Tony K

[Easy Drifter]

Did anyone else catch the Speed Report?
Right at the end it was announced that Andretti Racing has lost 7/11 sponsorship and the Tony Kanaan has been released and is a free agent.
Either that or I need my ears checked!!!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

[jackmart]

wow, seriously?? that is a big deal

[FormerFF]

There are a number of Twitter feeds that state the same thing. Bummer.

[TURN3]

If that is true and TK is a free agent, good for him and AA will lose the minor progress they made this year. Big question of course becomes who picks up TK? Isn't a team out there that won't want him.

[Chris R]

TK and Rahal on the same team would make a nice pairing I think..... the question is where.....

[beachgirl]

If that is true and TK is a free agent, good for him and AA will lose the minor progress they made this year. Big question of course becomes who picks up TK? Isn't a team out there that won't want him.

It definitely will be interesting to see how AA does in 2011 without a true veteran who understands setting up a car for a variety of conditions, tracks, etc. in the fold.

[FormerFF]

His results over the last couple of years have been indifferent, I'm not sure he'd find a place at a top flight team even if one were to become available. Of the "best of the rest" teams, which ones actually hire (and pay) drivers?

He might be able to come up with some Brazilian sponsorship, in which case any of them would welcome him.

[TURN3]

TK and Rahal on the same team would make a nice pairing I think..... the question is where.....

Just thinking, most likely place for TK might (stressing might) be at DeFerran Dragon. Matos rumored to be on the block and there is a Brazilian connection. That would be the most likely place in my un-informed opinion. That's assuming he's acually been released from AA which hasn't been confirmed yet.

I think Rahal gets a 3rd Ganassi seat. No idea what Wheldon's deal is or Wilson for that matter. Justin is probably one of the top 3 drivers in the series and deserves a good team. Panther would be a step up but DRR made an effort to get better this year and could leap forward into that catagory. Tracy looking at DRR and KV. KV would be the more competitive team but PT and JW both at DRR would give that team something to build on for their future...hopefully they can cut the parachute chords on their oval cars next year though.

I think we've seen the last of Moraes and we know Milka isnt coming back. Viso seems to have too much money for a team like Coyne or Conquest to turn down so I think he'll be back unfortunately.

Hoping for a strong silly season!

[Scotty G.]

Justin is probably one of the top 3 drivers in the series and deserves a good team. Panther would be a step up but DRR made an effort to get better this year and could leap forward into that catagory.




Justin isn't one of the 3 best drivers on a oval in the series.

And Panther only truly cares about winning the Indy 500. The driver of the #4 will HAVE to give them a legit shot at winning that race.

I think JW ends up at KV/Lotus, with Sato.

Tracy will have to come up with big bucks, to buy a ride with somebody. He sadly isn't good enough anymore, to get hired on his own.

You think Honda would like a Wheldon/Kanaan pairing at a newly formed Dan Wheldon Racing?

Andretti could be in BIG trouble by 2012. No 7-11 and eventually no Go-Daddy. Mikey better get crackin' and find some more money. Their 2 big dollar backers, won't be around much longer.

We probably won't know many of these deals until about February, so we have plenty of time to speculate.

[TURN3]

Scotty you can look at it however you want but the sad truth is there are only what, maybe 5 drivers that are getting paid to drive without bringing their own sponsor? It isn't based on talent and I know you've been paying attention to that fact.

My opinion is PT is more talented at this point than all but 5 guys and is equal to the next level...including guys like Kanaan. He's also the type that teams can build with based on his knowledge. He elevated both teams he drove with this year and it is for that reason he is being talked about FT next year...with bringing the sponsorship of course. Again, very few are getting a ride without bringing something.

And based on the opinions in the paddock...JW is top 3. He has never had a team to work with on ovals. If you're not with a big 3 you really don't have a shot on ovals...right? I don't buy the oval experience line of bs. He and Will have been around for 3 seasons and he drove ovals in Champ Car. Some of you act like these guys need 5 or 6 yrs to get a clue...yet we know todays ovals are mostly flat out and hold on. Translation...big 3 or fight for 10th place.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

If it's true (and I hope it isn't), could it be Andretti Autosport where Graham Rahal will bring the TBC multi-year sponsorship?

