Antinucci gets 3G IndyCar drive

The nephew of 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner and former Formula 1 driver Eddie Cheever, Antinucci was runner-up in the Indy Lights feeder series last year but has not raced so far in 2009.

He will be 3G's third driver of the season, replacing Jaques Lazier, who had contested the last three oval events after NASCAR convert Stanton Barrett stood down to see if a more experienced racer could help the struggling squad progress.

Antinucci has had a full day of testing with 3G in preparation for the Watkins Glen race.

"I was very impressed with the Indycar; it's been the fastest car I've had a full day to test in and will race in," said Antinucci.

"My fitness isn't exactly like Scott Dixon's might be at this point because I haven't been racing. I've been training and preparing as much as I can without driving the car. As they say, the best training is driving the car.

"I covered about a race distance, and working with the team we made immediate inroads and set a decent pace. I'm competitive so I always want to do better, and I left there with ideas and notes that we can pick up where we left off and hopefully gain another big chunk."

Team co-owner Greg Beck believes that the squad, which has a best finish of 12th this year, will take an immediate step forward with Antinucci.

"We noticed some things we have to work on and he noticed some things that he needs to think about, and we should be able to be reasonably competitive there," Beck said.

Antinucci added that he hopes to continue with the team beyond Watkins Glen.

"Greg and I have a similar target. He doesn't want to be at the back and he's good enough not to be that guy at the back," Antinucci said.

"I want to be in IndyCars as a career. I don't just want to make this one-off appearance and have a nice Sunday drive at a beautiful track. There's no way I can impress too much here.

"My intention is to graduate into full-time IndyCar driver, but not just a driver - a race winner and someone who contends for the championship, is always thinking about the next race and how to win it."