Bryan Herta Autosport has announced that Solar Green1, a non-toxic bio-based degreaser and cleaning product brand, will sponsor driver Jay Howard's car at next year's Indianapolis 500.

Briton Howard's participation in the race, his first Indy 500 since 2011, was confirmed alongside the sponsorship announcement on Monday. It will be the fifth year the team has competed in the race and likely to be its first with a two-car effort.

Bryan Herta, the former Indycar driver who is now team principal of his eponymous team, said: “Although this is early to announce an Indy 500 entry, we wanted to put this exciting news out right away. We have been using Green1 in our shop for years now and believe in the quality of the product as well as the performance and safety it gives us.

"We will be working closely in the upcoming months with the team at Green1 to seek additional partners who share Green1’s vision and core values to expand this programme to additional races and venues with Jay at the wheel."

33-year-old Howard was classified 30th after crashing out of his first Indy 500 in 2011.