[beachbum]

If it's true (and I hope it isn't), could it be Andretti Autosport where Graham Rahal will bring the TBC multi-year sponsorship?This is silly season, so who knows. But I doubt it. My personal opinion is Graham is looking for a top team that is capable of running up front and one without the dramas of AA. A third Ganassi team would make sense, depending on the sponsor package and how Target views TBC on the same team. But right now, this is all rumor.

[Lousada]

This is quite shocking :eek: 7-11 was one of the last remaining "real" sponsors. On the other hand it gives some other driver a chance in a top ride. I just hope AA will take the best driver and not someone with the biggest check. AA is at a crucial point, they could very well end up as the new-KV racing if they pick the wrong drivers.

[TURN3]

This is quite shocking :eek: 7-11 was one of the last remaining "real" sponsors. On the other hand it gives some other driver a chance in a top ride. I just hope AA will take the best driver and not someone with the biggest check. AA is at a crucial point, they could very well end up as the new-KV racing if they pick the wrong drivers.

They were on their way there at the end of last year. A slight improvement this year on the engineering tracks but their going to need to improve the driving talent to improve on the skill courses.

[Jag_Warrior]

Poor old Tony: beaten by The Danica in a straight-up fight and losing his ride all on the same weekend. Shoulda taken that Ganassi deal a couple of years ago, Tony.

He's a likable guy and a good driver. I hope it works out for him.

And Starter is right: if AA loses 7-11 and the Danica Dollars, they're pretty well screwed. Racing isn't like California: you can't pay your bills with IOU's.

[drewdawg727]

Does anybody know the specifics of why 7-11 pulled out? It seemed they were in it for the long haul. Are they going to cabs?

[ykiki]

Does anybody know the specifics of why 7-11 pulled out? It seemed they were in it for the long haul. Are they going to cabs?

Probably not related at all, but...

Something new popped up on the Red Bull F1 cars at the most recent GP (Singapore)...7-11 decals.

[beachbum]

Probably not related at all, but...

Something new popped up on the Red Bull F1 cars at the most recent GP (Singapore)...7-11 decals.More than likely, it is related. The parent company of 7-11 is a Japanese Holding company and the largest market is Japan, not the US. With a worldwide presence, F1 makes a lot of sense.

[jwhite9185]

More than likely, it is related. The parent company of 7-11 is a Japanese Holding company and the largest market is Japan, not the US. With a worldwide presence, F1 makes a lot of sense.

Ive noticed 7-11 decals on the wings of red bull's for the last few years at the Japanese Grand Prix so wouldnt read too much into it.

[EagleEye]

Did anyone else catch the Speed Report?
Right at the end it was announced that Andretti Racing has lost 7/11 sponsorship and the Tony Kanaan has been released and is a free agent.
Either that or I need my ears checked!!!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

We have been discussing this in the 2011 silly season.

The team expected to loose all/some of its funding. Izod gone too from the team.

[Jag_Warrior]

Does anybody know the specifics of why 7-11 pulled out? It seemed they were in it for the long haul. Are they going to cabs?

Lack of and declining ROI is my guess. Nobody posts the Joyce Julius numbers anymore. But I'd say this year's numbers will probably be the lowest on record.

I just go back to what I've been saying for years: the teams in this series continue to ask for sponsorships based on cost, not based on value. When the cost of sponsorship exceeds the value of that sponsorship, that puts you in a bad situation. People always bring up that it's cheaper to sponsor a car in the IRL than in NASCAR or F1. That's fine. But what would you rather buy, a Mercedes for $80K that's worth $80K, or a Honda for $30K that's worth $20K? The Honda is "cheaper", right?

I think Kanaan better start sending candy and flowers to Milka Duno. Kanaan + Milka = Team Citgo. Two cars. She only drives ovals and he does all the races. Hey, thank me later, Tony. :D

[DBell]

It seemed they were in it for the long haul.
I agree in whole with Jag's response. To this part of your post, I think they have been in for the long haul. They've been involved in Indy racing for quite a while. But with the ratings dropping to where they are and the long term contract with Versus, perhaps they don't see a lot of hope for the situation to improve and decided to move on. After 2 years of the current ratings and drop in ROI, this may be the beginning of some of the sponsors involved in the series deciding to end there sponsorship. You can only go on for so long with these bad of ratings before losing sponsors happens.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Just another sign that talent isn't the determining factor.....

