Lots of breakups -- or potential breakups -- today. One a personal matter belonging to a two-time Indy champ. The other, a professional one that is by far the silliest part of what has been a strange Silly Season.
First, the racing breakup (maybe) ...
Yesterday, we noted that Scott Sharp & RLR are suing each other for breaches of contracts -- RLR isn't providing a competitive enough team for Sharp, while RLR says Sharp is trying to break the contract by bailing early. Sharp & Patron are contracted to be with RLR through the 2008 season.
USA Today has a bit more. So does TSN.
Says Bobby Rahal: "We have learned that Scott is interested in racing somewhere else. If that is his direction in the future, so be it, but not in violation of his 2008 commitments."
Says Scott Sharp's lawyer: "He's not going to be driving for Rahal next year."
OK, then.
Where is Scott going to be driving? (MyNameisIRL has a similar query/list, but I did come up with this on my own before I saw his ... honest :) ).
Option 1: ALMS, although I can't see Patron getting the sponsorship bang for its buck in a series that gets very little exposure beyond hard-core racing circles. At least the IRL has the Indy 500 and some household names named Helio & Danica.
Option 2: Sharp Racing. Could Scott be taking Patron to start his own team? I have always believed Scott would be the most likely IndyCar driver to own a team. It's an intriguing possibility.
Option 3: Some other team (Vision?). The only others out there besides the Big 3 are Vision (can be competitive), D&R (not competitive in a long time, although Buddy did a great job for them last year), Foyt (not competitive since the Great Migration) and Panther (and MyNameisIRL, quoting TSO, said Sharp will *not* be joining Panther Racing next year). Roth is full and SAMAX is nowhere close to an option.
Option 4: A new team. Greg Beck, for example? Or could he pair with Tom Anderson of Fernandez Racing?
Option 5: Champ Car. Excuse me while I belly-laugh at that possibility. I think it's more likely we see Scott in the truck series than driving at 8 a.m. on ESPN 12.
Helio's highs, and lows
According to IndyCar.com, Helio's DWTS victory has inspired fans and viewers of the show.
Says Tim Cindric: "It's a shame they didn't have a fence for him to climb."
ESPN has the "main" story
SI's Tim Tuttle, a veteran racing journalist and a great guy to boot, says this is exactly what the IRL needs.
Says Tuttle: "Franchitti and Hornish are great drivers and were popular within the relatively small universe of IndyCar fans. But Castroneves was dancing before as many people each week as watched the entire IndyCar season. It figures that a decent percentage of those who watched Castroneves dance will be curious enough to want to watch him race next season. They'll discover he's a great driver, too, and, maybe, just maybe, discover that IndyCar racing can be pretty exciting, too."
Helio's dance to the title apparently was good for TV ratings in Indianapolis, too. DWTS had a 32 share and 23 rating in Indianapolis alone Tuesday night.
ESPN's David Newton says Helio has stolen some of NASCAR's thunder. (bet you don't see that story reported ad nauseum by Southern newspapers, much unlike the, ahem, other story was).
NASCAR drivers are somewhat happy about Helio, too.
But, unfortunately, Helio's breakup with fiancee Ali Vazquez has become public, too. The AP also has the story.
And, in the "haven't we heard this before" category
Gordon Kirby calls for the IRL to toss a lifeboat out to the dying corpse of Champ Car (or at least adopt a common engine formula), instead of just letting CC wither on the vine like it's doing a very good job of doing on its own.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Silly season update: Nov. 28
2008 lineup
Andretti Green Racing (4)
7-Danica Patrick (Motorola, 4th-year FT driver, 2nd year with AGR). Under contract through 2009.
11-Tony Kanaan (7-11, 6th year FT driver, all with AGR, 2004 champ). Under contract through 2008.
26-Marco Andretti (NYSE Group, 3rd-year FT driver, all with AGR). Staying with AGR.
27-Hideki Mutoh (Panasonic, 1st-year FT driver). Signed to replace Dario Franchitti.
Team Penske (2)
3-Helio Castroneves (Team Penske, 7th-year FT driver, all with Penske, 2-time I500 champ). Under contract to Penske through 2008.
6-Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske, 2nd-year FT driver, 1st with Penske). Has recently signed with Penske to replace Sam Hornish Jr.
Target Chip Ganassi Racing (2.5)
9-Scott Dixon (Target, 6th-year FT driver, all with TCGR, 2003 champ). Under contract for 2008.
10-Dan Wheldon (Target, 6th-year FT driver, 3rd with TCGR, 2005 IRL & Indy champ). Under contract through 2008.
Part-time entry: Alex Lloyd: Has signed a "development deal" with Ganassi that includes IRL & GrandAm races. Lloyd could be farmed out to another team or run in a third Ganassi car. Expect to see him in a full-time ride for TCGR in 2009.
Rahal Letterman Racing (2)
17-Ryan Hunter-Reay (Ethanol, 2nd-year FT driver). Likely to return for 2008. Ethanol sponsorship requires an American driver. Just about everyone has tied RHR to this car.
8??-Scott Sharp (Patron, 12th-year FT driver, 1st with RLR, 1996 champ). Announced during the week of Oct. 7 that he is confirmed to return for 2008, "at least." However, new developments on Nov. 29 note that Sharp has apparently tried to get out of the contract and RLR is suing to keep Sharp in the car for the 2008 season (with Patron sponsorship).
Panther Racing (1-2)
4-Vitor Meira (Delphi, 7th-year FT driver, 3rd with Panther). Confirmed for 2008.
55-Driver TBA: This ride was slotted for Hideki Mutoh, but Aguri Suzuki took his driver & his support of the second Panther car to AGR. Possible drivers: P.J. Chesson (ref: Curt Cavin's blog), A.J. Foyt IV or Alex Lloyd (farmed out from Ganassi). Chesson seems to be most likely, according to Cavin, but he floated out the Foyt idea, as well.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (1-2)
15-Buddy Rice (RollCoater, 7th-year FT driver, 2nd with D&R). Not confirmed yet, but this arrangement is likely to continue unless Buddy gets a ride with a top-tier team. Rice was running A1GP in the off-season, but a teammate has been taking that car.
TBA-2nd car. Sarah Fisher drove this car in 2007, but she is very unlikely to return. Whether or not D&R keeps the second car is unknown (Fisher made comments in 2007 that indicated D&R may go back to one car).
Vision Racing (1-3)
20-Ed Carpenter (Hitachi Power Tools, 5th-year FT driver, 4th with Vision). Confirmed for 2008. The only confirmed Vision car for 2008.
The other two cars are unconfirmed ...
TBA: 2-Tomas Scheckter (Joost, would be a 7th-year FT driver, 2nd with Vision).
TBA: 22-A.J. Foyt IV (Indy Vision, would be a 5th-year FT driver, 2nd with Vision). TG has turned both Scheckter and Foyt loose for 2008. It appears Vision will be a 2-car team in 2008, possibly fielding Davey Hamilton in an Indy 500 one-off in a third car.
A.J. Foyt Racing (1-2)
14-Darren Manning (ABC Supply, 3rd-year FT driver). Contract extended through 2008.
TBA: Second car. Foyt is exploring the option of adding a second car, pending funding. Curt Cavin has said the funding appears to be not there at this point.
Roth Racing (2)
25-Marty Roth: Plans to run 2 full-time cars next year. He'll be driving one of them.
76-Jay Howard (rookie). Howard was announced Nov. 26 as the driver of this car, the second car with Roth Racing.
SAMAX Racing (1)
Unconfirmed for 2008: 23-Milka Duno (Citgo - rookie). Duno will be invited back only if she satisfactorily completes off-season testing. Spent the last half of the season on probation.There is the possibility of SAMAX fielding a second car for Tomas Enge (or someone else) or not coming back.
**Potential new entries**
Fernandez Racing (1-2?)
From Curt Cavin's blog (8/8/2007), Adrian Fernandez's team still has its IndyCar equipment and Tom Anderson is apparently interested in a return to the IRL, but things "haven't been worked out." Sept. 8: Cavin said funding isn't there yet for this team, but it would like to get back in. Cavin says on Aug. 13 that he knows of two individuals to keep an eye on for new 2008 teams, but hasn't seen any sign of $$ backing them. An Indy 500 one-off is likely, at the very least, if not the full season. We haven't heard much from Fernandez in recent weeks. I'm putting this in the 50/50 category.
Kingdom Racing (1)
The team announced its plans to field a team for 2008 on Aug. 16. Led by Houston businessman George Del Canto, the team plans to be based on a Christian philosophy, with several pastors and Christian leaders on the board of directors. They've been announcing new partnerships as recent as Sept. 28, when evangelical leader Patrick Morley came on board. But we haven't heard anything out of them other than that.
Sarah Fisher Racing (1)
TBA: Sarah Fisher (AAMCO, 6th FT season, 2nd with D&R). Has sponsorships from AAMCO and AAA. Curt Cavin said on Nov. 25 that Fisher has hired a staff and this possibility appears more likely. She'd likely be the only IRL driver married to her crew chief, too.
**Likely part-time entries**
Racing Professionals (1)
Jon Herb: As for the future, it's probably part-time at best, with the Indy 500 one-off and maybe the Chicago race.
Playa Del Racing (1-2)
Indy-only entry. Will probably field 1 or 2 cars for the Indianapolis 500.
PDM Racing would like to run a partial season of ovals in 2008 and become full-time in 2009. It would be more than good to see this longtime program back in the ICS full-time.
Beck Racing (1)
TBA: Although Beck ran some early-season events, the Beck machine hasn't been seen since Indy. Beck has said he'd like to be back in the IndyCar game, and his comments at the TEAM announcement seemed to indicate that is possible. Probably not a full-season entry for 2008, unless some $$ materializes. I moved this into the likely part-time camp.
Unlikely for next year, but for the more distant future?
