The Future after the 94th Indy 500

[racer69]

Back to the first post for a second;

-What evidence, if any, is there that Dixon would go to Deferran/Dragon? You'd be pretty silly to give up a Ganassi car while they are still running the current regs.

-Not sure this Indy win will be enough for Franchitti to call it quits, he was quoted in Motorsport as saying he saw himself in Indycars for years to come.

-Agree that Briscoe must be on some slightly shaky ground... but he may have been anyway as i'd find it hard to believe Penske would run 3 cars next year like he is this year (the two 'main' cars un-sponsored).... i'd see a Castroneves/Power team next year as most likely.

By taking the aero off the cars, the corner speeds would be less, but the straightaway speeds might be higher. What you would see however is a differential, and it would require the drivers to drive and feel out that sweet spot through the corners. It would add an element of skill and feel to this sport to an extent we don't see now. We would see people getting out braked going into the corners.....

I agree with you, completely

[px400r]

From the sponsors point of view: Common parts mean that there is only one part supplier involved in the race. That one part supplier may use its involvement in the series as a means of advertising the quality of its products, but it would be the only one doing so. Multiple suppliers mean that different companies could use examples of how their parts preform in a race compared to other companies to promote their product.

Perhaps, but I can't imagine these types of suppliers putting enough money into a sport to make a difference. The more likely outcome is that the cost of these parts will drive up the price of competition.

From the fans point of view: If everyone has the same parts save for a few "gray area" pieces, then whoever invests the most money in this "gray area" will win the most races. When we expand this "gray area", it becomes harder to dial-in a "perfect car".

EDIT: That means different teams will win oval races.

This gray area is where Penske and Ganassi excel because the have the budget and the means to exploit it. If you want more teams to win oval races, take away the "gray area", don't expand it.

IMO.

[SarahFan]

over the past few seasons everytime the collective seems to think briscoe is on the way out he just happens to win a race or two

[e2mtt]

Perhaps, but I can't imagine these types of suppliers putting enough money into a sport to make a difference. The more likely outcome is that the cost of these parts will drive up the price of competition.

The thought being that when open specs for Indycar parts are released, there are 25 to 40 teams looking to buy parts. Wings, wheels, brakes, suspension parts, etc. get changed all the time, they are wear items, especially if crashed. When it is time for new bits, teams could buy whatever fit their need. Yes some parts might be more expensive, but others could decrease, as competition & innovation between parts manufacturers competing for sales drove development. If HPI, HyperPerformance, Lola, etc. all create a nose wing, they would try to both make it competitive, durable, & economical, or nobody would buy their stuff next time they needed spares. The parts suppliers wouldn't need to "put enough money into" Indycar, they would just need to put money into manufacturing stuff teams want to buy.

Rather then spend tons of large team man-hours trying to develop custom mods just for your car that may not work, you buy the part that works the best & put your modest sized team to work making it fast. If you see Penske sporting a new trick part, you snap a picture of it & email to your suppliers saying: Put this on your next version!

This gray area is where Penske and Ganassi excel because the have the budget and the means to exploit it. If you want more teams to win oval races, take away the "gray area", don't expand it.

IMO.

Not usually. The good thing about lots of "gray areas" is that teams will have many combinations to work with it. Sometimes the good teams will get it wrong, sometimes a back-marker will get it exactly right for a race. When everything is so closely controlled & defined the way it is now in both Indycar & Nascar, there is no room for experiments. The team with more money and especially more manpower will always be in front.

[Lousada]

By taking the aero off the cars, the corner speeds would be less, but the straightaway speeds might be higher. What you would see however is a differential, and it would require the drivers to drive and feel out that sweet spot through the corners. It would add an element of skill and feel to this sport to an extent we don't see now. We would see people getting out braked going into the corners.....

Am I right thinking this will also solve the marbles problem? Maybe with slower cornering speeds we can finally have multiple grooves back.

