John, I agree 100% whole-heartedly about Buddy Rice. He is the pure characterization of the IRL: an American who excels on the ovals. It is a shame he has been downgraded to D&R because his talent is unmistakable when he is provided with superior equipment. Apparently the top owners were asleep during his dominating 2004 Indy 500 performance. Rice did manage to pick up a sponsor (Express Auto Delivery, a local company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa) for this weekend’s race in Iowa, but I assume it is temporary. Unfortunately, there is not enough money spread out amongst the power teams to add any much-deserved talent, such as Rice. It is a shame – almost embarrassing – how a former Indy 500 champion is treated and respected by his peers. Hopefully the unification will bring a top-tier sponsor to the series, which should attract more money and teams.
The IRL has ten races remaining with five coming on street and road courses, and I would expect D&R to run Milka Duno to discover if she has what it takes. She has demonstrated steady progression on the ovals this season, but as you mentioned, her background is in sports cars and road courses, which is why she needs to be in the car for Mid-Ohio, Edmonton, Sonoma, Watkins Glen, and Belle Isle. If D&R opts to run Townsend Bell then Duno should see about returning to sports cars on a full-time basis because it is obvious she is wasting her time. As for Bell, the journeyman has found a home in the IRL. A pair of top-10 finishes and an 11th place finish at Milwaukee has earned him valuable respect in the garage area amongst drivers and owners. Unfortunately, he is in the same position as his D&R teammate Rice; a heap of talent with zilch opportunity.
The biggest problem with the IRL is simple economics involving supply and demand. There is a multitude of talented drivers who ought to have better sponsors and equipment, but there are not as many lucrative opportunities in the IRL as opposed to NASCAR, which is why all the young talent continues to head south. Personally, I would like to see Penske and Ganassi close their NASCAR shops and transfer all their equity to the IRL to bolster the series. Imagine the rivalries that would immediately develop should Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Dario Franchitti, and Juan Pablo Montoya jump off NASCAR’s sinking ship in favor of IndyCar. A guy can dream, can’t he?
Friday, June 20, 2008
Response to John in Speedway
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Fortunately, according to Curt Cavin, we don't have to worry about any of ICS drivers leaving for Nascab after this season. All the big names should be returning. I agree with you, I'd like to start seeing some defectors from Nascab come join the open wheelers. It'd be nice to see Robby Gordon back. Tony is a longshot, but imagine that!! I'm looking forward to some activity later this summer regarding sponsorships for next season, as well as the '09 schedule.
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