IndyCar Preview for 2008: Question after Question......

There are just over 46 days until the 13th IRL season kicks off from the Homestead-Miami Speedway, but the series is already abuzz with both hope and questions.

Tony George, chairman of the IRL, spent this past weekend in Japan in hopes of switching around several dates of some already-scheduled racing events. If George has it his way, the moving of several races would pave the way to an eventual unification of the IRL and the Champ Car.

Since the open-wheel split of 1995, there have been numerous breakthroughs, such as major teams Penske, Andretti-Green, Ganassi, and Rahal-Letterman jumping ship from Champ Car to the IRL.

This most recent breakthrough – George traveling across the globe to Japan – is not the first major breakthrough in hopes of a series unification.

Every couple years George finds himself in the midst of discussions with Champ Car owners Gerald Forsythe, Paul Gentilozzi, and Kevin Kalkhoven, but the discussions fizzle due to minor details such as money, scheduling, sponsors, and cars.

In other words, do not get your hopes up.

So, that is just one of the storylines that will be closely followed in the upcoming weeks and months, but the 2008 IRL season has many more questions that demand answers.

Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish Jr. decided to test their talents in NASCAR this season, which left two huge voids in the series.

Franchitti won the 2007 series championship to go along with his Indy 500 victory for Andretti-Green Racing. He will be driving for Chip Ganassi’s in NASCAR this year.

Sam Hornish Jr., the poster-boy for the IRL, joins Roger Penske’s NASCAR stable and will team with Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman. Hornish Jr. leaves behind quite a racing legacy. In 116 starts in the IRL during the past 8 years, he captured 19 wins, 12 poles, 3 series championships (2001-02, 2006), and narrowly won the 2006 Indy 500 over Marco Andretti in the second-closest finish in the history of the great race.

To say finding Franchitti’s and Hornish Jr.’s replacements were easy is an understatement. Both seats were quickly filled, but will the success come as fast?

AGR team owner Michael Andretti chose Hideki Mutoh as Franchitti’s replacement. Mutoh’s hiring can be described as questionable at best. Mutoh finished second in the Indy Pro Series in 2007 and finished eighth in his first and only IndyCar race at Chicagoland in the series finale.

Nothing against Mutoh, but AGR could have hired a more marketable driver. Franchitti won the Indy 500. He won the series championship. He is married to actress Ashley Judd. Franchitti screams marketability. Where does that leave Mutoh? Is he already a lame duck? Does AGR already have a future replacement in mind? Was Mutoh hired simply to bridge the gap until next season? We will soon find out.

Roger Penske also raised eyebrows when he hired Ryan Briscoe to team with Helio Castroneves at Penske Racing this season.

Briscoe came to the IndyCar series in 2005 with Chip Ganassi Racing and finished 19th in the driver’s standings. Briscoe showed real inconsistencies during his rookie campaign. He crashed in 7 of 15 races and had a season-best finish of eighth at Nashville. These inconsistencies led to Briscoe being fired in favor of Dan Wheldon.

Briscoe completed in just four races for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in 2006 with a best finish of third at Watkins Glen.

So far, Briscoe has not posted a Penske-worthy resume, but that is why it helps to know the right people

In 2007, Briscoe was hired to drive for Luczo-Dragon Racing in the Indy 500. Luczo-Dragon Racing was co-owned by – ironically enough – Jay Penske, the youngest son of Roger Penske.

When Briscoe was hired to drive for the youngest Penske, the rumors already began to swirl that Briscoe – based on his finish at Indy – would be the front-runner to replace Hornish if he got the NASCAR itch.

Briscoe finished fifth in the Indy 500, and as soon as Hornish said bon voyage to the IRL, the elder Penske had Briscoe on the phone and the deal was done.

So, what does this do for the state of IndyCar racing? The IRL did not only lose the two defending Indy 500 champs and a combined four series championships. The IRL lost experience. Gone from the upcoming season are a combined 183 races started, 27 wins, 19 poles, and 4,983 laps led.