Cheever Racing ... the Aug. 28 IRL press release quotes Eddie's nephew Richard Antinucci as looking to get into the ICS (and get the team back into the ICS) long-term, if, of course, the $$ comes together.
2009 schedule news
The 2009 schedule may expand to 20 races, according to IRL brass.
As far as new tracks:
*-Michigan International Speedway has already been mentioned as a possible re-addition to the schedule, in a Detroit News story.
*-Expect Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama to get a look, given positive comments after the IRL's test Oct. 12, and owner George Barber saying he'd like to have an IRL race there in the future.
*-New Hampshire Motor Speedway has re-entered the picture for 2009, according to stories in the Boston Herald & Concord (NH) Monitor. It is likely to lose a NASCAR date, and the IRL might be looked upon to be an addition to the track's racing menu.
More unlikely, but possible entries: Rockingham, which was recently purchased by former Indy 500 starter and Hoosier native Andy Hillenburg, who has scheduled ARCA and Pro Cup races at the 1-mile track next season.
Confirmed for 2009: Indianapolis (signed forever), Texas (signed through 2009), Iowa (signed through 2009), Milwaukee (signed through 2009), Detroit (signed through 2011).
Andretti Green Racing (4)
7-Danica Patrick (Motorola, 4th-year FT driver, 2nd year with AGR). Under contract through 2009.
11-Tony Kanaan (7-11, 6th year FT driver, all with AGR, 2004 champ). Under contract through 2008.
26-Marco Andretti (NYSE Group, 3rd-year FT driver, all with AGR). Staying with AGR.
27-Hideki Mutoh (Panasonic, 1st-year FT driver). Signed to replace Dario Franchitti.
Team Penske (2)
3-Helio Castroneves (Team Penske, 7th-year FT driver, all with Penske, 2-time I500 champ). Under contract to Penske through 2008.
6-Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske, 2nd-year FT driver, 1st with Penske). Has recently signed with Penske to replace Sam Hornish Jr.
Target Chip Ganassi Racing (2.5)
9-Scott Dixon (Target, 6th-year FT driver, all with TCGR, 2003 champ). Under contract for 2008.
10-Dan Wheldon (Target, 6th-year FT driver, 3rd with TCGR, 2005 IRL & Indy champ). Under contract through 2008.
Part-time entry: Alex Lloyd: Has signed a "development deal" with Ganassi that includes IRL & GrandAm races. Lloyd could be farmed out to another team or run in a third Ganassi car. Expect to see him in a full-time ride for TCGR in 2009.
Rahal Letterman Racing (2)
17-Ryan Hunter-Reay (Ethanol, 2nd-year FT driver). Likely to return for 2008. Ethanol sponsorship requires an American driver. Just about everyone has tied RHR to this car.
8??-Scott Sharp (Patron, 12th-year FT driver, 1st with RLR, 1996 champ). Announced during the week of Oct. 7 that he is confirmed to return for 2008, "at least." However, new developments on Nov. 29 note that Sharp has apparently tried to get out of the contract and RLR is suing to keep Sharp in the car for the 2008 season (with Patron sponsorship).
Panther Racing (1-2)
4-Vitor Meira (Delphi, 7th-year FT driver, 3rd with Panther). Confirmed for 2008.
55-Driver TBA: This ride was slotted for Hideki Mutoh, but Aguri Suzuki took his driver & his support of the second Panther car to AGR. Possible drivers: P.J. Chesson (ref: Curt Cavin's blog), A.J. Foyt IV or Alex Lloyd (farmed out from Ganassi). Chesson seems to be most likely, according to Cavin, but he floated out the Foyt idea, as well.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (1-2)
15-Buddy Rice (RollCoater, 7th-year FT driver, 2nd with D&R). Not confirmed yet, but this arrangement is likely to continue unless Buddy gets a ride with a top-tier team. Rice was running A1GP in the off-season, but a teammate has been taking that car.
TBA-2nd car. Sarah Fisher drove this car in 2007, but she is very unlikely to return. Whether or not D&R keeps the second car is unknown (Fisher made comments in 2007 that indicated D&R may go back to one car).
Vision Racing (1-3)
20-Ed Carpenter (Hitachi Power Tools, 5th-year FT driver, 4th with Vision). Confirmed for 2008. The only confirmed Vision car for 2008.
The other two cars are unconfirmed ...
TBA: 2-Tomas Scheckter (Joost, would be a 7th-year FT driver, 2nd with Vision).
TBA: 22-A.J. Foyt IV (Indy Vision, would be a 5th-year FT driver, 2nd with Vision). TG has turned both Scheckter and Foyt loose for 2008. It appears Vision will be a 2-car team in 2008, possibly fielding Davey Hamilton in an Indy 500 one-off in a third car.
A.J. Foyt Racing (1-2)
14-Darren Manning (ABC Supply, 3rd-year FT driver). Contract extended through 2008.
TBA: Second car. Foyt is exploring the option of adding a second car, pending funding. Curt Cavin has said the funding appears to be not there at this point.
Roth Racing (2)
25-Marty Roth: Plans to run 2 full-time cars next year. He'll be driving one of them.
76-Jay Howard (rookie). Howard was announced Nov. 26 as the driver of this car, the second car with Roth Racing.
SAMAX Racing (1)
Unconfirmed for 2008: 23-Milka Duno (Citgo - rookie). Duno will be invited back only if she satisfactorily completes off-season testing. Spent the last half of the season on probation.There is the possibility of SAMAX fielding a second car for Tomas Enge (or someone else) or not coming back.
**Potential new entries**
Fernandez Racing (1-2?)
From Curt Cavin's blog (8/8/2007), Adrian Fernandez's team still has its IndyCar equipment and Tom Anderson is apparently interested in a return to the IRL, but things "haven't been worked out." Sept. 8: Cavin said funding isn't there yet for this team, but it would like to get back in. Cavin says on Aug. 13 that he knows of two individuals to keep an eye on for new 2008 teams, but hasn't seen any sign of $$ backing them. An Indy 500 one-off is likely, at the very least, if not the full season. We haven't heard much from Fernandez in recent weeks. I'm putting this in the 50/50 category.
Kingdom Racing (1)
The team announced its plans to field a team for 2008 on Aug. 16. Led by Houston businessman George Del Canto, the team plans to be based on a Christian philosophy, with several pastors and Christian leaders on the board of directors. They've been announcing new partnerships as recent as Sept. 28, when evangelical leader Patrick Morley came on board. But we haven't heard anything out of them other than that.
Sarah Fisher Racing (1)
TBA: Sarah Fisher (AAMCO, 6th FT season, 2nd with D&R). Has sponsorships from AAMCO and AAA. Curt Cavin said on Nov. 25 that Fisher has hired a staff and this possibility appears more likely. She'd likely be the only IRL driver married to her crew chief, too.
**Likely part-time entries**
Racing Professionals (1)
Jon Herb: As for the future, it's probably part-time at best, with the Indy 500 one-off and maybe the Chicago race.
Playa Del Racing (1-2)
Indy-only entry. Will probably field 1 or 2 cars for the Indianapolis 500.
PDM Racing would like to run a partial season of ovals in 2008 and become full-time in 2009. It would be more than good to see this longtime program back in the ICS full-time.
Beck Racing (1)
TBA: Although Beck ran some early-season events, the Beck machine hasn't been seen since Indy. Beck has said he'd like to be back in the IndyCar game, and his comments at the TEAM announcement seemed to indicate that is possible. Probably not a full-season entry for 2008, unless some $$ materializes. I moved this into the likely part-time camp.
Unlikely for next year, but for the more distant future?
Cheever Racing ... the Aug. 28 IRL press release quotes Eddie's nephew Richard Antinucci as looking to get into the ICS (and get the team back into the ICS) long-term, if, of course, the $$ comes together.
2009 schedule news
The 2009 schedule may expand to 20 races, according to IRL brass.
As far as new tracks:
*-Michigan International Speedway has already been mentioned as a possible re-addition to the schedule, in a Detroit News story.
*-Expect Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama to get a look, given positive comments after the IRL's test Oct. 12, and owner George Barber saying he'd like to have an IRL race there in the future.
*-New Hampshire Motor Speedway has re-entered the picture for 2009, according to stories in the Boston Herald & Concord (NH) Monitor. It is likely to lose a NASCAR date, and the IRL might be looked upon to be an addition to the track's racing menu.
More unlikely, but possible entries: Rockingham, which was recently purchased by former Indy 500 starter and Hoosier native Andy Hillenburg, who has scheduled ARCA and Pro Cup races at the 1-mile track next season.
Confirmed for 2009: Indianapolis (signed forever), Texas (signed through 2009), Iowa (signed through 2009), Milwaukee (signed through 2009), Detroit (signed through 2011).
Nov. 28 newsstand: RLR suing Sharp + Helio wins
Some strange news coming out of the RLR camp ... Patron & Sharp have apparently tried to jump ship, and RLR is suing to keep them in the fold for 2008.
The story from the Hartford Courant
Says an RLR press release: "We have learned that Scott is interested in racing somewhere else. If that is his direction in the future, so be it, but not in violation of his 2008 commitments. Their attempted legal maneuver to break the contract early is totally without merit."
SpeedTV has a similar story
DWTS final: Helio wins
Oh, and Helio Castroneves joins Emmitt Smith & Apolo Ohno as Dancing With the Stars winners.
Other stories: AP, IndyCar.com
Says Helio: "Obviously, Indianapolis is my biggest win, but this is great. (The DWTS mirror ball) will go right between (my Indy 500 trophies), because this has mirrors and can reflect them.
The official IRL news & notes has an Helio item, as well as one on Jay Howard joining Roth.
Unfortunately, Helio is getting into the gossip columns for the wrong reasons ... he and his fiancee have apparently broken off their engagement.
More on Jay Howard
IndyCar.com has more on Jay Howard joining Roth Racing for 2008.
