The first 2011 Silly Season driver/team thread

[Scotty G.]

1. First of all, you list guys on your list that are nowhere close to giving up a stock car career to enter Indy OR have been washed up without even attempting get in a car for 3+ years.

2. Buddy Rice!!? Come on!

1. I was speaking about if Indy Car was still close or more highly regarded to NASCAR (like it was in the 60's, 70's and 80's), then guys like Allmendinger, Braun and Hornish would be in Indy Cars and would have STAYED in Indy Cars and never sniffed NASCAR.

Allmendinger would be a 10 time Indy 500 starter by now, if Indy Car Racing didn't lose their way in the late 80's/early 90's.


2. Yes, Buddy Rice. His resume speaks for itself. Its a complete joke, that this guy just vanished in the prime of his career. Its something that would have NEVER happened 30 years ago.

And now, Dan Wheldon appears to be following the same script. A total shame.

Both of these guys PROVED on the track at Indy, they were as good as anyone. Wheldon's Indy 500 record is unbelievable.

The fact that they were basically run out of the sport (with their lack of a checkbook being the #1 factor) is why Indy Cars are where they are now, today.

[Mark in Oshawa]

It comes and goes, this semi xenophobic idea that most of the drivers have to be American. I think if you live in the Mid West, you think that way. If you live elsewhere, maybe less so.

See, I get where Scott is coming from; you need people that the guys in the stands can identify with BUT some of the most popular people in American Indy Car history are not American. Horrors.......Emmo is Brazilian down to his shorts but he was well liked. Paul Tracy is a Canadian who just imitiates the brash American ideal just too well sometimes. Dario Franchitti was as popular a winner as any in recent years. Maybe because he brings Ashley with him!

Listen, I am all for more Americans in the IRL, I get it, but having people picked just based on their passports is UNAMERICAN...America was supposed to be the freedom to be the best you can be without anyone telling you your race, creed or whatever doesn't matter. Too often, Americans are the first to forget that.

Get the best possible drivers you can afford at as a team owner should be the goal. Business concerns however have polluted this, and that is the problem and it always has. If the IRL is healthy however, that goes away in time.....

It isn't 1960 anymore and they are not building these cars in their garages or running just one race a year Scott, this is big business and money in the end has way more say than just a passport...

[MDS]

For the record I'm not saying that Tung can't be a potential star because of his nationality, but because we don't need more guys like Tristian Gommendy who come in with decent resumes, bought rides, had average results and then disappeared when their funding went away. I see potential for Tung, especially if the the ICS gets to China in 2012 and/or he brings in a sponsor. If nothing else he could make Motegi more interesting for the Japanese fans.

We might well see three American rookies join the series next year with the possibility of J.R. Hildebrand, Johnathan Summerton and Charlie Kimble coming into the series, all of whom have come up through the ladder system and have chances of building the sport. James Hinchcliff is chasing a ride this year too. With potentially four North Americans and Tung 2011 could be a hell of a rookie class.

I'm of the mind that Indy is big enough for anyone who wants to come.

[Nikki Katz]

Hmm, there have been a lot of good drivers in GP2 in the past few years, and Tung really isn't one of them. He's not awful, certainly no Duno, but I'm pretty sure he'd be out of his depth in IndyCar. He was Conway's teammate for a while, and was quite badly outperformed by him.

[vintage]

Wheldon seems to have made his own bed - I'm pretty sure that at some point in 2009 he threw Panther under the bus in an interview, and that, plus (I believe) he was getting paid the kind of money that no one except the top few are making. He signed a good contract at a time that he was at the top of his market value, and based on underperforming on road and street courses, he is worth a lot less now.

I'm sure he's banked a several million over the last several years, so he may be out of a ride but he's probably laughing all the way to the bank.

He certainly seems to be good at Indy from his last few finishes!

[Placid]

(I can't believe I am about to defend Princess and Marco....)


But those two, have proven, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, that they are capable American drivers. At other places? No. But at Indy (which is what I am talking about)? Yes.

I think there are just as many talented, capable American drivers who could do good things at Indy, as there ever have been. For decades, Indy was filled with some high-caliber American talents (like Foyt, the Unser's, Rutheford, Donahue, the Bettenhausen's, Johncock, Mears, Sneva, Gurney, etc....) but it was also filled with guys like Eldon Rasmussen, Jerry Karl, Dennis Firestone and Steve Krisiloff too. Were they considered "world-class" talents? No. But we didn't always aspire to lure Formula 1 hopefuls or dropouts either. We didn't lose so many good young drivers to NASCAR back then either.

Right now, if we had these following 15 American drivers at Indy, I think we'd have something:

-Marco
-Rahal
-Patrick
-Braun
-Bell
-Summerton
-Kimball
-Allmendinger
-Hornish
-Hildebrand
-Clauson
-Yeley
-Cameron
-Hunter-Reay
-Rice


There is some pretty decent talent there.

And what about Scott Speed?
I am not so sure about Richard Antinucci.

[Enjun Pullr]

the second seat at FAZZT. At least that's what Dean Mcnulty writes:

http://www.torontosun.com/sports/col.../16285216.html

The world salivates at the prospects.

[Scotty G.]

Sarah Fisher announced her retirement today.

Ed Carpenter will drive the #67 Dollar General car, at 9 races in 2011.

They will do 6 of the 8 ovals (no Milwaukee and Japan) and also St. Pete, Mid Ohio and Baltimore.



Reportedly, JR Hildebrand turned down the ride. He is in line for the Panther seat, which is likely full-time. So, can't blame him. SFR still just a part-time deal.

[ykiki]

I'll miss cheering for Sarah "the driver", but will continue to root for Sarah "the team". A class act who never played the blame game when things went wrong and was very thankfull when things went right.

She was able to build a nice little team with the dual role of driver/owner. Hopefully it'll see growth with her focus on ownership.

[garyshell]

I'll miss cheering for Sarah "the driver", but will continue to root for Sarah "the team". A class act who never played the blame game when things went wrong and was very thankfull when things went right.

She was able to build a nice little team with the dual role of driver/owner. Hopefully it'll see growth with her focus on ownership.

Amen to that!

Gary