Those stats will be replaced by a combined 20 starts, zero wins, 1 pole and 59 laps led.

So, with Franchitti and Hornish Jr. off making millions in NASCAR, who will be around to carry the IRL torch for the upcoming year?

Despite the free agent losses, the IRL will not be struggling that much for talent. 2005 series and Indy 500 champion Dan Weldon will once again team up with defending series runner-up Scott Dixon at Ganassi Racing. This talented tandem will surely be a pair to reckon with.

As mentioned before, two-time Indy 500 champion Castroneves will continue to drive the familiar and famous orange and white machine for Penske in hopes of capturing his first series championship that has eluded him since his arrival in the IRL.

AGR, despite losing Franchitti to the good ol’ boys down south, still has plenty of weapons that are ready to attack.

Tony Kanaan, the 2004 series champion, will lead a four-team stable of Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick, and the aforementioned Mutoh.

Just as many questions are swirling around AGR as there are around the rest of the IRL.

Is this the year that Kanaan can overcome adversity and win the Indy 500? After several close calls, one would think he is running out of chances.

Can Marco continue to distance himself away from his father’s shadow and create a legacy of his own? Despite winning at Watkins Glen as a rookie, he has completed a mere 18 or 31 career starts. Not to mention a pair of rocky Indy 500s. He was dusted at the finish line by Hornish Jr. in 2006 and finished last year’s race upside down in the grass in turn three. How much more patience does the elder Andretti have for his son?

And finally, it is hard to believe that after 1,000 words, we are just now bringing up Danica Patrick. Now, why is that? Perhaps her fad has ended. Perhaps she has been overshadowed by the success of her teammates, Kanaan and Franchitti. Perhaps Patrick’s dream has finally come true where the rest of the racing community views her as just another regular driver as opposed to the beautiful mid-20s woman with long, dark hair.

No matter the reason, the question must still be asked. Is this the year when Patrick picks up her first victory? With Hornish and Franchitti out of the mix, her chances just increased immensely.

There are many more questions that will arise during the course of the season with answers hopefully to come soon after.

So, until then, good luck to all the drivers, crew members, and fans in 2008.

Gordon’s Message to Illinois: Take That!

The disgraceful chant of boos from the opening tip until the final buzzer.

An angry mob of students screaming so many expletives it sounded like Pulp Fiction.

Not to mention, an 18-year old student athlete feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders because he is considered the biggest traitor west of the Indiana border.

Despite all those factors, Indiana freshman phenom Eric Gordon embraced the inferior Assembly Hall and torched the Fighting Illini for 19 well-deserved points and retreated more hated than ever.

His message for the Illini?

Take that!

Gordon, who orally committed to Illinois, only to spurn them for Indiana, is more hated in the state of Illinois than Barrack Obama at a KKK meeting.

Gordon betrayed the University of Illinois. Gordon betrayed coach Bruck Weber. Gordon betrayed the town of Champaign. Gordon betrayed the thousands of fans that had jumped on the EJ (Eric Gordon Jr.) bandwagon soon after his oral commitment.

So after his initial and probably only ever trip to the Assembly Hall in Champaign, Gordon left a message:

Take that.

Gordon is the Big Ten’s leading scorer at 21.6 points a game, but he was very un-Gordon-like in the Hoosiers’ 83-79 victory over the Illini on Thursday. He did manage a team-high 19 points, but he had to work hard for every single one of them.

Gordon was not only harassed by a raucous home crowd, but every shot was well-defended by a smothering Illini defense.

After scoring a season-low one point in the first half, Gordon picked up the scoring – and emotion – in the second half. Despite shooting 3-13 from the field (all three field goals from beyond the arc), his three-point bank shot from the left wing with under a minute remaining in regulation to tie the game will go down as one of the most clutch shots in the history of Indiana basketball.

It will rival Keith Smart’s shot to win the 1987 title game. It will be talked of in the same sentence as Jay Edwards’ winning three-pointer against Michigan in the late ‘80s.

