Dec. 16 newsstand: Sharp to ALMS and other items

Thanks to my extremely crazy work schedule (I am a high school teacher AND basketball coach, so things are a bit busy now), updates have been sparse/nonexistent recently.

But, there is some big news out there ...

Scott Sharp is gone to ALMS
The mess that began a few weeks back when Scott Sharp and RLR sued each other has concluded with Sharp announcing a full-time ALMS program for 2008.

That Sharp, who is nearing 40 -- ancient for an open-wheel driver -- is leaving the series as a driver isn't a huge surprise. But I anticipated Sharp sticking with the IRL in some form -- likely as a part-owner of a team. That doesn't appear in the near term now. That Patron is leaving with him to take their sponsorship to a series with substantially less visibility is possibly the biggest blow.

Meanwhile, RLR is moving on with Ryan Hunter-Reay, and, my guess is, will be a one-car effort for 2008.

New driver news?
Curt Cavin has tied Panther Racing and P.J. Chesson together more than once in his blog. But now, even Panther officials are peeping a little bit.
Says their Q&A: "Keep in mind this is just a test. But, yes, everybody realizes how much somebody like PJ will be a positive addition to the IndyCar Series ... if he gets the ride."

New Indy one-off team?
Former Kelley Racing boss Jim Freudenberg and ex-actor/IPS driver Jason Priestley have formed the Rubicon Race Team along with Sam Schmidt Motorsports. They've signed up LifeLock as a sponsor, as well as Money Mailer. Their plan is to field an Indy one-off.

The week's other big news
The schedule is out.
ABC/ESPN remains the partner, with 7 races on ABC, 7 on ESPN2 and 2 on ESPN.

The full schedule is at IndyCar.com, and is also in the rail on the right side of this page.

Catching up with the Captain
Roger Penske talks with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Says RP about the IRL: The Indy 500, in my opinion, can anchor a series that it supports,” he said. “(The IRL) is getting better crowds each year and the competition is much better than most people give us credit for."
About Sam: "Sam and I had always had an agreement that when he won Indy and a championship, he could go. It’s a bigger risk for him to move than it would have been to stay where he was. The same could be said for Dario."

Catching up with Dan Wheldon
... who is engaged, and planning on staying in the IRL. At least for now
Says Dan: "I really want to be a multiple-time Indianapolis 500 winner, and anything that would distract from that I'm not really interested in." (didn't Sam Hornish say something like this last year?)
Dan goes on, about Helio: "Now the IRL has to use this leverage, and they have no excuses. They have Danica, Helio and, in a lot of ways, Marco Andretti. They got to get off their butts and utilize it."

New drivers update
The 2007 IPS champ is testing at Sebring Monday with TCGR.
Says Lloyd: “We're still working hard on finding funding and trying to figure out how the year is going to work."

Meanwhile, Hideki Mutoh and Ryan Briscoe got some work in at Homestead. You can also note Mutoh's new color scheme (which looks much like the 55 car that Kosuke Matsuura drove for Panther/Fernandez). That test also included some Champ Car machines, the first time since Champ Car was formed four years ago that the two series have appeared on the same track at the same time. No media were allowed, though.

While Helio was dancing
Everybody else was trying to figure out what to do with the downtime, including getting ready for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

Looking back
Remember 2007 with TSN's Year in Review

Expatriate news
Since we started this update with the newest expatriate, we'll continue with another one. Sam Hornish Jr. is swapping points with Kurt Busch, and has a guaranteed spot for five races next year in Sprint Cab.

Another driver we probably won't get
David Coulthard says he'd try NASCAR when his F1 days are done, and says he wouldn't consider the IRL.

And finally, Part I
Robin Miller thinks the IRL should try to snag Paul Tracy, who is in contract issues with Gerry Forsythe, and rumors to that ilk prompted a response from Paul Tracy's mom to the website Champ Car Fanatics.com.

And finally, Part II
SpeedTV's Marshall Pruett laments the lack of innovation in modern racing.

And finally, Part III
John Oreovicz reviews the best quotes of the 2007 open-wheel season. He also says Helio's dance title has changed everything.