Roth's expansion comes as the result of the same offer that tempted the various Champ Car teams to make the switch after their own series folded underneath them. Canadian owner-driver Marty Roth will now complete a full season, and has signed 2006 IPS champion Jay Howard to take the journey with him.
"It's a huge step up from where we started from," Roth admits, "This is what you need to do to build a product that would attract sponsors, so that's what we have done. We hope to have a very competitive team out there. We're going out there to be a strong, competitive team and win some races."
In all likelihood, however, the Roth duo will find themselves battling with the Champ Car outfits they joined at the Homestead test and, while Howard could cause an upset or two with his hard racing and combatative outlook, will do well to break into the top ten.
Similar sentiments are being expressed about the five teams to have taken the plunge and bridged the gap from Champ Car, although the introduction of road and street courses to the IRL over the past few years does provide a chance of success.
If any of the CCWS converts are to upset the applecart this season, most favour Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. Three-time champion Sebstien Bourdais may have left for
Formula One, but the team eventually snapped up Justin Wilson, the man to have pushed hardest for P1 over the past couple of years. While the lanky Briton would have expected to be a frontrunner had Champ Car continued to exist, however, he now faces a tough task to bring NHLR into line with the other big names of US open-wheel motorsport.
![Dan Wheldon - Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Marco Andretti - Andretti Green Racing, Homestead Open Testing [Pic credit: IndyCar Media]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/410802.jpg)
