Ed Carpenter Racing announced today that JR Hildebrand will pilot a second car for their team in this year’s Indianapolis 500. Hildebrand will drive the number 21 car for the team, which will be powered by Chevrolet. It will be an interesting month for the team, as Mike Conway will drive in the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis before 500 practice begins, and owner/driver Ed Carpenter will make his season debut in the biggest race in the world, where he captured the pole last year.

Hildebrand is known for his heartaches at the speedway, having suffered one of the most crushing defeats in 2011 as a rookie, and his final race last year, when Panther Racing fired him after he crashed early in the race. The ECR pair will be the only All-American team in this year’s event. The team will be comprised of GM Tim Broyles, engineer Matt Barnes, and crew chief Bret Schmitt.

The addition of Hildebrand gives us 28 confirmed entries for the 98th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Suddenly, it appears that getting a full field of 33 cars for the race shouldn’t be a problem. There should be two more entries for Panther Racing and Dreyer & Reinbold (Jakes/Tracy). There should be a second car for Dale Coyne, a third from KV (T. Bell), and a fifth from Ganassi (S Karam).