[Mark in Oshawa]

This gray area is where Penske and Ganassi excel because the have the budget and the means to exploit it. If you want more teams to win oval races, take away the "gray area", don't expand it.

IMO.

There is no gray area now and show me who wins besides Penske and Ganassi on ovals.....spurious and untrue. With changes, a small team might find something the big guys miss and find a way to compete.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Am I right thinking this will also solve the marbles problem? Maybe with slower cornering speeds we can finally have multiple grooves back.

Marbles are from tire compounds used now. You see marbles at Indy with NASCAR and I think if you built a race car at Indy that had no aero aids, they would turn faster laps than NASCAR, but still cornering/straightway speed differentials would be relative, and marbles likely would be an issue unless the tire company found a compound that wouldn't create marbles but still give the performance required. Since the cars are lighter than a Sprint Car, in theory this should be doable, but who would have thought Goodyear would have made the mess they did 2 years ago at Indy with NASCAR? Tire science is on the ragged edge right now...

[Mark in Oshawa]

The answer is pretty easy. Only allow no or, at most, one tire change per race. With the exception of punctures of course. The further a tire must go the less "gummy" it will be and the fewer marbles.

DANGER Will Robinson!!!! That was sort of what Goodyear was trying to do with their NASCAR tire when they screwed up. They wanted a harder compound to avoid the marbles...and they ended up with a tire that was too hard to rubber up the track at all....and it just turned to dust.

This is a very complicated thing for the tire makers, because as Goodyear proved that weekend, and Michelin proved with their f1 tires blowing up, this isn't an exact science yet...

[Scotty G.]

Back to the first post for a second;

1. What evidence, if any, is there that Dixon would go to Deferran/Dragon? You'd be pretty silly to give up a Ganassi car while they are still running the current regs.

2. Not sure this Indy win will be enough for Franchitti to call it quits, he was quoted in Motorsport as saying he saw himself in Indycars for years to come.

3. Agree that Briscoe must be on some slightly shaky ground... but he may have been anyway as i'd find it hard to believe Penske would run 3 cars next year like he is this year (the two 'main' cars un-sponsored).... i'd see a Castroneves/Power team next year as most likely.

1. Maybe Dixon wants to actually make some money for once? Maybe Scott needs a different challenge? Maybe he is tired of working for Floyd? Maybe Jay Penske and Gil are about ready for a big step up in their games?

2. Dario about quit after last season. He's 37 and has more money then God. He has won everything he ever wanted to and has never had a serious injury. He's married to Ashley Judd. If he does hang it up, strong rumors that Graham Rahal will replace him (and its been in the works for a while). If Dixon leaves, Chip likes Justin Wilson. For Chip, he gets to save some money (which is always a key for him). And he doesn't think drivers are all that important in the sport anyway nowadays (which unfortunately, he is probably right).

3. Penske is going to have Pennzoil on at least one his Indy cars next year (through a "freebie" deal he did to get them to sponsor his Cup car). He has no sponsor currently for Sam in Cup. He has 3 Cup cars all ready to go for 2011 (Busch in the #22 Pennzoil car; Keselowski in the Miller Lite #2 and Allgaier in the Verizon #12). Sam's is up in the air. Sam and Pennzoil go way back. He won more then a few races for them back in the day of the real IRL. RP likes Sam. Sam wants to stay with RP (smart guy). Sam is a Indy 500 champion. Add it all up and it makes a lot of sense.

Power stays in the Verizon #12, Sam runs the Pennzoil #6 and a sponsor to be names runs the ???? #3 for Helio. 3 cars are no problem for RP. And with Will, Helio and Sam he will have a complete team.

Briscoe is just too error-prone to last long with RP. Plus he has made serious boners at Indy 2 of his 3 years there. RP doesn't put up with those kinds of mistakes at Indy, when there are so few teams/drivers capable of winning there now.

[e2mtt]

Good points. I can't argue with you on anything there.