The Future after the 94th Indy 500

[Jag_Warrior]

I think comparing Indycar to a development series like GP2 is not fair. If Gp2 had teams like Penske and Ganassi that spent twice as much as all the rest and hire the best, most experienced drivers, then GP2 wouldn't be as spectacular as it is now.
In GP2 you see all ride-buyers and all young, talented and slightly reckless drivers. In Indycar the race between the ridebuyer teams is just as exciting as GP2 imo. But sadly you never see that because Penske and Ganassi and Danica take 90% of the airtime and all the glory.

I see what you mean. But ART is sort of the Penske/Ganassi/McLaren/Ferrari of GP2. They've won 3 of the past 5 GP2 championships, and tend to always run up front. And it's my understanding that they're looking at an F1 entry for next year. Even though the (top) ride buyers only hang around for a couple of years at the most, they tend to go with ART. And from the front of the GP2 grid to the rear, they all race like their lives depend on picking up even a single position. Once they get to F1, that "kill or be killed" mentality doesn't go away. Look at Alonso vs. Massa, Hamilton vs. Button, Rosberg vs. Schumacher and most especially, Vettel vs. Webber. All have taken their teammates to task. And they were competing against virtually identical (team) cars. And it used to be that way in AOWR. IMO, what made 1980's-90's CART races so exciting was the balls to the wall exploits of people like Paul Tracy, Mike Andretti, Danny Sullivan, Alex Zanardi, Greg Moore, Juan Montoya, et al... and even Robby Gordon (even though he didn't win much). See, we used to have guys who had the same ruthless win or wreck tryin' mentality as the GP2 (and F1) guys do. I don't think the problem is JUST down to the current chassis/engine formula. I think part of it is in the current "driver formula". A little less lovey-dovey and a little more with the dueling pistols would help, IMO. Put Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso in one of these spec cars and see how many problems they would have in getting by Danica's 14 foot wide sled on a road course. It might end in tears, but they certainly wouldn't just sit behind her and motor around in fuel conservation mode. She'd either get passed or she'd get wrecked. Why? Cause those guys don't race and hope to have friends at the end of the race. They see their friends at home, not on the track.

Just my 2c...

[Lousada]

I see what you mean. But ART is sort of the Penske/Ganassi/McLaren/Ferrari of GP2. They've won 3 of the past 5 GP2 championships, and tend to always run up front. And it's my understanding that they're looking at an F1 entry for next year. Even though the (top) ride buyers only hang around for a couple of years at the most, they tend to go with ART. And from the front of the GP2 grid to the rear, they all race like their lives depend on picking up even a single position. Once they get to F1, that "kill or be killed" mentality doesn't go away. Look at Alonso vs. Massa, Hamilton vs. Button, Rosberg vs. Schumacher and most especially, Vettel vs. Webber. All have taken their teammates to task. And they were competing against virtually identical (team) cars. And it used to be that way in AOWR. IMO, what made 1980's-90's CART races so exciting was the balls to the wall exploits of people like Paul Tracy, Mike Andretti, Danny Sullivan, Alex Zanardi, Greg Moore, Juan Montoya, et al... and even Robby Gordon (even though he didn't win much). See, we used to have guys who had the same ruthless win or wreck tryin' mentality as the GP2 (and F1) guys do. I don't think the problem is JUST down to the current chassis/engine formula. I think part of it is in the current "driver formula". A little less lovey-dovey and a little more with the dueling pistols would help, IMO. Put Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso in one of these spec cars and see how many problems they would have in getting by Danica's 14 foot wide sled on a road course. It might end in tears, but they certainly wouldn't just sit behind her and motor around in fuel conservation mode. She'd either get passed or she'd get wrecked. Why? Cause those guys don't race and hope to have friends at the end of the race. They see their friends at home, not on the track.

Just my 2c...

I agree with you. Although we do have drivers with a kill-or-be-killed mentality, Mario Moraes anyone

[Jag_Warrior]

Well yeah, that's true. I forgot about Mario.

[px400r]

No, I want to compare a "NASCAR side show" to what you think IndyCar should be.

Here's what I think Indy Car should be. It should be competitive, with multiple teams and drivers capable of winning. A driver running away from the field at the start of the race should be the exception. It should be economically feasible for new teams to enter the sport and for less established teams to mature and become competitive.

The on-track product should be the focus. Call it a sport- but in the end it is entertainment. How they get there- whether spec or open rules matters not. It's about what happens on the track.