Says Jay: "To say I'm happy is an understatement. Since the age of 7 when I got in a go-kart all I ever wanted to do was be a professional race car driver. It's come true, so it's pretty special for me." However, Jay might be setting himself up for a fall: "I'll be pretty disappointed if I'm not in the top five at St. Pete." Does someone need to remind him what team he's driving for?
The story from the Hartford Courant
Says an RLR press release: "We have learned that Scott is interested in racing somewhere else. If that is his direction in the future, so be it, but not in violation of his 2008 commitments. Their attempted legal maneuver to break the contract early is totally without merit."
SpeedTV has a similar story
DWTS final: Helio wins
Oh, and Helio Castroneves joins Emmitt Smith & Apolo Ohno as Dancing With the Stars winners.
Other stories: AP, IndyCar.com
Says Helio: "Obviously, Indianapolis is my biggest win, but this is great. (The DWTS mirror ball) will go right between (my Indy 500 trophies), because this has mirrors and can reflect them.
The official IRL news & notes has an Helio item, as well as one on Jay Howard joining Roth.
Unfortunately, Helio is getting into the gossip columns for the wrong reasons ... he and his fiancee have apparently broken off their engagement.
More on Jay Howard
IndyCar.com has more on Jay Howard joining Roth Racing for 2008.
Says Jay: "To say I'm happy is an understatement. Since the age of 7 when I got in a go-kart all I ever wanted to do was be a professional race car driver. It's come true, so it's pretty special for me." However, Jay might be setting himself up for a fall: "I'll be pretty disappointed if I'm not in the top five at St. Pete." Does someone need to remind him what team he's driving for?
Monday, November 26, 2007
Quick update ... Nov. 26: Howard in at Roth
Another IPS graduate has moved up ...
Jay Howard is in the second car at Roth Racing for the 2008 season.
The Indy Star indirectly quotes IRL officials as calling this a victory for the TEAM program.
David Cripps will be Roth's engineer next season.
Roth had initially planned to offer this ride to the IPS champion in the final race last season, but Alex Lloyd had already been running a Ganassi machine, so P.J. Chesson drove it. It's Sam Schmidt Motorsports' old ICS equipment.
DWTS update
That, and Helio scored 25 and 29 in the finals of DWTS (out of 30). The results are to be aired Tuesday night.
Jay Howard is in the second car at Roth Racing for the 2008 season.
The Indy Star indirectly quotes IRL officials as calling this a victory for the TEAM program.
David Cripps will be Roth's engineer next season.
Roth had initially planned to offer this ride to the IPS champion in the final race last season, but Alex Lloyd had already been running a Ganassi machine, so P.J. Chesson drove it. It's Sam Schmidt Motorsports' old ICS equipment.
DWTS update
That, and Helio scored 25 and 29 in the finals of DWTS (out of 30). The results are to be aired Tuesday night.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Silly Season update: Nov. 25
A few updates for the Silly Season, but there's still a TON up in the air.
2008 lineup
Andretti Green Racing (4)
7-Danica Patrick (Motorola, 4th-year FT driver, 2nd year with AGR). Under contract through 2009.
11-Tony Kanaan (7-11, 6th year FT driver, all with AGR, 2004 champ). Under contract through 2008.
26-Marco Andretti (NYSE Group, 3rd-year FT driver, all with AGR). Staying with AGR.
27-Hideki Mutoh (Panasonic, 1st-year FT driver). Signed to replace Dario Franchitti.
Team Penske (2)
3-Helio Castroneves (Team Penske, 7th-year FT driver, all with Penske, 2-time I500 champ). Under contract to Penske through 2008.
6-Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske, 2nd-year FT driver, 1st with Penske). Has recently signed with Penske to replace Sam Hornish Jr.
Target Chip Ganassi Racing (2.5)
9-Scott Dixon (Target, 6th-year FT driver, all with TCGR, 2003 champ). Under contract for 2008.
10-Dan Wheldon (Target, 6th-year FT driver, 3rd with TCGR, 2005 IRL & Indy champ). Under contract through 2008.
Part-time entry: Alex Lloyd: Has signed a "development deal" with Ganassi that includes IRL & GrandAm races. Lloyd could be farmed out to another team or run in a third Ganassi car. Expect to see him in a full-time ride for TCGR in 2009.
Rahal Letterman Racing (2)
8-Scott Sharp (Patron, 12th-year FT driver, 1st with RLR, 1996 champ). Announced during the week of Oct. 7 that he is confirmed to return for 2008, "at least."
17-Ryan Hunter-Reay (Ethanol, 2nd-year FT driver). Likely to return for 2008. Ethanol sponsorship requires an American driver.
Panther Racing (1-2)
4-Vitor Meira (Delphi, 7th-year FT driver, 3rd with Panther). Confirmed for 2008.
55-Driver TBA: This ride was slotted for Hideki Mutoh, but Aguri Suzuki took his driver & his support of the second Panther car to AGR. Possible drivers: P.J. Chesson (ref: Curt Cavin's blog), A.J. Foyt IV or Alex Lloyd (farmed out from Ganassi). Chesson seems to be most likely, according to Cavin, but he floated out the Foyt idea, as well.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (1-2)
15-Buddy Rice (RollCoater, 7th-year FT driver, 2nd with D&R). Not confirmed yet, but this arrangement is likely to continue unless Buddy gets a ride with a top-tier team. Rice was running A1GP in the off-season, but a teammate has been taking that car.
TBA-2nd car. Sarah Fisher drove this car in 2007, but she is very unlikely to return. Whether or not D&R keeps the second car is unknown (Fisher made comments in 2007 that indicated D&R may go back to one car).
Vision Racing (1-3)
20-Ed Carpenter (Hitachi Power Tools, 5th-year FT driver, 4th with Vision). Confirmed for 2008. The only confirmed Vision car for 2008.
The other two cars are unconfirmed ...
TBA: 2-Tomas Scheckter (Joost, would be a 7th-year FT driver, 2nd with Vision).
TBA: 22-A.J. Foyt IV (Indy Vision, would be a 5th-year FT driver, 2nd with Vision). TG has turned both Scheckter and Foyt loose for 2008. It appears Vision will be a 2-car team in 2008, possibly fielding Davey Hamilton in an Indy 500 one-off in a third car.
A.J. Foyt Racing (1-2)
14-Darren Manning (ABC Supply, 3rd-year FT driver). Contract extended through 2008.
TBA: Second car. Foyt is exploring the option of adding a second car, pending funding. Curt Cavin has said the funding appears to be not there at this point.
Roth Racing (2)
25-Marty Roth: Plans to run 2 full-time cars next year. He'll be driving one of them.
76-TBA: P.J. Chesson drove the car at Chicago and said he would like to stay with Roth if things go well, according to comments at Chicago. Cavin said in his Nov. 24 blog that IPS vet Jay Howard appears to be the person for this particular car.
SAMAX Racing (1)
Unconfirmed for 2008: 23-Milka Duno (Citgo - rookie). Duno will be invited back only if she satisfactorily completes off-season testing. Spent the last half of the season on probation.There is the possibility of SAMAX fielding a second car for Tomas Enge (or someone else) or not coming back.
**Potential new entries**
Fernandez Racing (1-2?)
From Curt Cavin's blog (8/8/2007), Adrian Fernandez's team still has its IndyCar equipment and Tom Anderson is apparently interested in a return to the IRL, but things "haven't been worked out." Sept. 8: Cavin said funding isn't there yet for this team, but it would like to get back in. Cavin says on Aug. 13 that he knows of two individuals to keep an eye on for new 2008 teams, but hasn't seen any sign of $$ backing them. An Indy 500 one-off is likely, at the very least, if not the full season. We haven't heard much from Fernandez in recent weeks. I'm putting this in the 50/50 category.
Kingdom Racing (1)
The team announced its plans to field a team for 2008 on Aug. 16. Led by Houston businessman George Del Canto, the team plans to be based on a Christian philosophy, with several pastors and Christian leaders on the board of directors. They've been announcing new partnerships as recent as Sept. 28, when evangelical leader Patrick Morley came on board. But we haven't heard anything out of them other than that.
Sarah Fisher Racing (1)
TBA: Sarah Fisher (AAMCO, 6th FT season, 2nd with D&R). Has sponsorships from AAMCO and AAA. Curt Cavin said on Nov. 25 that Fisher has hired a staff and this possibility appears more likely. She'd likely be the only IRL driver married to her crew chief, too.
**Likely part-time entries**
Racing Professionals (1)
Jon Herb: As for the future, it's probably part-time at best, with the Indy 500 one-off and maybe the Chicago race.
Playa Del Racing (1-2)
Indy-only entry. Will probably field 1 or 2 cars for the Indianapolis 500.
PDM Racing would like to run a partial season of ovals in 2008 and become full-time in 2009. It would be more than good to see this longtime program back in the ICS full-time.
Beck Racing (1)
TBA: Although Beck ran some early-season events, the Beck machine hasn't been seen since Indy. Beck has said he'd like to be back in the IndyCar game, and his comments at the TEAM announcement seemed to indicate that is possible. Probably not a full-season entry for 2008, unless some $$ materializes. I moved this into the likely part-time camp.
Unlikely for next year, but for the more distant future?
Cheever Racing ... the Aug. 28 IRL press release quotes Eddie's nephew Richard Antinucci as looking to get into the ICS (and get the team back into the ICS) long-term, if, of course, the $$ comes together.
2009 schedule news
The 2009 schedule may expand to 20 races, according to IRL brass.
As far as new tracks:
*-Michigan International Speedway has already been mentioned as a possible re-addition to the schedule, in a Detroit News story.
*-Expect Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama to get a look, given positive comments after the IRL's test Oct. 12, and owner George Barber saying he'd like to have an IRL race there in the future.
*-New Hampshire Motor Speedway has re-entered the picture for 2009, according to stories in the Boston Herald & Concord (NH) Monitor. It is likely to lose a NASCAR date, and the IRL might be looked upon to be an addition to the track's racing menu.
