Nobody Puts Indycar In A Corner

(Unless it's Dallara.  Or IndyCar does it to themselves.)

Marshall Pruett touched on it in this article on SpeedTV.com, but I'm not sure he entirely tapped into what appears to be going on within the IZOD IndyCar Series.  With Dallara's announcement that if chosen to build the 2012 IndyCar chassis, they will build in Speedway, I believe they have either put the IndyCar Series into a corner, or have had the wheels greased in advance of an announcement.

In any case, it doesn't look good from a public perception.Look at it this way: just yesterday, the IndyCar Series put out a list of qualifications and standards for the 2012 chassis.  Later in the day, and into today, multiple pictures of the Dallara chassis hit the Internet, in advance of the Delta Wing debut next Wednesday.

Dallara Gets a Jump on the Competition

By now, most of you have seen Dallara's three proposals for their future IndyCar chassis.  While I prefer the one pictured, it doesn't mean that the other two are without merit.

Number 1, at first glimpse, strikes me as an "Indycar." 

However, I can understand why some like design Number 2 - as George Phillips remarks, it resembles more of a Champ Car design.  I will disagree with OilPressure.com though, that the second design doesn't allow for more sponsorship room. 

If you look at #1, the sponsorship panels are similar to what currently exists; on #2, the sidepods are smaller, but the area just above the sidepods - the sloped part - is larger - potentially allowing for larger sponsorship paneling (though the vent could be a problem).

Honestly, I could see the Delta Wing project (scheduled to be unveiled next week), resembling Dallara design #2, in terms of the sloping sidepod.

(I'm not going to cover design #3 - I don't like it, and I can only hope it doesn't get past this stage of Dallara's proposals.)

And while the IZOD IndyCar Series has created a list of requirements for chassis manufacturers - Lola, Swift, Delta Wing and Dallara - I'd like to see the series consider multiple chassis and multiple engine manufacturers.  Yes, costs would likely rise.  But the debates between fans over chassis/engine packages would rise, and at the heart of the IndyCar Series are these debates and the engineering that goes into developing a car.

Still, if Dallara fulfills their promise to relocate to the Indianapolis area (and there's plenty of space available in Speedway, courtesy of the Speedway Redevelopment Project), in order to bring some of the cost down, I can't see a scenario in which a Dallara model is not chosen to be the future of the series.  I just hope that additional chassis are let in, as well, creating competition down the road.

The Poms Unite

Dreyer and Reinbold Racing has announced that Justin Wilson and Mike Conway will be their two-driver team in 2010.  Conway drove (often off the track) for DRR in 2009, while Wilson will always be the answer to the question, "Who was the only non-Penske/Ganassi driver to win in 2009?"

According to the release, Wilson brings his Z-Line Designs sponsorship to DRR, which leaves Dale Coyne Racing without a primary sponsor for the No. 18 machine.

Last year, Tomas Scheckter drove for Coyne at Indianapolis with his Mona Vie sponsorship; I wonder if they might reunite in the No. 18 car, while Coyne looks to fill the No. 19 Boy Scout machine as well (please just give the ride to J.R. Hildebrand).

Given that they have two Englishmen driving, I think we'll refer to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing as "Poms United" for the 2010 season, in tribute to the English Premier League.

The IRL Hires a CEO

According to the peerless Curt Cavin of The Indianapolis Star, Professional Bull Riders, Inc. CEO George Bernard has accepted an offer to become the CEO of the Indy Racing League.

I don't know much about Bernard, other than what I've read in Cavin's articles and his remarks on Trackside last Thursday.  However, this quote he gave Cavin sounds good:

"There are a lot of similarities between the two groups.  The IRL is already (going). All it needs is some direction and some dreams."

Direction and dreams.  Sounds similar to Tom Cruise's Cocktails and Dreams (and I'll let you decide if that's a good thing), but if he can keep the series moving forward and grow it as he did the PBR, things should work out.

Travel

Every once in a while, my work takes me on the road - last week was such a case.

With games in Kansas City and Cedar City, Utah, I had the opportunity to visit two cities (KC and Las Vegas) that the Izod IndyCar Series either races in or used to race in.  And in the case of Las Vegas, I think most IndyCar fans would like to see a return to the track.

The Oval/Road/Street Debate - A Different Take

Lately, there has been some debate over whether the Izod IndyCar Series needs to return to the all-oval schedule that the Indy Racing League featured upon its inception.  Both Planet-IRL.com and OilPressure.com have tackled the issue, bringing up some interesting and valid points on both sides.

I come down somewhere in the middle.  For me, growing up in Indianapolis, the Indianapolis 500 was, and still is, boss.  Oval racing is the only form of open-wheel racing I have seen in person, and I find it to make for better viewing on TV, as well. 

But still, I appreciate road and street circuits.  While I have not attended such a race, I plan on it in the near future (though I had to turn down an opportunity to go to St. Petersburg this year, unfortunately).  Maybe Mid-Ohio, we shall see.

As an open-wheel racing fan, I want a balanced schedule - featuring the best long ovals, short ovals and road/street circuits.  The fact of the matter is that in order to identify the best drivers in the IICS is to have a strong mix of these circuits.  It's one of the reasons why I want to see New Hampshire and Phoenix back on the schedule, along with Road America and Cleveland.  

But if the Izod IndyCar Series is going to move forward with a mix of tracks, I say embrace it and let's give the fans a way to further identify the series' top drivers.

As IMS Turns...

Since the end of May 2009, the ongoing soap opera at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been interesting to watch.  It began with reports of Tony George's ouster as IMS President, then was confirmed during the summer, with George staying on the board and Jeff Belskus assuming the track's presidency.

Now - George has resigned from the board altogether.  What does any of it mean?  Well, short term, George maintains his ownership of Vision Racing.  And with the persistent rumors of his (and John Menard's) desire to purchase the IZOD IndyCar Series, maybe that's what he's planning to do in the coming days and months.

But why walk away from the family business(es) - Hulman & Company, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indy Racing League, IMS Productions, etc.?  Maybe he was tired of watching the bottom line be cleaned up, resulting in layoffs throughout those various companies.  Perhaps he felt that he, in good conscience, could not remain on the board as others (especially those who showed the George Family and IMS loyalty in the lean years of the IRL) lost their jobs in a difficult economy.

To me, it goes back to last May, when he was forced out of the presidency of IMS.  To be asked to resign as IMS President, and by his family members no less, had to be disheartening.  And this signals to me that those hurt feelings have continued to linger, to an extent.

Now, that's my airchair psychologist speaking.  To be honest, I have no idea whether George resigned because of the scars from last May, hurt feelings because he hasn't been allowed to see the redesigned Indycar.com, a desire to vacation more, or because he wants to buy the IZOD IndyCar Series outright. 

In any case, it's been a helluva roller coaster for George over the last eight months, that is for sure.