It is a business guys..and that is just the reality of it.

[downtowndeco]

Sponsors come and go all of the time. Long time sponsors often decide to try something new. I wouldn't read too much into this.

[anthonyvop]

Just another sign that talent isn't the determining factor.....
When has it?


It is a business guys..and that is just the reality of it.
When hasn't it?

[Mark in Oshawa]

When has it?


When hasn't it?

Hey Tony, there was a time when Talent was the only factor and if you were fast, you got to the top. Now speed is secondary to the sponsor you have to have with you.

As for the business, many people have to be reminded of it...since they keep insisting that some gokart ace from Illinois should get a ride over a GP2 grad with a sponsor.....

[Civic]

I never understood why sponsors would back "slower" drivers.

[Lousada]

I never understood why sponsors would back "slower" drivers.

Well either because these drivers are better at promotions and communications. Or because these drivers have better connections. It's almost like the real world in that respect.

[Chris R]

Sponsors come and go all of the time. Long time sponsors often decide to try something new. I wouldn't read too much into this.

I think you are right on this one - 7-11 has been a good sponsor for years - thank you and best of luck - they'll be back/around as they have been for many years......

[anthonyvop]

I never understood why sponsors would back "slower" drivers.

It is called Return on investment.

It cost a lot more to sponsor a top team like Penske or Ganassi than it does a back marker team like Coyne or Sarah's....A lot More!!!

[anthonyvop]

Hey Tony, there was a time when Talent was the only factor and if you were fast,

When was it the ONLY Factor?

[anthonyvop]

It's always been the only factor. But just for a few select teams.


Which Teams are those?

[Jag_Warrior]

Sponsors come and go all of the time. Long time sponsors often decide to try something new. I wouldn't read too much into this.

But when they're going more than they're coming, I think that's a cause for concern.

It's the trend that we have to pay attention to. And right now in the IRL, the trend seems to be away from team based sponsorships/funding and toward driver based sponsorships/funding (ride buyers). More than a few of us feel that's not a healthy situation.

[Chris R]

I think ride buying has always been a part of this sport and I am not convinced it is any worse than the past... At any given point in AOWR history, there are more than a few people in any given field that bought their way in.... I would argue that today's ride buyers are at least professional racers (for the most part) and not playboy rich kids who feel like driving fast a couple of times a year.... also, keep in mind that not every ride buyer is a bad driver take someone like Peter Revson and not every hired driver is all that good - say Kevin Cogan.....

The reality of the situation is that it is easier to sell sponsorship based on the driver than the team.... there are many reasons for this but I think #1 is the fact that many of today's sponsors have little to do with the automobile industry and there are no more "forced" sponsors (i.e. tobacco and hard liquor) - both of these types of sponsors would likely prefer to work with a team/organization where as a retail company really needs a face/personality not a race team.....

-

[anthonyvop]

Today it's Penske and Ganassi. In the day it was also Newman/Haas, Jim Hall, etc. It's pretty easy to tell. If when the driver changes and the name of the company on the side of the car stays the same, that's a pretty good clue that it's a team sponsorship, not a rent a ride.


Then why isn't TK a Ganassi driver if he wanted him so bad?

Everyone seems to forget that the Famed Marlboro Penske team came to be because Emerson Fittipaldi brought the sponsorship and was maintained because of Helio. No Helio and No Marlboro.

[chuck34]

Then why isn't TK a Ganassi driver if he wanted him so bad?

Everyone seems to forget that the Famed Marlboro Penske team came to be because Emerson Fittipaldi brought the sponsorship and was maintained because of Helio. No Helio and No Marlboro.

Because TK didn't want to be a Ganassi driver at that point. He's been loyal to Mikey to a fault IMHO.

??????? I knew about Emmo, but I've never heard of a Helio Marlboro connection. What about '96-2000, no Emmo, no Helio? And what about now, they have Helio, but no Marlboro?

