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During the past few months I have heard
enough rumors of urgings and pressure from the ICS/IMS on each IndyCar
team to provide one extra entry for the 500 to believe it's true. That
would mean that single car teams would be expected/induced to run two cars
at Indy, two car teams to run three and the four-car AGR team would have
to run five. That team, with the Michael Andretti entry, has already
complied. Today I'll take a look at which of the entries are serious
month-long efforts, which can be expected to be 2nd-week runs and who has
stepped up with an extra entry or two for some high-rental garage space.
As it turns out 11 or 12 IndyCar teams (depending on how you count the
combined Fernandez efforts) have stepped up to do their part in filling
the field. In addition there are several one-off Indy efforts as well, in
the past those efforts have been a part of what makes Indy so special. The
most interesting of those; and the most mysterious, is the C+S Motorsport
entry of two at-least former Newman Hass employees in what appears to be
former Newman Hass run equipment (see more on this under the listed
entry).
I think this year we will
again have more than a full field and some bumping. It had been three
years since we had a contested field of 33 at Indy until last year for a
couple of reason's, here's my take on that.
1. After the first purpose built and designed IRL cars were built in 1997
with a designed in chassis cycle of three years, with each new cycle and
the need for teams to buy all-new chassis, some original teams didn't have
the funds and fell by the wayside. In the 2000 and 2003 seasons, car
counts, both for the IRL and the Indy 500 became an issue, and we have had
short fields at Indy and now in IndyCar as a result. Just as an aside and
an opinion, we now are hearing of talks about some sort of an
accommodation between IndyCar and the CCWS that would result in an end to
the ten year-plus split that has torn the sport apart. Whether or not that
happens, one of the possible scenarios
would have the combined series use an already designed but not yet
produced DP01 chassis built for the CCWS by Panoz. While the CCWS is
needful of a new chassis design if they are to be a stand-alone series,
IndyCar has stated that they are very happy with their present chassis,
and see no need for a change. I think that we have seen enough in the
past of the cost of new chassis driving teams from the sport that if we
haven't learned that lesson by now, requiring at least half or better of
the teams needed to build the new series to buy un-needed new equipment
would be a roadblock nobody needs and would be a tough obstacle for a new merged
series to overcome, perhaps dooming it to failure. There is enough
used IndyCar equipment for marginal CCWS teams to acquire, while their
well-funded teams wouldn't have a problem buying new Dallara and Panoz
IndyCar equipment, they would have had to buy the DP01 anyway.
2. In the past, since
Toyota and Honda drove Infiniti out of the IRL and joined Chevy in a
three-manufacturer support of series teams, there has been a reluctance of
one engine manufacturer to support an extra Indy qualifying attempt that
would remove another manufacturer's supported entry from the 500. Doing
that could have resulted in expensive and un-needed tit-for-tat reprisals.
Therefore, when the field reached a somewhat contrived 33 entries, there
was no further bumping. Last year Toyota broke with that practice in
allowing AJ Foyt an additional engine in support of an AJ Foyt attempted
run by Felipe Giaffone that removed the embarrassingly slow run of Arie
Luyendyk Jr. from the field and perhaps prevented a lack of speed induced
black flag in the 500 for the kid. Now that we have a Honda only field, I
think qualifying will be more "open," and if someone has the
speed, or we can get back to Bump Day afternoon deals, some of the
excitement of Indy's past can be rekindled.
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In order to better understand the Indy
500 P&Q system, I've edited out the fluff and listed the entries by
teams, with the lowest car numbers first. Note; green
numbers indicate actual cars, either known to exist or visually
confirmed.
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Andretti Green Racing...
CAR NUMBER, DRIVER/HOMETOWN, CHASSIS/ENGINE/TIRES
1/1T, Michael
Andretti,
Nazareth
,
PA
, D/H/F
7/7T, Bryan
Herta,
Valencia
,
CA
, D/H/F
11/11T, Tony
Kanaan,
Salvador
,
Bahia
,
Brazil
, D/H/F
26/26T, Marco
Andretti (R), Nazareth
,
PA
, D/H/F
27/27T, Dario
Franchitti,
Edinburgh
,
Scotland
, D/H/F
Note;
Michael Andretti is going to take perhaps his last try at winning the Indy
500, ostensibly in order to run the race with his son Marco, a rookie in
IndyCar and Indy this year. Michael may regret not running last year, with
the AGR/Honda domination of 2005, Andretti may have had his best chance at
winning the 500 ever. That isn't to say that Michael won't win this year,
he will have an engine that might just may be the most reliable ever to
race the 500, but his team will be on a somewhat equal footing now with
both Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Those two teams weren't
going to win Indy last year with Toyota's, between them they are even
money in my book to win this year. Before someone sends me an E-mail about
Hornish leading the 500 last year, he only led as long as the AGR guys let
him.
