JR Hildebrand

John R. Hildebrand Jr. (born January 3rd 1988) is from Sausalito California and he competes in the #4 National Guard car for Panther Racing. Nearly won the Indy 500 as a rookie in 2011.

Lights
In 2009 Hildebrand won the Firestone Indy Lights Series Championship. Driving for AGR-AFS Racing. He won 4 races, Long Beach, Watkins Glen, Edmonton, and Sonoma.

IndyCar Series
In 2010 JR made his Indycar Series debut with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing replacing the injured Mike Conway at Mid Ohio and Sonoma. He finished 16th and 24th. Before the 2011 season Hildebrand was announced as the driver of the #4 Nation Guard Car for Panther Racing. Hildebrand's first Indy 500 was one he will never forget. He managed to stay on lead lap the entire day and he decided to gamble on fuel mileage at the end of the race to see if he could get the win. Sure enough he had the lead on the final lap and on the very last turn, he slid out of the racing lane and into the retaining wall while passing rapidly slowing Charlie Kimball and his car slid towards the finish line but not before Dan Wheldon got by him to win the Indy 500. Hildebrand sustained an injured sternum in a horrible 15 car crash at Las Vegas that claimed the like of Dan Wheldon.

Hildebrand will return to the #4 National Guard Car for Panther Racing in 2012.