[TURN3]

Then why isn't TK a Ganassi driver if he wanted him so bad?

Everyone seems to forget that the Famed Marlboro Penske team came to be because Emerson Fittipaldi brought the sponsorship and was maintained because of Helio. No Helio and No Marlboro.

Marlboro was on Rick Mears's car the same year Emmo was still driving for Patrick, with Marlboro. Marlboro was with Penske long after Emmo was gone and Helio was nowhere in sight until Greg was killed. There is no Marlboro/Emmo/Penske connection.

[chuck34]

Marlboro was on Rick Mears's car the same year Emmo was still driving for Patrick, with Marlboro. Marlboro was with Penske long after Emmo was gone and Helio was nowhere in sight until Greg was killed. There is no Marlboro/Emmo/Penske connection.

Wasn't '89 a joint Penske/Patrick deal for Emmo? I seem to recal that there was some sort of Emmo/Marlboro connection, but I can't seem to really recall that right now so maybe I'm mis-remembering?

[Chris R]

yes, I do think Emmo "got" the Marlboro deal for Penske - or at least paved the way for that deal... As for Helio - as someone said - he was not in the picture until Greg Moore was killed - so I doubt that Helio has anything to do with Marlboro......

[Scotty G.]

I thought TK stayed with Mikey's team because Mikey would pay him huge bucks and Cheep Ganassi wouldn't.

Loyalty had very little to do with it. $$$ did.

[chuck34]

I thought TK stayed with Mikey's team because Mikey would pay him huge bucks and Cheep Ganassi wouldn't.

Loyalty had very little to do with it. $$$ did.

Either way it was TK's decision, not Chip's as Tony was implying.

[glauistean]

Well, now we know that TK is gone. Where will he end up? Who has the money to pay him? Nobody has. But, Apex Brazil would be pretty miffed if Tony does not get a ride somewhere.
Could they leave if nothing turns up for TK. I bet they could based upon Starter and some other comments on ROI. Easier to buy out than to continue seeing your dollars go down the proverbial drain.

[Jag_Warrior]

According to what John Lopes said in a Speed piece today, 7-11's pullout caught the Andretti team by surprise ("shocked" and "blindsided" were the terms that Lopes used). Apparently it wasn't a case of "just time to move on", as some here tried to spin it. They knew that 7-11 was having business issues that might impact the sponsorship, but they weren't expecting them to totally drop the primary sponsorship.

What is also interesting is that 7-11 will remain as an associate sponsor on The Danica's car. Interesting, ironic, sad, pitiful, pathetic... pick the term that suits you. I think I'll go with "pathetic". :rolleyes:

So Andretti loses the two strongest drivers on the team, yet (somehow) keeps sponsor decals on the two weak kittens in the team: The Danica and Marco. And Kanaan says that if he can find a (personal) sponsor, he might take the deal back to Andretti Autosport. Yeah, I think "pathetic" is going to be my Word of the Day. :dozey:

[beachbum]

With that driver lineup at AA, which will do the setups? Sounds like the blind leading the clueless.

[Chris R]

With that driver lineup at AA, which will do the setups? Sounds like the blind leading the clueless.

I suspect Ryan is capable.

[beachgirl]

I suspect Ryan is capable.

IF Ryan is there. And capable doesn't mean willing.

[Civic]

Wasn't Helio set to go to another team (Hogan or some other team comes to mind) but then left the team in the lurch to take Greg's place at Penske?

[jwhite9185]

Wasn't Helio set to go to another team (Hogan or some other team comes to mind) but then left the team in the lurch to take Greg's place at Penske?

Hogan annonced they were closing their doors the day after the final race in 1999, basically leaving Helio in the lurch.

Seem to remember thinking a couple of days after Fontana 99 Helio might take the vacant seat at Penske in 2000 after his promising season in one of the under funded teams that year.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

Wasn't AFS going to move up from FIL to IICS? It would make sense to see RHR in the AFS car at AA.

[Enjun Pullr]

Don't know if there is anything more recent than this from August:

http://www.racer.com/afs-plans-full-time-indycar-graduation/article/176794/