Hunter-Reay joins Race of Champions field

By The Associated Press

(AP) -- IndyCar champion Ryan Hunter-Reay will compete in this year's Race of Champions in Thailand.

The American was announced Thursday as part of the field for the two-day race in Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium on Dec. 15-16. He joins a field that already includes former Formula One champions Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.

Hunter-Reay won his first IndyCar championship last month by beating Will Power by three points. He became the first American to win the title since 2006.

The Race of Champions was created in 1988 and includes drivers from F1, world rally, touring cars, Le Mans, IndyCar and the X-Games. They race head-to-head in identical cars.

Drivers pair up for the Nations Cup on Dec. 15, and the individual Race of Champions is scheduled for the next day.

Updated October 3, 2012