More unlikely, but possible entries: Rockingham, which was recently purchased by former Indy 500 starter and Hoosier native Andy Hillenburg, who has scheduled ARCA and Pro Cup races at the 1-mile track next season.
Confirmed for 2009: Indianapolis (signed forever), Texas (signed through 2009), Iowa (signed through 2009), Milwaukee (signed through 2009), Detroit (signed through 2011).
2008 lineup
Andretti Green Racing (4)
7-Danica Patrick (Motorola, 4th-year FT driver, 2nd year with AGR). Under contract through 2009.
11-Tony Kanaan (7-11, 6th year FT driver, all with AGR, 2004 champ). Under contract through 2008.
26-Marco Andretti (NYSE Group, 3rd-year FT driver, all with AGR). Staying with AGR.
27-Hideki Mutoh (Panasonic, 1st-year FT driver). Signed to replace Dario Franchitti.
Team Penske (2)
3-Helio Castroneves (Team Penske, 7th-year FT driver, all with Penske, 2-time I500 champ). Under contract to Penske through 2008.
6-Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske, 2nd-year FT driver, 1st with Penske). Has recently signed with Penske to replace Sam Hornish Jr.
Target Chip Ganassi Racing (2.5)
9-Scott Dixon (Target, 6th-year FT driver, all with TCGR, 2003 champ). Under contract for 2008.
10-Dan Wheldon (Target, 6th-year FT driver, 3rd with TCGR, 2005 IRL & Indy champ). Under contract through 2008.
Part-time entry: Alex Lloyd: Has signed a "development deal" with Ganassi that includes IRL & GrandAm races. Lloyd could be farmed out to another team or run in a third Ganassi car. Expect to see him in a full-time ride for TCGR in 2009.
Rahal Letterman Racing (2)
8-Scott Sharp (Patron, 12th-year FT driver, 1st with RLR, 1996 champ). Announced during the week of Oct. 7 that he is confirmed to return for 2008, "at least."
17-Ryan Hunter-Reay (Ethanol, 2nd-year FT driver). Likely to return for 2008. Ethanol sponsorship requires an American driver.
Panther Racing (1-2)
4-Vitor Meira (Delphi, 7th-year FT driver, 3rd with Panther). Confirmed for 2008.
55-Driver TBA: This ride was slotted for Hideki Mutoh, but Aguri Suzuki took his driver & his support of the second Panther car to AGR. Possible drivers: P.J. Chesson (ref: Curt Cavin's blog), A.J. Foyt IV or Alex Lloyd (farmed out from Ganassi). Chesson seems to be most likely, according to Cavin, but he floated out the Foyt idea, as well.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (1-2)
15-Buddy Rice (RollCoater, 7th-year FT driver, 2nd with D&R). Not confirmed yet, but this arrangement is likely to continue unless Buddy gets a ride with a top-tier team. Rice was running A1GP in the off-season, but a teammate has been taking that car.
TBA-2nd car. Sarah Fisher drove this car in 2007, but she is very unlikely to return. Whether or not D&R keeps the second car is unknown (Fisher made comments in 2007 that indicated D&R may go back to one car).
Vision Racing (1-3)
20-Ed Carpenter (Hitachi Power Tools, 5th-year FT driver, 4th with Vision). Confirmed for 2008. The only confirmed Vision car for 2008.
The other two cars are unconfirmed ...
TBA: 2-Tomas Scheckter (Joost, would be a 7th-year FT driver, 2nd with Vision).
TBA: 22-A.J. Foyt IV (Indy Vision, would be a 5th-year FT driver, 2nd with Vision). TG has turned both Scheckter and Foyt loose for 2008. It appears Vision will be a 2-car team in 2008, possibly fielding Davey Hamilton in an Indy 500 one-off in a third car.
A.J. Foyt Racing (1-2)
14-Darren Manning (ABC Supply, 3rd-year FT driver). Contract extended through 2008.
TBA: Second car. Foyt is exploring the option of adding a second car, pending funding. Curt Cavin has said the funding appears to be not there at this point.
Roth Racing (2)
25-Marty Roth: Plans to run 2 full-time cars next year. He'll be driving one of them.
76-TBA: P.J. Chesson drove the car at Chicago and said he would like to stay with Roth if things go well, according to comments at Chicago. Cavin said in his Nov. 24 blog that IPS vet Jay Howard appears to be the person for this particular car.
SAMAX Racing (1)
Unconfirmed for 2008: 23-Milka Duno (Citgo - rookie). Duno will be invited back only if she satisfactorily completes off-season testing. Spent the last half of the season on probation.There is the possibility of SAMAX fielding a second car for Tomas Enge (or someone else) or not coming back.
**Potential new entries**
Fernandez Racing (1-2?)
From Curt Cavin's blog (8/8/2007), Adrian Fernandez's team still has its IndyCar equipment and Tom Anderson is apparently interested in a return to the IRL, but things "haven't been worked out." Sept. 8: Cavin said funding isn't there yet for this team, but it would like to get back in. Cavin says on Aug. 13 that he knows of two individuals to keep an eye on for new 2008 teams, but hasn't seen any sign of $$ backing them. An Indy 500 one-off is likely, at the very least, if not the full season. We haven't heard much from Fernandez in recent weeks. I'm putting this in the 50/50 category.
Kingdom Racing (1)
The team announced its plans to field a team for 2008 on Aug. 16. Led by Houston businessman George Del Canto, the team plans to be based on a Christian philosophy, with several pastors and Christian leaders on the board of directors. They've been announcing new partnerships as recent as Sept. 28, when evangelical leader Patrick Morley came on board. But we haven't heard anything out of them other than that.
Sarah Fisher Racing (1)
TBA: Sarah Fisher (AAMCO, 6th FT season, 2nd with D&R). Has sponsorships from AAMCO and AAA. Curt Cavin said on Nov. 25 that Fisher has hired a staff and this possibility appears more likely. She'd likely be the only IRL driver married to her crew chief, too.
**Likely part-time entries**
Racing Professionals (1)
Jon Herb: As for the future, it's probably part-time at best, with the Indy 500 one-off and maybe the Chicago race.
Playa Del Racing (1-2)
Indy-only entry. Will probably field 1 or 2 cars for the Indianapolis 500.
PDM Racing would like to run a partial season of ovals in 2008 and become full-time in 2009. It would be more than good to see this longtime program back in the ICS full-time.
Beck Racing (1)
TBA: Although Beck ran some early-season events, the Beck machine hasn't been seen since Indy. Beck has said he'd like to be back in the IndyCar game, and his comments at the TEAM announcement seemed to indicate that is possible. Probably not a full-season entry for 2008, unless some $$ materializes. I moved this into the likely part-time camp.
Unlikely for next year, but for the more distant future?
Cheever Racing ... the Aug. 28 IRL press release quotes Eddie's nephew Richard Antinucci as looking to get into the ICS (and get the team back into the ICS) long-term, if, of course, the $$ comes together.
2009 schedule news
The 2009 schedule may expand to 20 races, according to IRL brass.
As far as new tracks:
*-Michigan International Speedway has already been mentioned as a possible re-addition to the schedule, in a Detroit News story.
*-Expect Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama to get a look, given positive comments after the IRL's test Oct. 12, and owner George Barber saying he'd like to have an IRL race there in the future.
*-New Hampshire Motor Speedway has re-entered the picture for 2009, according to stories in the Boston Herald & Concord (NH) Monitor. It is likely to lose a NASCAR date, and the IRL might be looked upon to be an addition to the track's racing menu.
More unlikely, but possible entries: Rockingham, which was recently purchased by former Indy 500 starter and Hoosier native Andy Hillenburg, who has scheduled ARCA and Pro Cup races at the 1-mile track next season.
Confirmed for 2009: Indianapolis (signed forever), Texas (signed through 2009), Iowa (signed through 2009), Milwaukee (signed through 2009), Detroit (signed through 2011).
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Nov. 18 newsstand: A new (old) track?
A new (old) track for the IRL?
According to the new New Hampshire Motor Speedway owners, talks may begin with the IRL to return the open-wheel circuit to the New England track for the first time since 1998, when the Bahres kicked the IRL out due to dismal attendance.
From the Boston Herald, "(NHMS VP/GM Jerry) Gappens also said talks could be in the works to bring the Indy Racing League back to NHMS as soon as 2009."
From the Concord Monitor: "Honestly, I've got a wide open mind," Gappens said. "I think it's prudent on my part to try to explore what would and wouldn't work. Obviously Bob brought CART there, and then he brought IRL in, and he saw a fall-off in ticket sales when the groups split. The other concern with that form of racing right now is that it seems a lot of their marquee names are coming to NASCAR, so the ticket-buying public needs to be able to recognize (the drivers.)" ... With Danica Patrick and Dan Wheldon at the fore, there remain some famous names on an IRL entry sheet, and with New England's tradition in modified racing, Gappens believes there could be interest. Though he's not going to put the track in a position to take a hit.
Gappens is a former Indy 500 pit reporter and a native of Windfall, IN (I'm surprised to find that *anybody* is a native of Windfall ... it's one of those towns where the "welcome to" and "now leaving" signs are on the same post).
NHMS would be a great venue for the IRL to return to, even though the support for traditional open-cockpit OW racing isn't very strong in the northeast (Modified racing, however, is HUGE in that part of the world).
Clarke sounds off
Gordon Kirby has a sit-down with outgoing Honda racing director Robert Clarke.
Clarke wants a new, unique IndyCar for 2011 (but not necessarily what the art students came up with).
Says Clarke about staying in the IRL (and having difficulty getting competition because Honda is so strong): "I'm reminded on a frequent basis by owners and drivers, and those in the sanctioning body, that they appreciate what we did and what we've contributed. They're all hopeful that Honda will stay beyond '09 and I've been talking internally about it in recent discussions with our management. Back in 2005 we said we don't want to be a sole supplier. We want competition, but we also want this series to be strong and a place we want to stay longterm. ... I think Honda itself may be a problem because I hear from other manufacturers that Honda is too serious about its racing and they question whether they could be competitive against us."