How do I think Marco will do? While he won't be the sensation Danica was
last year, Indy loves road racers, and Marco will have a road racer's
chance at doing well. Not winning mind you, but having a respectable
result. The same can be said for AGR road racers Tony Kanaan and Bryan
Herta, but the AGR road racer that is an Indy student and is focused of
winning far more than I would have thought is Dario Franchitti. Just
before Robert Sanders took the picture of Herta, Franchitti, Marco
Andretti and Kanaan shown below, I was standing with the four and
listening to Dario talk about some of the things that make winning Indy so
difficult and makes him want to win it so badly. that was some
conversation, one of those I consider myself fortunate to have heard.
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Vision Racing...
2/2T, Tomas Scheckter, Cape Town, South
Africa, D/H/F
20/20T Ed Carpenter, Indianapolis, IN, D/H/F
22, Roberto Moreno,
D/H/F (someone I trust told me this was a done
deal)
90, Townsend Bell, D/H/F (confirmed).
Note that the naming of T Bell as the driver of what is to be assumed
is the #22 car just a rumor for now, based on a Monday report on an
Indianapolis TV station. Hollywood actor Justin Timberlake was rumored to
be assisting Bell in securing an Indy 500 ride, and with fellow actor
Patrick Dempsey already in an ownership position with Vision Racing I have
wonder if the Indy TV station is just trying to connect the dots. Vision
having three entries ads credence to the report that every IndyCar team is
"expected" to field or support one extra Indy entry.
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Marlboro Team Penske...
3/3T, Helio
Castroneves,
São Paulo
,
Brazil
, D/H/F
6/6T, Sam
Hornish Jr.,
Defiance
,
Ohio
, D/H/F
Entry 3, no number/driver/chassis specified.
Entry 4, no number/driver/chassis specified.
Notes; now that Team Penske has the power of the Honda, many feel that
when all things are equal, that MTP is at more "equal" than the
rest of the field. also that, because of funding and team history/ability,
Team Penske is actually at an advantage. As it has turned out, MTP has won
one of two IndyCar events this year, and but for an ill-timed caution flag
at Homestead, may have won them both. Of course IF Scott Dixon didn't have
wing issues, or didn't pit at St. Pete... So much for the woulda, coulda,
shoulda's, let's look at MTP's chances at Indy. If I was writing a Sports
Book "line" in Vegas I would have to rate Team Penske's Indy
entries at less than even money, and give the nod to Hornish over
Castroneves. When all things are "equal," I rate Hornish as the
fastest oval track driver in the series. Sam has had his Indy issues in
the past, but has paid his dues and has his best chance of winning Indy
this time around. As I have mentioned with the Michael Andretti comments,
"this Honda engine may be the best, most reliable engine ever to run
the Indy 500." That doesn't mean the luck of the draw won't deliver
the one and only "hand-grenade" to either Michael, Sam or anyone
else for that matter.
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Panther Racing...
4/4T, Vitor
Meira,
Brasilia
,
Brazil
, D/H/F
Entry 2, D/H/F, no number/driver specified.
Entry 3, D/H/F, no number/driver specified.
Please note that even after sales and auctions, Panther Racing still
has enough equipment and people in place to still be an Indycar and Indy
500 contender. With Vitor Meira driving: they have arguably the best
driver yet to win an IndyCar event in their primary car. Whoever gets to
drive any possible 2nd entry, whether Tomas Enge, who ran a Panther car
last year but may drive for Cheever this year at Indy, or anyone else,
that entry has to be considered a contender as well. One of Panther
racing's goals has always been to win the Indy 500.
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Dreyer &
Reinbold Racing...
