Panthers & Dragons

Panther Racing’s Vitor Meira and Luczo Dragon Racing’s Tomas Scheckter are at opposite ends of the spectrum, personality-wise. Meira is the quiet gentleman while Scheckter is loud and flamboyant.

They are even more polar opposites in terms of driving style. Meira is patient and allows the race to come to him. Scheckter is rambunctious and surges to the front.

Despite their differences, they do have one thing in common: aspirations of winning the Indianapolis 500.

Meira, who replaced Scheckter at Panther Racing in 2006, is making his sixth Indy start. Despite never winning an IndyCar event, he has been fast no matter the team he drove for.

Meira made his Indy 500 debut in 2003 driving for John Menard. He had a quiet month and started near the back of the pack. But a persistent Meira moved up the field and rallied for a 12th-place finish. That would be Meira’s worst Indy finish thus far.

Since 2003, Meira has four top-10 finishes, including runner-up to Dan Wheldon in 2005 when he drove for Rahal-Letterman.

2008 will be Meira’s third season with Panther as he aspires to improve on his pair of 10th-place finishes. Meira will roll off the starting grid in 8th place, which is not his best start, but is impressive in that he is the highest starting driver not driving for Ganassi, Penske or Andretti.

So, hats off Vitor. You have already won the moral victory. Next it is time for the biggest victory of them all.

And then there is Scheckter.

Scheckter is a special breed in terms of a race car driver. He expels excitement, exuberance, and aptitude. Unfortunately, patience and composure are two virtues that have set sail.

It is no coincidence that Scheckter will be starting his seventh Indy 500 with his fifth different team. During his tenure at Indy, he has had some impressive high to go along with some tumultuous lows. Scheckter led a race-high 85 laps as a rookie driving for Eddie Cheever in 2002 before a crash ended his day 28 laps from the checkered flag. He finished 26th.

Scheckter drove for Chip Ganassi in 2003 and again was the top lap-leader with 63. But just past the 300-mile mark, Scheckter relinquished the lead to Castroneves and had to settle for fourth-place.

His fourth-place finish for Ganassi in 2003 was his best-ever finish until a seventh-place finish in 2007 driving for Vision Racing. He finished 18th in 2004 and crashed out in both 2005 and 2006 (20th and 27th-place finishes).

This year Scheckter is driving for Luczo Dragon Racing, which is co-owned by Jay Penske, the youngest son of 14-time Indy 500 winning car owner Roger Penske. In 2007, LDR leased a car and equipment from Penske for Ryan Briscoe, who drove to a fifth-place finish.

The pressure is mounting for Scheckter. He drove full-time in the IRL for six seasons but could only provide two wins. Now, he has been downgraded to a part-time driver based on inconsistent and lackluster results. He was fired from Red Bull Cheever, Ganassi, Panther and Vision Racing in a matter of six years.

Is that so shocking?

His resume speaks for itself. From 2002-2007, he started 92 races with 40 DNFs. That is no way to impress some of the hard-nosed owners in the business in Eddie Cheever, Chip Ganassi and Tony George.

Despite his failures early in his career, it appears Scheckter has finally started to curb his immaturity behind the wheel. He competed in 61 races for Cheever, Ganassi and Panther which resulted in 31 DNFs, or 51%. During his two-year stint with Vision Racing, that number improved; 32 starts, 8 DNFs, 25%.

Nevertheless, he was still out of a job. Yet somehow Scheckter finds himself with a polished gem of a team with financial stability and a fast car. Scheckter needs to prove to the racing world he is capable of holding it together for 200 laps because the IRL needs Scheckter more than anybody would like to admit.

WHY A PANTHER OR DRAGON WILL WIN:

Meira and Scheckter are both long shots to win because they do not drive for Ganassi, Penske or Andretti. Nevertheless, this is May. This is the Indy 500 and anything can happen. Both drivers have shown glimpses of their capabilities. Meira finished 2nd in 2005 and Scheckter has led 148 laps in their respective Indy 500 experiences. A few modifications here and there and each of these drivers could already be imprinted on the Borg-Warner Trophy.

Of Meira and Scheckter, Scheckter is probably the odds-on favorite to win because of his aggressiveness and killer instinct, but that is reluctantly why Meira will get the best of Scheckter come race day.

Panther beats Dragon.

Andretti-Green Seeks Repeat

According to Meatloaf, Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad.

Michael Andretti feels three out of four would be better.

Andretti, co-owner of Andretti-Green Racing (AGR), will be seeking his third Indianapolis 500 victory as a car owner when the field goes green on May 25. A third Indy win would vault Andretti into elite car owner status; tied for third place with Pat Patrick and A.J. Foyt. He would only trail Roger Penske (14 wins) and Lou Moore (6).