Clarke also addresses his futile attempts to bring together a merger, what he thinks the IRL needs to do to move forward (including some more "green" steps) and a few other issues. A good read.
Penske's new driver
Ryan Briscoe talks with the media after joining Penske Racing.
Says Ryan: "You know, it's sort of a dream position for a driver, and you know, to get the chance to come back full-time in the IndyCar Series, I'm extremely excited. You know, I hope I can live up to the expectations, do a great job, and I can't wait to get it all started."
More love for Helio
The Sacramento Bee says Helio has really benefited the IRL from his appearance on DWTS. Meanwhile, Helio is the "sexiest speed demon." IndyCar.com also has the "sexy Helio" story.
If you're going to Milwaukee
Next year's Milwaukee race weekend will have an added show. The ICS and IPS races will be held on Sunday, but Saturday's action will also include a Hooters Cup race, according to Dave Kallman of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Drivers running elsewhere
Tony Kanaan and Vitor Meira are going to be busy next weekend, running in the International Challenge of Go-Kart Champs.
Meanwhile, Milka Duno and Eddie Cheever are part of the field for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
Former drivers running elsewhere
As I type this, Sam Hornish has a date with the SAFER Barrier at Homestead in a cab. Motorsport.com has stories on Dario and Sam, while Rusty Wallace welcomes the OW drivers. Sam says there are no plans to run Indy in 2008, but he may (and will likely) return in the future.
Dario has a lot of good things to say about his time as an IndyCar driver on IndyCar.com.
Says the reigning champ: "There is a misconception that I left the IndyCar Series because there was something wrong with it and there really is not. It was time for that new challenge. It was time to start a new adventure. I was looking for that but there is nothing wrong with the IndyCar Series. In fact, it's one of the greatest series in racing."
Meanwhile, Sam's departure has hit many in the IndyCar family rather hard, according to Jeff Olson.
If you think we whine too much
Check out the moans of NASCAR fans. Xenophobia, jingoism and "Dale Jr. is a crybaby" at its finest. Oh, and Indy 500 winner/IRL champ Dario Franchitti isn't qualified to drive a stock car.
According to the new New Hampshire Motor Speedway owners, talks may begin with the IRL to return the open-wheel circuit to the New England track for the first time since 1998, when the Bahres kicked the IRL out due to dismal attendance.
From the Boston Herald, "(NHMS VP/GM Jerry) Gappens also said talks could be in the works to bring the Indy Racing League back to NHMS as soon as 2009."
From the Concord Monitor: "Honestly, I've got a wide open mind," Gappens said. "I think it's prudent on my part to try to explore what would and wouldn't work. Obviously Bob brought CART there, and then he brought IRL in, and he saw a fall-off in ticket sales when the groups split. The other concern with that form of racing right now is that it seems a lot of their marquee names are coming to NASCAR, so the ticket-buying public needs to be able to recognize (the drivers.)" ... With Danica Patrick and Dan Wheldon at the fore, there remain some famous names on an IRL entry sheet, and with New England's tradition in modified racing, Gappens believes there could be interest. Though he's not going to put the track in a position to take a hit.
Gappens is a former Indy 500 pit reporter and a native of Windfall, IN (I'm surprised to find that *anybody* is a native of Windfall ... it's one of those towns where the "welcome to" and "now leaving" signs are on the same post).
NHMS would be a great venue for the IRL to return to, even though the support for traditional open-cockpit OW racing isn't very strong in the northeast (Modified racing, however, is HUGE in that part of the world).
Clarke sounds off
Gordon Kirby has a sit-down with outgoing Honda racing director Robert Clarke.
Clarke wants a new, unique IndyCar for 2011 (but not necessarily what the art students came up with).
Says Clarke about staying in the IRL (and having difficulty getting competition because Honda is so strong): "I'm reminded on a frequent basis by owners and drivers, and those in the sanctioning body, that they appreciate what we did and what we've contributed. They're all hopeful that Honda will stay beyond '09 and I've been talking internally about it in recent discussions with our management. Back in 2005 we said we don't want to be a sole supplier. We want competition, but we also want this series to be strong and a place we want to stay longterm. ... I think Honda itself may be a problem because I hear from other manufacturers that Honda is too serious about its racing and they question whether they could be competitive against us."
Clarke also addresses his futile attempts to bring together a merger, what he thinks the IRL needs to do to move forward (including some more "green" steps) and a few other issues. A good read.
Penske's new driver
Ryan Briscoe talks with the media after joining Penske Racing.
Says Ryan: "You know, it's sort of a dream position for a driver, and you know, to get the chance to come back full-time in the IndyCar Series, I'm extremely excited. You know, I hope I can live up to the expectations, do a great job, and I can't wait to get it all started."
More love for Helio
The Sacramento Bee says Helio has really benefited the IRL from his appearance on DWTS. Meanwhile, Helio is the "sexiest speed demon." IndyCar.com also has the "sexy Helio" story.
If you're going to Milwaukee
Next year's Milwaukee race weekend will have an added show. The ICS and IPS races will be held on Sunday, but Saturday's action will also include a Hooters Cup race, according to Dave Kallman of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Drivers running elsewhere
Tony Kanaan and Vitor Meira are going to be busy next weekend, running in the International Challenge of Go-Kart Champs.
Meanwhile, Milka Duno and Eddie Cheever are part of the field for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
Former drivers running elsewhere
As I type this, Sam Hornish has a date with the SAFER Barrier at Homestead in a cab. Motorsport.com has stories on Dario and Sam, while Rusty Wallace welcomes the OW drivers. Sam says there are no plans to run Indy in 2008, but he may (and will likely) return in the future.
Dario has a lot of good things to say about his time as an IndyCar driver on IndyCar.com.
Says the reigning champ: "There is a misconception that I left the IndyCar Series because there was something wrong with it and there really is not. It was time for that new challenge. It was time to start a new adventure. I was looking for that but there is nothing wrong with the IndyCar Series. In fact, it's one of the greatest series in racing."
Meanwhile, Sam's departure has hit many in the IndyCar family rather hard, according to Jeff Olson.
If you think we whine too much
Check out the moans of NASCAR fans. Xenophobia, jingoism and "Dale Jr. is a crybaby" at its finest. Oh, and Indy 500 winner/IRL champ Dario Franchitti isn't qualified to drive a stock car.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Nov. 12 newsstand: Briscoe in the No. 6
FYI: Looking ahead to May
Even though May is six months away, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has put seats to all three of its 2008 races on sale, including the Indianapolis 500, the taxicab race in July and the motorcycle race in September.
Worst-kept secret, Part II
The worst-kept secret in motorsports was that Sam Hornish Jr. was going to NASCAR full-time. The second-worst-kept secret was that Ryan Briscoe is going to replace him.
It's now official.
Read the stories from the AP, Sports Network, IndyCar.com, SpeedTV
Says the Human Fireball: "Racing for Penske's ALMS program in 2007 has been a highlight in my career, but open-wheel racing is where my heart lies, and I can't wait to race full time in the IndyCar Series for one of the best teams in open-wheel history." ... and .. "The fact that I'm racing in America is a great chance for me. ... If Sam wasn't going to NASCAR, I would have done all I could to be patient and remain on the team."
But ... is Sam officially done?
Sam doesn't rule out a future Indy 500 run.
Says the defector: "If at some point we have our heads above water, we're going to have to ask the question, 'What about we go and run Indy?'
Hold it
IRL team owner Bobby Rahal was at the Champ Car race this week (like he is every week), but only to watch "the future" of Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing, his son.
Rahal says he's not moving his team to CC, and would like to see a merger. In other news, the sky is blue.
Former IRL track on the market
Nazareth Speedway, which hosted IRL races until ISC shut it down and moved the stands to Watkins Glen, is for sale, but it might not be a racetrack.
A postmortem on Robert Clarke's tenure at Honda
... from Gordon Kirby. This one focuses on how Clarke got Honda's ALMS program going, but Kirby says to stay tuned this week for a column with "very frank comments about Honda's involvement in the IRL."
Dancing update
Helio had the highest score of the night Monday, and even Tony Dungy thinks he needs your vote.
And finally
Former Indy 500 starter Dan Freeland passed away last week at age 82.
Even though May is six months away, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has put seats to all three of its 2008 races on sale, including the Indianapolis 500, the taxicab race in July and the motorcycle race in September.
Worst-kept secret, Part II
The worst-kept secret in motorsports was that Sam Hornish Jr. was going to NASCAR full-time. The second-worst-kept secret was that Ryan Briscoe is going to replace him.
It's now official.
Read the stories from the AP, Sports Network, IndyCar.com, SpeedTV
Says the Human Fireball: "Racing for Penske's ALMS program in 2007 has been a highlight in my career, but open-wheel racing is where my heart lies, and I can't wait to race full time in the IndyCar Series for one of the best teams in open-wheel history." ... and .. "The fact that I'm racing in America is a great chance for me. ... If Sam wasn't going to NASCAR, I would have done all I could to be patient and remain on the team."
But ... is Sam officially done?
Sam doesn't rule out a future Indy 500 run.
Says the defector: "If at some point we have our heads above water, we're going to have to ask the question, 'What about we go and run Indy?'
Hold it
IRL team owner Bobby Rahal was at the Champ Car race this week (like he is every week), but only to watch "the future" of Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing, his son.
Rahal says he's not moving his team to CC, and would like to see a merger. In other news, the sky is blue.
Former IRL track on the market
Nazareth Speedway, which hosted IRL races until ISC shut it down and moved the stands to Watkins Glen, is for sale, but it might not be a racetrack.
A postmortem on Robert Clarke's tenure at Honda
... from Gordon Kirby. This one focuses on how Clarke got Honda's ALMS program going, but Kirby says to stay tuned this week for a column with "very frank comments about Honda's involvement in the IRL."
