Kelley Racing has filed entries for the season-opening Toyota Indy 400 and the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first team to file entries for the 2004 Indy Racing League®IndyCar® Series season.

The Indianapolis-based team named 1996 co-champion Scott Sharp as driver of its No. 8 Delphi Dallara/Toyota/Firestone entry. John Worth will serve as Sharp’s chief mechanic, while Paul Harcus was named team manager.

Sharp, a resident of Jupiter, Fla., and a native of Norwalk, Conn., is the IndyCar® Series’ iron man, starting a record 74 consecutive races. He will add to that streak by taking the green flag at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Toyota Indy 400 on Feb. 29.

The 2001 Indianapolis 500 pole winner won an IRL IndyCar® Series event for the seventh consecutive season when he captured the inaugural Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi -- the first IRL event held outside of the United States. Sharp will defend his title when the IRL IndyCar® Series returns to Japan on April 17.

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Roth is first entrant:

Roth Racing on Feb. 3 became the first Indy Racing League® Menards Infiniti Pro Series™ team to file entries for 2004 events.

It filed entries for the season-opening Homestead-Miami 100 and the Phoenix 100. Roth, a Menards Infiniti Pro Series™veteran, will be the driver of the No. 4 Roth Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone entry. Roth became an owner/driver in the off-season when he purchased the equipment that Panther Racing fielded for Mark Taylor during his 2003 Menards Infiniti Pro Series™championship.

Butch Winkel will serve as chief mechanic and Mark M. Moore is team manager.