How has Andretti – who was snake-bitten more than a handful of times as a driver at the 500 – become so successful as a car owner?

It’s all about the Benjamin’s.

Andretti’s sponsors over the years have included 7-Eleven, Canadian Club Whiskey, Motorola, Coca-Cola, Fritos, Kellogs, Meijer, Jim Beam, and even the New York Stock Exchange. His sponsorships with Fortune 500 companies allow him to afford the best drivers, best mechanics, best equipment and best machines.

That being said, it is no happenstance that AGR has racked up 2 Indianapolis 500 wins, 1 pole position, 15 top-10 finishes and 7 front-row starts since 2003.

Will consistency and domination carry over to the 2008 Indy 500? The answer shall come soon, but here are the AGR stars that all hope to conquer Indy for the first time and add a third title to owner Michael’s trophy case.

Tony Kanaan, the lead driver for AGR, is making his seventh start this year and has yet to win the race, but with a few twists of fate and a little more luck, he could easily be pursuing his fifth Indy crown.

From the time he rolled his car off the trailer as a rookie in 2002, Kanaan has had no difficulties mastering the track. He led 23 laps that year but crashed while leading on lap 89.

Kanaan finished 28th as a rookie in 2002. Since then, his combined finished spots have totaled 30. Kanaan, whether he is driving for AGR or another team, will always be a threat to win at Indy.

Kanaan likes to start from the front and he tends to stay there. In his six starts, he has qualified fifth or better, including from the pole in 2005. He has also led his fair share of laps. He has led 202 laps, which ranks second only to Dan Wheldon’s 204 laps led since 2002.

Come race day, Kanaan will be near the front. A superior pit strategy allowed teammate Danica Patrick to secure her first race win last month in Japan; perhaps a similar race strategy will finally get Kanaan to victory lane at Indianapolis.

Can the IRL’s media darling Danica Patrick follow up her first career victory at Japan with a victory at Indianapolis, where she has always run well?

Finding speed has never been a problem for Patrick. As a rookie in 2005, she ran the fastest practice lap of the month at 229.880. Just a few weeks later she shocked the world with her fourth-place finish.

Patrick’s previous two Indy 500s (a pair of 8th-place finishes) have not lived up the standards set forth by her rookie campaign, but a win would set the media world ablaze. Patrick graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2005 for finishing fourth; imagine the media frenzy that ensue if she won the biggest race in the world. Twenty years ago, the thought of a woman winning the Indy 500 was laughable. This year, it is more plausible than ever.

When it comes to Marco Andretti, expect the unexpected. To steal a line from Forrest Gump, “Marco Andretti is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re gonna get.”

As a rookie in 2006 at the ripe age of 19, he drove a patient and mature race and actually led the race on the final straightaway with the checkered flag a few feet away. But, his inexperience took over as Sam Hornish, Jr. nipped him at the finish line.

Would Michael or Mario have finished second? No way. They would have blocked Hornish, Jr. for the victory or crashed trying. First or last.

In 2007, as an Indy 500 sophomore, Marco had an up-and-down race, literally. He battled for the lead with teammate Kanaan just past the midway point, but 2007 was a year to be forgotten. Andretti finished the race upside down after he made contact on the backstretch with Wheldon that brought out the final caution.

Andretti was runner-up as a rookie and 24th as a sophomore. Which Marco is real? This year’s Indy 500 should give a more clear picture as to which Andretti is legitimate. Based on previous results in the IndyCar series, his immaturity level will trump his talent level and send Marco into another race of disenchantment.

Last but not least is Hideki Mutoh, the rookie replacement for defending Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti.

Mutoh, with one IRL start under his belt, was a controversial pick to fill such a coveted and prestigious seat. Andretti opted for Mutoh based on his success in the Indy Pro Series in 2007, where he won a pair of races and finished second in the final series standings.

Mutoh has already won at Indianapolis; he won the Liberty Challenge on the speedway’s road course during United States Grand Prix weekend. Despite the victory, Mutoh is a bona fide rookie who will be a long shot to cross the bricks first. But if he takes care of his equipment and uses patience and poise, sake might be the drink of choice in victory lane.


WHY AN AGR CAR WILL WIN:

Three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and AGR runs well at Indianapolis.

AGR has surpassed Penske as the dominant team at Indianapolis (at least in the last half-decade). AGR has plenty of weapons in its arsenal and each bullet is fully capable of capturing the checkered flag on race day. AGR has placed at least three cars in the top-8 three of the last four years, including four top-8 finishers in 2006 and 2007.

But, the most convincing stat is that AGR has won two of the past three Indy 500s, which is enough evidence to convince any doubter.

AGR understands what it takes to win at Indianapolis. They have superior equipment. They have four top-notch drivers. And they have Michael Andretti; he never won as a driver which makes him that much hungrier as a car owner.