No matter how Gordon’s playing career turns out – both at IU and in the pros – his three-pointer that stabbed the Illini in the back (figuratively and literally) will define Gordon’s career.

As the renewed rivalry between the Hoosiers and Fighting Illini intensifies, Gordon’s shot will be the first and defining moment.

After a season sweep in a pair of come-from-behind wins over a jealous and struggling Illinois team, one would say two words:

Advantage Indiana.

As for Gordon, the smile and excitement on his face after his banked three-pointer was not just from hitting a career-changing shot. It was a sign of relief. It was his way of silencing his critics. It was his way of silencing the Orange Crush.

It was his way of saying another two words:

Take that, Illinois.

Ok, make that three words.

Indiana - Illinois: A Revived Rivalry

On Nov. 28, 2005, Illinois got news that lifted their spirits following a disappointing runner-up finish to North Carolina in the 2005 in the NCAA championship.

Eric Gordon (North Central High School, Indianapolis), the best junior guard in the country, made an oral commitment to play for Bruce Weber and the Fighting Illini.

The Illini were immediately thrown into the national spotlight. Gordon had not yet stepped onto the Assembly Hall hardwood but the Illinois faithful were already making Final Four reservations.

Illini alumni were taking routine bus trips to Indianapolis to see their future star guard hard at work.

Just when Illinois thought things were on the up and up, the bottom fell out.

Indiana head coach Mike Davis was out following an NCAA tourney loss to Gonzaga. Former Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson was named IU coach on March 29, 2006. And Gordon, a long-time Hoosier fan, did the ultimate shot-fake on the Illini and signed a national letter of intent to play for Indiana in October 2006.

Gordon did nothing but follow his heart, but the Illini fans were not forgiving or understanding.

Now, nearly 18 months after the switch heard ‘round the world, Gordon prepares for his first – and probably only – visit to Champaign, IL when his No. 14 Hoosiers (18-3, 7-1) invade the inferior Assembly Hall to do battle with the Illini.

A battle will be an understatement.

Mr. Gordon, you are treading on dangerous waters. Despite Illinois’ lackluster season thus far (10-13, 2-8), one thing Illinois fans have for their team is passion.

When these teams hook up at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Gordon will think his name was legally changed overnight to Boo as that is what he will expect to hear from the Orange Crush, Illinois’ world-famous student section.

Every dribble. Every pass. Every shot. Every foul. Gordon will be harassed from start to finish. Think the Orange Crush will go bonkers if Gordon were to throw up an air ball? The eruption and pandemonium might be so fierce that it may register on the Richter Scale.

As much attention that will be focused on this game, this is not the first time that Indiana and Illinois have hated each other due to recruiting issues.

In the late ‘80s, former IU coach Bob Knight went into then-Illinois coach Lou Henson’s backyard and recruited two high school players that would help lead the Hoosiers to a Final Four. Jamal Meeks and Eric Anderson, both of Illinois, were starters on Knight’s 1991 Final Four team that lost to Duke in the national semifinal.

This recruiting “scandal” sent shockwaves across the state line, as Henson referred to Knight as a “big bully” for stealing his players from his state.

So, this is nothing new for Indiana and Illinois. The only thing different is it now involves a high-profile player who is probably one-and-done to the NBA.

Just think how each team would be different had Gordon followed through on his oral commitment and enrolled at Illinois. If you take away Gordon’s 21.8 points per game from Indiana and add it to Illinois and the roles are completely reversed. Illinois would be a national ranked team and IU would be near the basement of the Big Ten.

So, Mr. Gordon, the next 24 hours of your life will be under a microscope. Fortunately for Gordon, he will probably not have to experience the aftermath of his change of heart, but the damage has already been done.

Expect this rivalry to go from snowball to avalanche in a hurry as Sampson has already received a commitment from high school senior Matt Roth of Illinois. He is not the crown jewel of the 2008 high school class as Gordon was, but gauntlet has been thrown down.

The Indiana-Illinois basketball rivalry has returned with a vengeance.

How ugly will it get? Mr. Gordon, you will soon find out.