Cheever doubles team effort

Barron, 33, won his first IRL race at Nashville in 2002 and scored victory again in 2003 at Michigan International Speedway. He then joined Red Bull Cheever Racing for the final three races of 2003.

Carpenter, 22, was victorious at the inaugural Freedom 100 Infiniti Pro Series race last May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He competed in three IndyCar Series races for PDM Racing. Both drivers will pilot Dallara-Chevrolet machinery.

"I'm really looking forward to having a full time ride," said Barron. "The crew has already been working so hard to prepare for the season. We'll be testing several times before the first race at Homestead and are going to start this year being very competitive. I'm glad that I will be able to work with Ed Carpenter. He's a very talented driver that will be able to show his full potential this year."

Carpenter said: "I'm happy to be given the opportunity to work with Eddie Cheever for a team that he has worked so hard to build. I have a close relationship with him since he has been a mentor throughout my entire career. Working with Eddie along with having Red Bull on board as one of the coolest partners in the league, puts us in a great position to be competitive in every race. Being team-mates with an experienced driver like Alex Barron will be a great advantage for me."

Team owner Eddie Cheever, a former grand prix racer, said: "GM ended on a really strong note last year and have been working hard all winter to prepare for next year. I'm looking forward to continuing our relationship with GM and our third consecutive year partnering with Red Bull. Not only are we expanding to a two-car team, we're doing it with two of the best American open-wheel drivers out there."