Pilot rumours

[seppefan]

Paul Tracy to a Vision / Walker Racing team for the last four races.
Penske to fire both drivers...hire Rahal.
Danica seriously hacked off with AGR.
Montagny in in 09.
Kanaan out of contract year end and also had enough of the team being run around Marco. Penske or third car at Ganassi in 09.
Panther to run second car for Battistini.
KV need their drivers under tight contract as do NHL for JW ( usually brings it home and wait for the road courses )

Forsythe thinking about 09.

All good fun and it will be interesting if any of the above pans out.

[BobGarage]

going to be an interesting off season.

Danica seems hacked off with every team she runs for. That was her reason for leaving rahal. Does she seriously think she'll get a better ride than the one shes in? I can't see penske or ganassi hiring her. So its andretti or a lower team for this over-rated driver.

Would like to see montagny in. he and perera are two seriously good drivers.

all serious rumours suggest Forsythe in ALMS from RA this year. I can't see him coing to the IRL, but I coudl be wrong.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

going to be an interesting off season.

Danica seems hacked off with every team she runs for. That was her reason for leaving rahal. Does she seriously think she'll get a better ride than the one shes in? I can't see penske or ganassi hiring her. So its andretti or a lower team for this over-rated driver.

Would like to see montagny in. he and perera are two seriously good drivers.

all serious rumours suggest Forsythe in ALMS from RA this year. I can't see him coing to the IRL, but I coudl be wrong.

Danica over rated ??? She's 5th in points in a 26 car field ferchrysake !!! What will it take for people to see she is a good driver ? I don't think you Danica haters will ever give her her due credit until she wins every freakin' race she is in.

Hard concrete numbers don't lie.

[BobGarage]

Hard concrete numbers don't lie.

tell that to penske..... Helio might not have won this year but he is second in points and has consistantly finished nearly every race (8 top 5 finishes this season, 4 of which were 2nd place) yet rumours suggest penske wants a driver change.

danica is where she is in points from regularly finishing races when others have dropped out. yet she only has one top 5 finish this season... motegi. She has a one off victory and regularly runs just mid pack. She is in one of the top 3 teams in the league. When she is consistanly in the top 5 and winning regularly I'll give her more credit. Her IRL career so far... 56 starts just 9 top 5 finishes. (helio has 8 already THIS season!)

So you are correct, the numebrs do not lie. She isn't as good as some people like to make out!

[beachbum]

Danica over rated ??? She's 5th in points in a 26 car field ferchrysake !!! What will it take for people to see she is a good driver ? I don't think you Danica haters will ever give her her due credit until she wins every freakin' race she is in.

Hard concrete numbers don't lie.
"Do not put your faith in what statistics say until you have carefully considered what they do not say". - William W. Watt

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." - Benjamin Disraeli

[Chris R]

Danica is a decent driver in a great ride - she is really not good enough to shop for a better ride - but then again not too many drivers in great cars are good enough to shop for a BETTER ride....

I think the rumor of Penske potentially dumping his two drivers is more interesting - does anybody have an opinion as to whether or not this is true or just silly season stuff?? If true, TK and GR would probably be a good pair at Penske... Where might Helio end up??

[garyshell]

Was the rumor of Penske dropping a driver or drivers? I thought it was singular.

Gary

[NYHF]

Drivers.

[SarahFan]

I got $50 says penske runs Helio and briscoe again next year?

[dataman1]

I could see penske dropping briscoe for rahal but not helio. Helio is far too consistent over this and previous years. Dad rahal may be brokering a deal to get the son in a seasoned team car with all the aero trick pieces needed on big ovals.

One possibility I don't see listed is "Who will go after Viso?" Can you imagine what that guy could do in a well prepared car?

[anthonyvop]

Paul Tracy to a Vision / Walker Racing team for the last four races.Old rumor

Penske to fire both drivers...hire Rahal.Bobby's kid at Penske?

Danica seriously hacked off with AGR.You mean AGR seriously hacked of with her.

Montagny in in 09.With who?

Kanaan out of contract year endHello ALMS

and also had enough of the team being run around Marco.You Mean Danica and Marco.

Penske or third car at Ganassi in 09.Doubtful

Panther to run second car for Battistini.As long as the check clears.

KV need their drivers under tight contractAs long as the check clears.

as do NHL for JW ( usually brings it home and wait for the road courses ) Wilson is staying unless the DTM calls.

Forsythe thinking about 09.Hello ALMS.

[weeflyonthewall]

Danica over rated ??? She's 5th in points in a 26 car field ferchrysake !!! What will it take for people to see she is a good driver ? I don't think you Danica haters will ever give her her due credit until she wins every freakin' race she is in.

Hard concrete numbers don't lie.

By Hard concrete numbers are you referring to the number of drivers she has forced into the wall? And then she complains about Viso because he has taken full throttle racing to the extreme. I could see Viso getting a good seat next season. DP would do better keeping her trap shut and concentrate on getting more podiums.

[ykiki]

Danica over rated ???

When you consistantly get more press and attention than multiple-race winners, series champions, and Indy 500 winners. When your team mates spend most of the race up front while you are falling behind...yes, you ARE over rated!