Dancing update
Helio had the highest score of the night Monday, and even Tony Dungy thinks he needs your vote.
And finally
Former Indy 500 starter Dan Freeland passed away last week at age 82.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Silly season update, Nov. 11
2008 lineup
Andretti Green Racing (4)
7-Danica Patrick (Motorola, 4th-year FT driver, 2nd year with AGR). Under contract through 2009.
11-Tony Kanaan (7-11, 6th year FT driver, all with AGR, 2004 champ). Under contract through 2008.
26-Marco Andretti (NYSE Group, 3rd-year FT driver, all with AGR). Staying with AGR.
27-Hideki Mutoh (Panasonic, 1st-year FT driver). Signed to replace Dario Franchitti.
Team Penske (2)
3-Helio Castroneves (Team Penske, 7th-year FT driver, all with Penske, 2-time I500 champ). Under contract to Penske through 2008.
6-Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske, 2nd-year FT driver, 1st with Penske). Will be announced Tuesday as the replacement for Sam Hornish Jr.
Target Chip Ganassi Racing (2.5)
9-Scott Dixon (Target, 6th-year FT driver, all with TCGR, 2003 champ). Under contract for 2008.
10-Dan Wheldon (Target, 6th-year FT driver, 3rd with TCGR, 2005 IRL & Indy champ). Under contract through 2008.
Part-time entry: Alex Lloyd: Has signed a "development deal" with Ganassi that includes IRL & GrandAm races. Lloyd could be farmed out to another team or run in a third Ganassi car. Expect to see him in a full-time ride for TCGR in 2009.
Rahal Letterman Racing (2)
8-Scott Sharp (Patron, 12th-year FT driver, 1st with RLR, 1996 champ). Announced during the week of Oct. 7 that he is confirmed to return for 2008, "at least."
17-Ryan Hunter-Reay (Ethanol, 2nd-year FT driver). Likely to return for 2008. Ethanol sponsorship requires an American driver.
Panther Racing (1-2)
4-Vitor Meira (Delphi, 7th-year FT driver, 3rd with Panther). Confirmed for 2008.
55-Driver TBA: This ride was slotted for Hideki Mutoh, but Aguri Suzuki took his driver & his support of the second Panther car to AGR. That said, Panther officials said on their website they still plan to field a second car for 2008, and hope for a big announcement soon. It apparently will not be Tomas Scheckter, a former Panther driver. And it won't be Kosuke Matsuura, who filled the 55 car last year.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (1-2)
15-Buddy Rice (RollCoater, 7th-year FT driver, 2nd with D&R). Not confirmed yet, but this arrangement is likely to continue unless Buddy gets a ride with a top-tier team.
TBA-2nd car. Sarah Fisher drove this car in 2007, but she is very unlikely to return. Whether or not D&R keeps the second car is unknown (Fisher made comments in 2007 that indicated D&R may go back to one car).
Vision Racing (1-3)
20-Ed Carpenter (Hitachi Power Tools, 5th-year FT driver, 4th with Vision). Confirmed for 2008. The only confirmed Vision car for 2008.
The other two cars are unconfirmed ...
TBA: 2-Tomas Scheckter (Joost, would be a 7th-year FT driver, 2nd with Vision).
TBA: 22-A.J. Foyt IV (Indy Vision, would be a 5th-year FT driver, 2nd with Vision). TG has turned both Scheckter and Foyt loose for 2008. It appears Vision will be a 2-car team in 2008, possibly fielding Davey Hamilton in an Indy 500 one-off.
A.J. Foyt Racing (1-2)
14-Darren Manning (ABC Supply, 3rd-year FT driver). Contract extended through 2008.
TBA: Second car. Foyt is exploring the option of adding a second car, pending funding. Curt Cavin has said the funding appears to be not there at this point.
Roth Racing (2)
25-Marty Roth: Plans to run 2 full-time cars next year. He'll be driving one of them.
76-TBA: P.J. Chesson: Would like to stay with Roth if things go well, according to comments at Chicago.
SAMAX Racing (1)
Unconfirmed for 2008: 23-Milka Duno (Citgo - rookie). Duno will be invited back only if she satisfactorily completes off-season testing. Spent the last half of the season on probation.There is the possibility of SAMAX fielding a second car for Tomas Enge (or someone else) or not coming back.
**Potential new entries**
Beck Racing (1)
TBA: Although Beck ran some early-season events, the Beck machine hasn't been seen since Indy. Beck has said he'd like to be back in the IndyCar game, and his comments at the TEAM announcement seemed to indicate that is possible.
Fernandez Racing (1-2?)
From Curt Cavin's blog (8/8/2007), Adrian Fernandez's team still has its IndyCar equipment and Tom Anderson is apparently interested in a return to the IRL, but things "haven't been worked out." Sept. 8: Cavin said funding isn't there yet for this team, but it would like to get back in. Cavin says on Aug. 13 that he knows of two individuals to keep an eye on for new 2008 teams, but hasn't seen any sign of $$ backing them. An Indy 500 one-off is likely, at the very least, if not the full season.
Kingdom Racing (1)
The team announced its plans to field a team for 2008 on Aug. 16. Led by Houston businessman George Del Canto, the team plans to be based on a Christian philosophy, with several pastors and Christian leaders on the board of directors. They've been announcing new partnerships as recent as Sept. 28, when evangelical leader Patrick Morley came on board.
**Likely part-time entries**
Racing Professionals (1)
Jon Herb: As for the future, it's probably part-time at best, with the Indy 500 one-off and maybe the Chicago race.
Playa Del Racing (1-2)
Indy-only entry. Will probably field 1 or 2 cars for the Indianapolis 500.
PDM Racing would like to run a partial season of ovals in 2008 and become full-time in 2009. It would be more than good to see this longtime program back in the ICS full-time.
Sarah Fisher Racing (1)
TBA: Sarah Fisher (AAMCO, 6th FT season, 2nd with D&R). Has sponsorships from AAMCO and AAA. But Fisher has said she has a lot of options for 2008, and all signs are pointing at the fact that they don't involve running at D&R. She was also quoted as saying D&R is going down to one car next year. Robin Miller threw out the possibility of Fisher owning her own team next year.
Unlikely for next year, but for the more distant future?
Cheever Racing ... the Aug. 28 IRL press release quotes Eddie's nephew Richard Antinucci as looking to get into the ICS (and get the team back into the ICS) long-term, if, of course, the $$ comes together.
2009 schedule news
The 2009 schedule may expand to 20 races, according to IRL brass. Michigan has already been mentioned as a possible re-addition to the schedule, in a Detroit News story. Expect Barber Motorsports Park to get a look, given positive comments after the IRL's test Oct. 12, and owner George Barber saying he'd like to have an IRL race there in the future. The upcoming Rusty Wallace-designed oval track in Sacramento is also an option for the more distant future.
More unlikely, but possible entries: New Hampshire (which was recently sold to SMI and may be losing one of its NASCAR Nextel Cup dates), and Rockingham, which was recently purchased by former Indy 500 starter and Hoosier native Andy Hillenburg, who has scheduled ARCA and Pro Cup races at the 1-mile track next season.
Confirmed for 2009: Indianapolis (signed forever), Texas (signed through 2009), Iowa (signed through 2009), Milwaukee (signed through 2009), Detroit (signed through 2011).
Andretti Green Racing (4)
7-Danica Patrick (Motorola, 4th-year FT driver, 2nd year with AGR). Under contract through 2009.
11-Tony Kanaan (7-11, 6th year FT driver, all with AGR, 2004 champ). Under contract through 2008.
26-Marco Andretti (NYSE Group, 3rd-year FT driver, all with AGR). Staying with AGR.
27-Hideki Mutoh (Panasonic, 1st-year FT driver). Signed to replace Dario Franchitti.
Team Penske (2)
3-Helio Castroneves (Team Penske, 7th-year FT driver, all with Penske, 2-time I500 champ). Under contract to Penske through 2008.
6-Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske, 2nd-year FT driver, 1st with Penske). Will be announced Tuesday as the replacement for Sam Hornish Jr.
Target Chip Ganassi Racing (2.5)
9-Scott Dixon (Target, 6th-year FT driver, all with TCGR, 2003 champ). Under contract for 2008.
10-Dan Wheldon (Target, 6th-year FT driver, 3rd with TCGR, 2005 IRL & Indy champ). Under contract through 2008.
Part-time entry: Alex Lloyd: Has signed a "development deal" with Ganassi that includes IRL & GrandAm races. Lloyd could be farmed out to another team or run in a third Ganassi car. Expect to see him in a full-time ride for TCGR in 2009.
Rahal Letterman Racing (2)
8-Scott Sharp (Patron, 12th-year FT driver, 1st with RLR, 1996 champ). Announced during the week of Oct. 7 that he is confirmed to return for 2008, "at least."
17-Ryan Hunter-Reay (Ethanol, 2nd-year FT driver). Likely to return for 2008. Ethanol sponsorship requires an American driver.
Panther Racing (1-2)
4-Vitor Meira (Delphi, 7th-year FT driver, 3rd with Panther). Confirmed for 2008.
55-Driver TBA: This ride was slotted for Hideki Mutoh, but Aguri Suzuki took his driver & his support of the second Panther car to AGR. That said, Panther officials said on their website they still plan to field a second car for 2008, and hope for a big announcement soon. It apparently will not be Tomas Scheckter, a former Panther driver. And it won't be Kosuke Matsuura, who filled the 55 car last year.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (1-2)
15-Buddy Rice (RollCoater, 7th-year FT driver, 2nd with D&R). Not confirmed yet, but this arrangement is likely to continue unless Buddy gets a ride with a top-tier team.
TBA-2nd car. Sarah Fisher drove this car in 2007, but she is very unlikely to return. Whether or not D&R keeps the second car is unknown (Fisher made comments in 2007 that indicated D&R may go back to one car).
