on a weekend where Simmons won the IPS race. Simmons was rewarded for his resilience when Rahal Letterman Racing announced April 4, 2006, he would drive the No. 17 Ethanol-sponsored Panoz–Honda effective April 22 in Motegi and was eligible to compete for the Rookie of the Year award, although he was no longer an Indy 500 rookie due to his start in 2004. He contested the remainder of the 2006 IRL IndyCar Series season and finished 16th in series points despite missing the first two races. His best finish in 2006 was 7th place at Nashville Superspeedway and Infineon Raceway. For the 2007 season, Simmons was joined at Rahal Letterman by IRL veteran Scott Sharp. The season saw the team hampered by engineering and mechanical issues ultimately resulting in a lawsuit by Sharp against the team and its owners. Simmons led the Indianapolis 500 that year and ran in the top-5 most of the race until rain forced an early end to the event and Simmons to finish in 11th. On July 19, after 11 races, Simmons was let go from the team, who replaced him with fellow American Ryan Hunter-Reay. In February 2007, Jeff became engaged to WTHR Sunrise reporter, Stephanie Soviar. They were married in September of that year, but ended up getting divorced in April 2010. Simmons returned to the Indy Lights Series (formerly the Indy Pro Series) at the beginning of the 2008 season, driving for Team Moore Racing. He was given a chance to return to the IndyCar Series, albeit temporarily, to drive a second entry for A. J. Foyt Enterprises in the 2008 Indianapolis 500 and qualified 24th. He quickly moved up the field in the race until a pit lane incident damaged the car. A mechanical failure finally sent him into the wall during a caution period, resulting in a 28th-place finish. Motorsports Career Results American open–wheel racing results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) Complete USF2000 National Championship results Barber Dodge Pro Series Indy Lights Indy Pro Series IndyCar Series 1 Run on same day. 2 Non-points race. Indianapolis 500 References 1976 births Living people Sportspeople from Hartford, Connecticut Racing drivers from Connecticut North American Formula Renault drivers IndyCar Series drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers Indy Lights drivers Formula Palmer Audi drivers Barber Pro Series drivers U.S. F2000 National Championship drivers A. J. Foyt Enterprises drivers Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers Mo