J.Johnson really wants to do the 500

[SarahFan]

I can't see Chevy being competitive the first year at Indy, unless it's a rebadged Chevy.

Why's that?

Not like Honda has been doing much development the past 4 or 5 years

[MDS]

Ilmor is providing the engines for Chevrolet. While HPD will retain some proprietary information they will be able to use much of the data and experience they've collected over the last 12 years building Honda engines and translate that to the Chevy V6.

There's no reason why Honda, Chevy and Lotus can't all be competitive in 2012.

[Chamoo]

Ilmor is providing the engines for Chevrolet. While HPD will retain some proprietary information they will be able to use much of the data and experience they've collected over the last 12 years building Honda engines and translate that to the Chevy V6.

There's no reason why Honda, Chevy and Lotus can't all be competitive in 2012.

If the rumors are true that Lotus may not have an engine ready until end of 2011, I would say Chevy and Honda will be competitive in 2012, but maybe not Lotus.

I see no reason why Chevy won't be competitive, the Captain won't stand for it.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I got 20 bucks that says a certain tall blonde has more to say about it than Rick Hendrick, Chevy and Lowe's all put together.

Anyway, my point was simply that nothing was said in the article about 2012, or any other specific date. Why don't we get 2011 rolling before we book a flight for Jimmie Johnson's seat fitting for 2012? That's all.

This is all presupposing she wears the pants in that family. She comes from the midwest, she is married to a racer, and she likely will have apprehension, but I suspect Jimmie will race at Indy if he wants to bad enough.

I personally don't see it happening. Don't ask me why, but I think he is blue skying, but he is king of NASCAR right now....and that is pretty good. If he loses the championship this year, maybe he has a thirst to get it back and wont want the distraction; and if he wins, the desire to keep it going is there too. I think if he does the double, it will be a few years down the road when he isn't the favourite to win the Sprint Cup championship every year. Shannie will have some say I am sure, but in the end, racers race, it is what they do, and their wives marry into this racket knowing that once he gets to the track, he is the boss.

[DBell]

Jimmie is qouted as saying he won't be doing the Indy 500.

http://www.indystar.com/article/2011...Ctext%7CSports

I got 20 bucks that says a certain tall blonde has more to say about it than Rick Hendrick, Chevy and Lowe's all put together.

Anyway, my point was simply that nothing was said in the article about 2012, or any other specific date. Why don't we get 2011 rolling before we book a flight for Jimmie Johnson's seat fitting for 2012? That's all.

It looks like Jag hit it right on the head. Everyone pay up. Too bad there are only about 15 people who still post here, Jag. You could've been making some real money otherwise.

[Jag_Warrior]

Jimmie is qouted as saying he won't be doing the Indy 500.

http://www.indystar.com/article/2011...Ctext%7CSports





It looks like Jag hit it right on the head. Everyone pay up. Too bad there are only about 15 people who still post here, Jag. You could've been making some real money otherwise.

You make a note that they all owe me a beer (actually, I like those tequila slushies).

It's not about who wears the pants in the family. It's about who wears the dress... and what she looks like in it. And when you look like this, any guy who puts a ring on your finger better start learning to say "yes, dear" on command. :

[Mark in Oshawa]

You make a note that they all owe me a beer (actually, I like those tequila slushies).

It's not about who wears the pants in the family. It's about who wears the dress... and what she looks like in it. And when you look like this, any guy who puts a ring on your finger better start learning to say "yes, dear" on command. :

She looks terrific..but I still think if Jimmie put his foot down, or was cranky enough; Shannie would give in. he isn't going to be playing Russian roulette, he will be driving a race car...and people die in NASCAR on occasion too. I have never been of the belief he was EVER that serious....and I know race drivers..they usually do what they want to do. That sort of drive is why guys like Jimmie are where they are, and it isn't their wife that is stopping them.....he is using her and the kid as an excuse.

[Jag_Warrior]

For the Daytona 500 or a 7th or 8th NASCAR Championship, he might risk doing battle with her (and risking her knees being forever joined from that day forward). And guys, please understand that I don't say this as a bitter CART fan or an obnoxious F1 fan... but uh, the Indy 500 ain't what it used to be. So no, it doesn't surprise me one bit that a 35 year old guy, who has never driven an open wheel formula car, who has a drop dead gorgeous wife (who isn't for this) and a new baby, will not risk any of that for a race that no longer has the luster that it used to.

IMO, the current formula is kind of a joke. But let's say the new formula (that Jimmie would be racing under) really is a "driver's formula"... one where you can't just hold your foot to the floor and depend on your engineer to get you the best momentum settings. Other than it being a car with four wheels and an engine, he would have no base of knowledge to even begin getting up to speed. So why risk looking like a clown and maybe get hurt, just to help IMS and a series that he has no connection to?

Think about it... years ago, we would have seen at least one of the following do Indy: Michael Schumacher, Ralf Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve, Kimi Raikonen, Juan Pablo Montoya or David Coulthard. Forget about the NASCAR guys who are big stars, but have never so much as sat in a formula car before. What about the world class guys who used to come over?

Jimmie could change his middle name to Caesar and start wearing robes around Charlotte. The dude is on top of the racing world in the U.S. already. I think Indy needs to work a LOT harder to rebuild itself before a guy like that goes to war with his wife to be the king of Gaul.

[Chris R]

great post Jag..... especially the last paragraph.... Really, I am thinking it is more about the baby than the wife and probably has as much to do with very limited family time as it does with any safety issues... (let alone the obvious point that he is fairly old to be driving an open wheel asphalt car for the first time....)....

[nigelred5]

Yeah, she's hot, (she and Ingrid VdB make one hell of a set of book-ends at the dinner table!) but so is every woman a guy with JJ's stature pulls. Difference is, he saw what happens when things don't go so well close up from his mentor and team owner JG. Jimmy knows where he is king. Just like Schummi. Schummi immediately dismisses any suggestion of ever running Indy because of the danger. Family is a convenient, and very legitimate excuse, but he raced motorcycles AND was injured pretty badly. Danger isn't the reason. What he really knows is, success is far from guaranteed in Indycars.

Jimmy's no fool. What realistic chance of hitting that $25m payoff does he really have at 35? At 25, or even 30 when he had time to get a good ride and maybe some seat time, I would have put money on it. At 35, having never raced an open wheel car, I wouldn't even take Jag's $20 bet for a tequila slushie.