Vision Racing (1-3)
20-Ed Carpenter (Hitachi Power Tools, 5th-year FT driver, 4th with Vision). Confirmed for 2008. The only confirmed Vision car for 2008.
The other two cars are unconfirmed ...
TBA: 2-Tomas Scheckter (Joost, would be a 7th-year FT driver, 2nd with Vision).
TBA: 22-A.J. Foyt IV (Indy Vision, would be a 5th-year FT driver, 2nd with Vision). TG has turned both Scheckter and Foyt loose for 2008. It appears Vision will be a 2-car team in 2008, possibly fielding Davey Hamilton in an Indy 500 one-off.
A.J. Foyt Racing (1-2)
14-Darren Manning (ABC Supply, 3rd-year FT driver). Contract extended through 2008.
TBA: Second car. Foyt is exploring the option of adding a second car, pending funding. Curt Cavin has said the funding appears to be not there at this point.
Roth Racing (2)
25-Marty Roth: Plans to run 2 full-time cars next year. He'll be driving one of them.
76-TBA: P.J. Chesson: Would like to stay with Roth if things go well, according to comments at Chicago.
SAMAX Racing (1)
Unconfirmed for 2008: 23-Milka Duno (Citgo - rookie). Duno will be invited back only if she satisfactorily completes off-season testing. Spent the last half of the season on probation.There is the possibility of SAMAX fielding a second car for Tomas Enge (or someone else) or not coming back.
**Potential new entries**
Beck Racing (1)
TBA: Although Beck ran some early-season events, the Beck machine hasn't been seen since Indy. Beck has said he'd like to be back in the IndyCar game, and his comments at the TEAM announcement seemed to indicate that is possible.
Fernandez Racing (1-2?)
From Curt Cavin's blog (8/8/2007), Adrian Fernandez's team still has its IndyCar equipment and Tom Anderson is apparently interested in a return to the IRL, but things "haven't been worked out." Sept. 8: Cavin said funding isn't there yet for this team, but it would like to get back in. Cavin says on Aug. 13 that he knows of two individuals to keep an eye on for new 2008 teams, but hasn't seen any sign of $$ backing them. An Indy 500 one-off is likely, at the very least, if not the full season.
Kingdom Racing (1)
The team announced its plans to field a team for 2008 on Aug. 16. Led by Houston businessman George Del Canto, the team plans to be based on a Christian philosophy, with several pastors and Christian leaders on the board of directors. They've been announcing new partnerships as recent as Sept. 28, when evangelical leader Patrick Morley came on board.
**Likely part-time entries**
Racing Professionals (1)
Jon Herb: As for the future, it's probably part-time at best, with the Indy 500 one-off and maybe the Chicago race.
Playa Del Racing (1-2)
Indy-only entry. Will probably field 1 or 2 cars for the Indianapolis 500.
PDM Racing would like to run a partial season of ovals in 2008 and become full-time in 2009. It would be more than good to see this longtime program back in the ICS full-time.
Sarah Fisher Racing (1)
TBA: Sarah Fisher (AAMCO, 6th FT season, 2nd with D&R). Has sponsorships from AAMCO and AAA. But Fisher has said she has a lot of options for 2008, and all signs are pointing at the fact that they don't involve running at D&R. She was also quoted as saying D&R is going down to one car next year. Robin Miller threw out the possibility of Fisher owning her own team next year.
Unlikely for next year, but for the more distant future?
Cheever Racing ... the Aug. 28 IRL press release quotes Eddie's nephew Richard Antinucci as looking to get into the ICS (and get the team back into the ICS) long-term, if, of course, the $$ comes together.
2009 schedule news
The 2009 schedule may expand to 20 races, according to IRL brass. Michigan has already been mentioned as a possible re-addition to the schedule, in a Detroit News story. Expect Barber Motorsports Park to get a look, given positive comments after the IRL's test Oct. 12, and owner George Barber saying he'd like to have an IRL race there in the future. The upcoming Rusty Wallace-designed oval track in Sacramento is also an option for the more distant future.
More unlikely, but possible entries: New Hampshire (which was recently sold to SMI and may be losing one of its NASCAR Nextel Cup dates), and Rockingham, which was recently purchased by former Indy 500 starter and Hoosier native Andy Hillenburg, who has scheduled ARCA and Pro Cup races at the 1-mile track next season.
Confirmed for 2009: Indianapolis (signed forever), Texas (signed through 2009), Iowa (signed through 2009), Milwaukee (signed through 2009), Detroit (signed through 2011).
Nov. 11 newsstand: Sam out, Briscoe in
I apologize for the late posting, as things have been more than a little bit crazy with my jobs in the last few weeks, so posting has been a bit sporadic.
Anyway, the worst-kept secret in motorsports is now official: Sam Hornish Jr. is now a full-time NASCAR driver.
Sam then made the field for today's race at Phoenix, although he's been running in the back of the pack.
ESPN.com's Terry Blount says Sam knows it's a big jump.
Says Sam: "This could be the biggest mistake I ever made or the best thing I ever did. I've thought about this every minute of every day for the last year and a half."
Judging by results so far, I'm betting the former. He could've been the next Rick Mears, but has set out to become the next Kyle Petty instead.
The St. Pete Times says Sam is happy to make the jump.
Says Tim Cinric: "There's a point in time where you just have to make a decision. We don't usually look back. We knew throughout this is where we wanted to end up."
Other stories: Detroit Free Press, Indianapolis Star, Florida Today, NASCAR.com.
And some funny analysis from one of our faves, Diecast Dude from Restrictor Plate THIS!
Sam out, Briscoe in
The aforementioned Terry Blount column, St. Pete Times story and Curt Cavin's blog confirm that Ryan Briscoe will be in the No. 6 car next year, as does this story from GrandPrix.com. An announcement is coming Tuesday.
NASCAR.com explains some of the reasons why Sam, Dario & the F1 refugees face a difficult transition to driving the taxicabs.
Says Kurt Busch of Sam: "He's done incredible things and so we hope he's able to bring that success over to the stock car level, but this stock car thing is pretty tough. I don't think it should be taken for granted that this is easy to do even though we are having an onslaught of open-wheel drivers heading our way."
Meanwhile, Fox Sports' Lee Spencer says the "good ole' boys" are gone, and rehashes Jeff Gordon's tired old story (one that has been gleefully rehashed by the NASCAR media at every opportunity in the last decade) about everybody in the OW paddock wanting a ride-buyer, but she now notes that same phenomenon is happening in NASCAR.
On the "new teams" front
One new driver/sponsor combo that apparently will not be coming is CDW with Justin Wilson. Apparently, CDW had talks with the IRL, but they turned south. Methinks the "something" that happened might have been talking with AGR, but when the Super Aguri money showed up, that seat got filled by Hideki Mutoh. CDW is one of a very few good sponsors Champ Car has left.
A good read
Tony Kanaan, Ed Carpenter and Alex Lloyd talk about being new fathers on IndyCar.com.
An old read
David Phillips spins an old tune, calling for a merger instead of waiting for the Paul Newman/Gerry Forsythe Spite Series to just wither up and die. Not surprisingly, all of the voices calling for merger are generally CC-wonks, and all of those voices tend to be expecting that the terms of the merger will result in Champ Car plus the Indy 500, when the only possible reality is that any "merged" version of OW racing will look a lot more like the current IRL than the train wreck that is the other series.
Front office changes
IMS Productions has a new leader, Indy radio exec Charlie Morgan.
And finally ...
Your Firestone Indy 500 tires now can have some Indy 500-branded wheels to go with them.
Anyway, the worst-kept secret in motorsports is now official: Sam Hornish Jr. is now a full-time NASCAR driver.
Sam then made the field for today's race at Phoenix, although he's been running in the back of the pack.
ESPN.com's Terry Blount says Sam knows it's a big jump.
Says Sam: "This could be the biggest mistake I ever made or the best thing I ever did. I've thought about this every minute of every day for the last year and a half."
Judging by results so far, I'm betting the former. He could've been the next Rick Mears, but has set out to become the next Kyle Petty instead.
The St. Pete Times says Sam is happy to make the jump.
Says Tim Cinric: "There's a point in time where you just have to make a decision. We don't usually look back. We knew throughout this is where we wanted to end up."
Other stories: Detroit Free Press, Indianapolis Star, Florida Today, NASCAR.com.
And some funny analysis from one of our faves, Diecast Dude from Restrictor Plate THIS!
Sam out, Briscoe in
The aforementioned Terry Blount column, St. Pete Times story and Curt Cavin's blog confirm that Ryan Briscoe will be in the No. 6 car next year, as does this story from GrandPrix.com. An announcement is coming Tuesday.
Says Tim Cindric: "If you look at the ones that are out there, there aren't too many names that are free and clear right now to go racing next year. Dario might have been one of them, but he decided (NASCAR) is what he wanted to do. If Ryan fills the role there, he's got all the potential. But we still need the results."
Some analysisNASCAR.com explains some of the reasons why Sam, Dario & the F1 refugees face a difficult transition to driving the taxicabs.
Says Kurt Busch of Sam: "He's done incredible things and so we hope he's able to bring that success over to the stock car level, but this stock car thing is pretty tough. I don't think it should be taken for granted that this is easy to do even though we are having an onslaught of open-wheel drivers heading our way."
Meanwhile, Fox Sports' Lee Spencer says the "good ole' boys" are gone, and rehashes Jeff Gordon's tired old story (one that has been gleefully rehashed by the NASCAR media at every opportunity in the last decade) about everybody in the OW paddock wanting a ride-buyer, but she now notes that same phenomenon is happening in NASCAR.
On the "new teams" front
One new driver/sponsor combo that apparently will not be coming is CDW with Justin Wilson. Apparently, CDW had talks with the IRL, but they turned south. Methinks the "something" that happened might have been talking with AGR, but when the Super Aguri money showed up, that seat got filled by Hideki Mutoh. CDW is one of a very few good sponsors Champ Car has left.
