marc Miller, who has served as his coach in previous races, on September 14 and 15.
The 41-year-old actor, who plays Dr. Derek Shepherd in Grey’s Anatomy, has been passionate about racing since his father began taking him to the Indy 500 as a child. He started his professional racing career in 2005, and is now the co-owner of Vision Racing, which competes in the IndyCar series. He started racing in the KONI Challenge series in 2006, and has been seen occasionally in the SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup series
“I do it as a hobby and escape from my daily job,” Patrick Dempsey said in a statement. “I wish I could be a pro, but I think I missed the boat on that. But it’s nice to come here and relax and hang out with my friends and fellow drivers. It’s a good challenge.”
On Friday, September 14, the Grey’s Anatomy star will be driving his customary ride, the No. 54 Supercuts Ford Mustang GT. For the two-and-half-hour-long race, he will be co-driving with Rick Skelton of Atlanta, Georgia.
The next day at 10am, Dempsey will compete in the No. 29 Mazda MX-5 Miata entered by TEAM MER for a solo drive. The 45-minute race serves as the season finale for the SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-Cup series.
Following the MX-Cup race, Patrick Dempsey will hop onto a brand-new a car with a brand new sponsor, the no. 40 SoBe Mazda RX-8 GT, for the 7.5-hour Sunchaser 1000, the Rolex Sports Car Series season finale. He will be co-driving with Joe Foster from Lawrenceville, Georgia and Charles Espenlaub from Lutz, Florida.
His participation in this year’s Sunchaser 1000 marks his second appearance at Miller Motorsports Park, having competed in last year’s inaugural event.
“I’m really looking forward to returning to Miller Motorsports Park,” Dempsey said. “It’s a fantastic facility, and the fans there were great to me last year. This year I’m really going to have my hands full, driving three different cars in three different events, but I can’t wait. I’m particularly happy to be debuting the SoBe Mazda RX-8 GT. We are using the Sunchaser 1000 to test the waters for Hyper Sport in the Rolex Series. Our goal is to start and finish the race as professionals, and get as much experience as we can.”
He is also very optimistic about his other two races at the park.
“While making my debut in the Rolex Series is a very big thing, I’m also very excited about our KONI Challenge Series race in the Supercuts Ford Mustang GT as well as getting another shot in the SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup series,” he said. “I’ll be having fun all weekend, but it takes a lot of work and coordination behind the scenes to make this all possible, and I’d like to thank all my teammates and sponsors for allowing me to be able to pursue my passion, which is driving great cars on great racetracks.”
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Miller Motors Sports Park, The Grand Rapids Press
(Image Courtesy of LAT)
Staff Columnist, BuddyTV