I don't hate Danica (the driver), I just try to look beyond the hype machine. I notice that she'll be on different fuel/pit strategies than her teammates, which often vaults her to the front (a good strategy by the way - nothing wrong with that), but then she'll start to fall backwards from there. She tends to spend a significant amount of time during races somewhere between 7th and 17th (aka midpack), while Kanaan, Marco, and Mutoh are running higher - yet somehow she'll often finish in the top-10. If she's mastered anything, it's consistant finishes.

Now she needs to regularly run up front. If we see her regularly running in the top five during races, and fighting for the lead throughout the day, then I think she'll garner much more respect - even if she doesn't win very often.

[Abel Karaj]

Romain Dumas will test Team Penske's Dallara at Mid Ohio next week.

Romain was faster than Briscoe's when they were team-mates in the ALMS in 2007. He was also much more reliable.

This is just a single test, but I hope Romain can get his way back to open-wheel racing.

[Jonesi]

"Do not put your faith in what statistics say until you have carefully considered what they do not say". - William W. Watt

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." - Benjamin Disraeli

You left out:
Figures don't lie, but liars figure. - Samuel Clemens

[underpowered]

I got $50 says penske runs Helio and briscoe again next year?

I'll take that bet. I am picking Scott Dixon and Rahal to Penske next year.

[45 Below]

"Do not put your faith in what statistics say until you have carefully considered what they do not say". - William W. Watt

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." - Benjamin Disraeli

The line I like came from a cricket commentator who said:

"Statistics are a lot like a bikini - what they hide is a whole lot more interesting than what they show."

Seems very apt in this case.

Other than that I have nothing to add to the debate that's actually useful.

[45 Below]

"Do not put your faith in what statistics say until you have carefully considered what they do not say". - William W. Watt

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." - Benjamin Disraeli

The line I like came from a cricket commentator who said:

"Statistics are a lot like a bikini - what they hide is a whole lot more interesting than what they show."

Seems very apt in this case.

Other than that I have nothing to add to the debate that's actually useful.

[SarahFan]

I'll take that bet. I am picking Scott Dixon and Rahal to Penske next year.

right-on...were on...and if your also right about Rahal and Dixon a coke/beer an me as well

[icehammer97]

Paul Tracy to a Vision / Walker Racing team for the last four races.

Would love to see that happen and him to stay for next year

Penske to fire both drivers...hire Rahal.

Rahal is already driveing for a team not owned by daddy and Penske has a history for getting rid of drivers for not winning dispite championship finish See Tom Sneva

Danica seriously hacked off with AGR.

She won't get a better ride so she needs to learn to like them

Montagny in in 09.

He was just signed by AGR for ALMS could take TKs spot if he leaves or Danicas if she really does stupidly leaves

Kanaan out of contract year end and also had enough of the team being run around Marco. Penske or third car at Ganassi in 09.

Third car for Ganassi I doubt they already had Lloyd if that was going to happen. I could see him go to Penske if he really does dump one or both drivers

Panther to run second car for Battistini.

Don't know anything about him but would like to see Matos get a ride first

KV need their drivers under tight contract as do NHL for JW ( usually brings it home and wait for the road courses )

I don't see any of those three moving NHL needs to work to keep Rahal

Forsythe thinking about 09.

ALMS

All good fun and it will be interesting if any of the above pans out.

Hopefully it will actually live up to the interesting level and not be a let down.

[racer69]

Roger Penske was quoted in the (admittedly Australian) press that he is running the same drivers again next year.

The Tracy thing has been around since before the season started, why would it be any more real now?

[seppefan]

Romain Dumas will test Team Penske's Dallara at Mid Ohio next week.

Romain was faster than Briscoe's when they were team-mates in the ALMS in 2007. He was also much more reliable.

This is just a single test, but I hope Romain can get his way back to open-wheel racing.

Interesting, Briscoe needs another year I feel but you never know.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Is Dario Franchitti back in open wheel next year now that his team has beem shut down by the Chipster ??? What are his contract stipulations if this sort of thing happens ?

http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-nascar2-2008jul02,0,4472773.story

[Chris R]

The more I think about it, I am not sure that guys like Dario or PT have a spot in the new series - they are both at the end of their careers and are only "household names" to a very small subset of society...... Better to invest in new drivers and names than old ones....

that being said - I'd love to see both in the series - just not sure it is the best thing for the series to have them in instead of a "young gun"....

[icehammer97]

Roger Penske was quoted in the (admittedly Australian) press that he is running the same drivers again next year.

The Tracy thing has been around since before the season started, why would it be any more real now?

I trust Roger about as far as I can throw him. If neither driver wins a race the rest of the year I see him dropping one of both if a driver like Rahal is willing to join the team.

As for the Tracy thing they was a rumor that he was going to get a ride for Indy that didn't work out but Walker had gotten some money. The reason he wasn't going to run the whole year was that reason. Only running four races I could see them finding the money for those races espically if TG is helping the startup since he wants Edmonton to go well. Plus not sure when Monsters fiscal year is up but they were interested in sponsoring him but didn't have the budget for him in "this years" budget and if the fiscal year ends soon they could sponsor him for the end of this year and next.

[Dagger]

Interesting debate on many great topics.

[coogmaster]

According to an IndyStar article, both Briscoe and Helio will be back with Penske next year, as well as Dixon and Wheldon at Ganassi. Kanaan has said that he has no intentions of leaving AGR.

As for Patrick, who cares? I hope she ends up in F1 and gets her doors blown off.