A good read
Tony Kanaan, Ed Carpenter and Alex Lloyd talk about being new fathers on IndyCar.com.
An old read
David Phillips spins an old tune, calling for a merger instead of waiting for the Paul Newman/Gerry Forsythe Spite Series to just wither up and die. Not surprisingly, all of the voices calling for merger are generally CC-wonks, and all of those voices tend to be expecting that the terms of the merger will result in Champ Car plus the Indy 500, when the only possible reality is that any "merged" version of OW racing will look a lot more like the current IRL than the train wreck that is the other series.
Front office changes
IMS Productions has a new leader, Indy radio exec Charlie Morgan.
And finally ...
Your Firestone Indy 500 tires now can have some Indy 500-branded wheels to go with them.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Nov. 4 newsstand: Catching up
Catching up on a few items from the last couple of days
More on Mutoh
We had the Hideki Mutoh to AGR piece a few days ago. Here is more, with some comments.
From Autoweek, TSN, Eurosport, IndyCar.com, AP.
Says Kim Green: "Although Hideki did not win the championship last year, he did very well his first year of racing on ovals in a very tough and competitive series. I think that validates him moving up to the IndyCar Series. ... (in his ICS start at Chicago), he was showing he could mix it up with the best side by side, working the traffic and still being sensible in the race car. We’re just delighted to have the opportunity to bring him on board and hopefully take him to that next level, which is the winner’s circle."
ESPN's John Oreovicz says AGR is reloading, just like it always does. Says Kim Green: "Who was that big name we should have gone after? There is an awful lot that makes up a successful team, and a driver is just one part of that. I was pretty impressed with what I saw from Hideki this year, and everybody I talked to who didn't have an agenda were all pretty enthusiastic about him."
Meanwhile, TK is now the old man of a young 4-car team: "People know I will be competitive and I'll be fighting for the championship. It's just going to be a little bit tougher. When I started with the team, it was three very experienced guys and one kid, then two experienced guys and two kids, and now it's one experienced guy and three kids. So I think I'm going to miss Dario the most."
Changes at Panther
The team Mutoh was initially going to drive for -- Panther Racing -- is moving forward with some changes. Vitor Meira and Delphi are going to be back for 2008. Meanwhile, Panther has hired former F1 McLaren employee Henri Durand as its new technical director, replacing a spot that had been vacant since Andy Brown left for TCGR a while back. Says Durand: "This is a team with a prestigious pedigree and I have been impressed with the quality of people who work here. Hopefully, my experience in the design of Formula One racing cars can bring Panther a few more ingredients to enable a return to the level of success that it has enjoyed in the recent past." Panther has also redesigned its website.
Panther plans to be a 2-car team again next year, even without the Super Aguri money helping the second car, and John Barnes says an announcement could be forthcoming soon. " “We’re really close. I can’t wait to tell our fans what we have in store for next season.” In the website Q&A (possibly the most candid thing I've seen in a while, and a must-read), the team tells us Kosuke Matsuura is not back next year.
Honda's Clarke retiring
Robert Clarke of Honda is calling it quits as director of Honda Performance Development on Jan. 1, to be replaced by Erik Berkman. Motorsport.com has a story on the move. Honda has supplied engines to the IRL since 2003. In a USA Today piece, Clarke says he would have liked to bring the IRL and CC together during his tenure, and "the goal was to make open-wheel racing popular again because it's our preference to be in that form of motor sports."
IndyCar.com also has a story.
This story again
Since we've had somewhere between 7 and 8 million of these stories from NASCAR country touting the demise of OW racing (like this one) because of an "exodus" of retiring/inactive/F1 drivers from IndyCar racing, we get one that actually looks at the IRL perspective from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Says Terry Angstadt: "You see some of the driver comments about driving our cars at our speeds, there's not much of a comparison. You don't train at 230 mph in a 1,500-pound car to go race 3,000-pound, 185 mph cars. And I'm not taking a shot here. It's two different animals."
BTW, Dario was 25th and Sam 31st in the Busch race Saturday at TMS.
Marco getting an honor
The National Italian American Hall of Fame has named Marco Andretti its 2007 athlete of the year. I wonder what will happen if Marco has a decent season, instead of a miserable one like he had for much of this year.
Vote for Helio
The IRL is going out of its way to promote Helio Castroneves on DWTS. The Dallas Morning News says it's like a college team promoting a Heisman candidate. Meanwhile, Helio and Julianne were in Indy stumping for votes Friday, where Julianne Hough got to see her dance partner on the Borg-Warner Trophy and dance on the yard of bricks.
NH track sale stuff
From the Kentucky Speedway perspective, Jerry Carroll talks about his unsuccessful attempts to purchase New Hampshire International Speedway (which was sold to SMI and will likely be losing one of its NASCAR Cup dates). Now, IMS is one of three tracks on the NASCAR schedule that are not owned by ISC or SMI. On the IndyCar schedule, five tracks are owned by ISC and two more by SMI. The other nine races are at tracks owned by various promotors.
Spare-time reading
Robin Miller's latest chat is now up on SpeedTV
Among the gems: The CC schedule "will have eight TBAs and China," when asked if it will have a schedule that makes sense. Also notes the IRL has been talking with ex-owner Derrick Walker about re-joining the series.
And finally
The Boston Herald has a nice piece on Alex Zanardi taking part in the New York Marathon.
More on Mutoh
We had the Hideki Mutoh to AGR piece a few days ago. Here is more, with some comments.
From Autoweek, TSN, Eurosport, IndyCar.com, AP.
Says Kim Green: "Although Hideki did not win the championship last year, he did very well his first year of racing on ovals in a very tough and competitive series. I think that validates him moving up to the IndyCar Series. ... (in his ICS start at Chicago), he was showing he could mix it up with the best side by side, working the traffic and still being sensible in the race car. We’re just delighted to have the opportunity to bring him on board and hopefully take him to that next level, which is the winner’s circle."
ESPN's John Oreovicz says AGR is reloading, just like it always does. Says Kim Green: "Who was that big name we should have gone after? There is an awful lot that makes up a successful team, and a driver is just one part of that. I was pretty impressed with what I saw from Hideki this year, and everybody I talked to who didn't have an agenda were all pretty enthusiastic about him."
Meanwhile, TK is now the old man of a young 4-car team: "People know I will be competitive and I'll be fighting for the championship. It's just going to be a little bit tougher. When I started with the team, it was three very experienced guys and one kid, then two experienced guys and two kids, and now it's one experienced guy and three kids. So I think I'm going to miss Dario the most."
Changes at Panther
The team Mutoh was initially going to drive for -- Panther Racing -- is moving forward with some changes. Vitor Meira and Delphi are going to be back for 2008. Meanwhile, Panther has hired former F1 McLaren employee Henri Durand as its new technical director, replacing a spot that had been vacant since Andy Brown left for TCGR a while back. Says Durand: "This is a team with a prestigious pedigree and I have been impressed with the quality of people who work here. Hopefully, my experience in the design of Formula One racing cars can bring Panther a few more ingredients to enable a return to the level of success that it has enjoyed in the recent past." Panther has also redesigned its website.
Panther plans to be a 2-car team again next year, even without the Super Aguri money helping the second car, and John Barnes says an announcement could be forthcoming soon. " “We’re really close. I can’t wait to tell our fans what we have in store for next season.” In the website Q&A (possibly the most candid thing I've seen in a while, and a must-read), the team tells us Kosuke Matsuura is not back next year.
Honda's Clarke retiring
Robert Clarke of Honda is calling it quits as director of Honda Performance Development on Jan. 1, to be replaced by Erik Berkman. Motorsport.com has a story on the move. Honda has supplied engines to the IRL since 2003. In a USA Today piece, Clarke says he would have liked to bring the IRL and CC together during his tenure, and "the goal was to make open-wheel racing popular again because it's our preference to be in that form of motor sports."
IndyCar.com also has a story.
This story again
Since we've had somewhere between 7 and 8 million of these stories from NASCAR country touting the demise of OW racing (like this one) because of an "exodus" of retiring/inactive/F1 drivers from IndyCar racing, we get one that actually looks at the IRL perspective from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Says Terry Angstadt: "You see some of the driver comments about driving our cars at our speeds, there's not much of a comparison. You don't train at 230 mph in a 1,500-pound car to go race 3,000-pound, 185 mph cars. And I'm not taking a shot here. It's two different animals."
BTW, Dario was 25th and Sam 31st in the Busch race Saturday at TMS.
Marco getting an honor
The National Italian American Hall of Fame has named Marco Andretti its 2007 athlete of the year. I wonder what will happen if Marco has a decent season, instead of a miserable one like he had for much of this year.
Vote for Helio
The IRL is going out of its way to promote Helio Castroneves on DWTS. The Dallas Morning News says it's like a college team promoting a Heisman candidate. Meanwhile, Helio and Julianne were in Indy stumping for votes Friday, where Julianne Hough got to see her dance partner on the Borg-Warner Trophy and dance on the yard of bricks.
NH track sale stuff
From the Kentucky Speedway perspective, Jerry Carroll talks about his unsuccessful attempts to purchase New Hampshire International Speedway (which was sold to SMI and will likely be losing one of its NASCAR Cup dates). Now, IMS is one of three tracks on the NASCAR schedule that are not owned by ISC or SMI. On the IndyCar schedule, five tracks are owned by ISC and two more by SMI. The other nine races are at tracks owned by various promotors.
Spare-time reading
Robin Miller's latest chat is now up on SpeedTV
Among the gems: The CC schedule "will have eight TBAs and China," when asked if it will have a schedule that makes sense. Also notes the IRL has been talking with ex-owner Derrick Walker about re-joining the series.
And finally
The Boston Herald has a nice piece on Alex Zanardi taking part in the New York Marathon.
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