Long Beach, Calif. – Team USA Scholarship winners J.R. Hildebrand and Josef Newgarden have displayed their star quality by claiming prestigious race wins in recent days.

Sunday on the famed streets of Long Beach, Hildebrand, who won a Team USA Scholarship in 2005, scored a dominant victory in Round 3 of the Firestone Indy Lights Championship. Less than a week earlier over the Easter weekend, 2008 Team USA Scholarship winner Newgarden secured one of the opening rounds of the MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain at the picturesque and demanding Oulton Park circuit.

Hildebrand, 21, comfortably snared the pole at Long Beach on Saturday and then led every lap of Sunday’s race to move into third place in the championship standings. The native Californian now lies a mere seven points behind Dutchman Junior Strous, who won both opening events at St. Petersburg two weeks earlier after Hildebrand was hindered by an electrical problem which restricted him to a solitary third-place finish.

Hildebrand’s only concern in Long Beach came when he clipped the inside wall at the hairpin at the end of the opening lap. Fortunately, the #26 ARPRO Andretti Green/AFS Racing car emerged unscathed, after which Hildebrand left his rivals firmly in his rear-view mirrors.

“It was a great weekend for everyone and I’m ecstatic to have had such a great race here in Long Beach,” said Hildebrand. “Obviously I’m a native Californian myself, but we’re also here in the backyard of Gary Peterson, our team owner, and have a lot of friends, family and sponsors here for the event so it’s a great way to end the weekend after clearly having the speed all along. I must admit I was panicking a little after brushing the wall on the first lap – and saw my whole weekend flash before my eyes briefly – but it all ended up great and sets us up pretty well for heading to Kansas next weekend.”