5/5T, Buddy Lazier, Vail,
CO,
D/H/F
31/31T, Al Unser JR.,
Albuquerque
,
NM, D/H/F
Through several sources
and team quotes we have heard that the reason D&R missed the
open test at IMS was that they were busy putting a 3rd car
together, and they had almost enough parts to put a 4th together
for Indy as well. As poorly as they have been running, I'd like to
see them with just two good ones. Having two Indy winners that are
both good with Indy setups, missing the test shouldn't hurt too
much, but it sure hurt me seeing Buddy Lazier walking around IMS
without a car to drive.
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Delphi Fernandez Racing...
8/8T, Scott
Sharp,, Norwalk, CT, D&P/H/F
Sharp has been an Indy poll sitter in the past, and this is a very
good team, a team that won once last year. Sharp looked very fast in the
Fernandez Dallara at the Indy open test earlier this month.
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Target Chip Ganassi Racing...
9/9T, Scott Dixon, Auckland
,
New Zealand, D/H/F
10/10T, Dan Wheldon, Emberton
,
England, D/H/F
33/33T, P/H/F, no driver specified.
Note that while at the TCGR shop in Indy, one of the question's I asked was
how many Dallara and Panoz cars they had? The answer was four Panoz and six
Dallara's, with the 5th and 6th in the final assembly process. Those two cars
were being built for the 500. Also while at the shop for dinner and a press
conference/shop tour, Mike Hull said the team was conceding nothing to Team
Penske at Indy, and the goal was to "win" every practice session, the
pole position and the race. They are already 1-1, having "won" the
test day.
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Playa Del Racing...
12/12T Jon Herb, Chicago, IL, P/H/F
21/21T, P/H/F, Jaques Lazier, Vail
CO, P/H/F
Note the graphics on the #21 car were done by Eads Graphics, Clint Eads
provided the graphics for the masthead for this site, great work again Clint.
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A.J. Foyt Enterprises...
14/14T, Felipe
Giaffone, São Paulo
,
Brazil
, D/H/F
41/41T, Larry Foyt, Houston, TX, P&D/H/F
48, D/H/F, no driver specified.
Note, last year AJ Foyt two Dallara's and one Panoz, he had been reported
as buying one of the Panther Dallara's at auction, so Foyt may have the four of
the five cars "entered." Foyt's team was one of the few
regular Indycar teams not at the IMS open test.
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Rahal Letterman Racing...
15/15T, Buddy Rice,
Phoenix, AZ, P/H/F
16/16T, Danica
Patrick, Roscoe, IL, P/H/F
17/17T, Jeff Simmons, Hartford, CT, P/H/F
Notes: last year Buddy Rice, the defending Indy winner, was injured in a
practice crash and couldn't defend his title. The year before Rice dominated
the race in winning after rain brought the race to an end under caution several
laps from the finish. I doubt it changed the outcome, but I also doubt Rice,
Patrick, Simmons or anyone else with a Panoz will dominate this year. In 2004
the Panoz (then called a G Force) won several races and may have had an
advantage over the Dallara. Whatever that advantage may have been, Panoz car's
lost it last year as Scott Sharp was the only Panoz driver to win. This year
RLR is the only team slated to run the Panoz in all the races, but I'm not sure
that's "cast in stone." At the RLR portion of the 2006 IMS Media
Tour, during the one-on-one sessions with the media, I overheard one RLR driver
say that "they wouldn't rule out trying Dallara's at Indy if they
needed to." I won't say which driver it was, but I'll eliminate
Simmons, who ran well in a Mo Nunn car at Indy in 2004 and was one of the pleasant
surprises of the race.
Last year RLR got caught up in the excitement of Danica setting the pace in all
of the practice sessions after she found speed early in the first week. That
may have hurt her, because other drivers, when they saw her in the mirror, just
let her go. Come race day, Danica was unprepared to make contested passes, and
probably couldn't have won even if her car was a little better. This year
IndyCar has eliminated her supposed weight advantage, and she will also have to
contend with former Toyota team's that have Honda engines now, and a rivalry
that is shaping up between MTP/AGR and TCGR. That said, I have often mentioned
that Danica also has an advantage because of her short stature and small helmet
size, which doesn't impede the airflow into the engine air inlet above the
driver's head. If the Panoz will support the speed, Danica still could top a
speed chart or two, and be a pole contender. While I'm not sure she'll win the
pole, a front row starting position for her his very likely, and unless she has
trouble or runs into a sophomore jinks, issue, she won't start further back
than the 2nd row.
In 2004 Rice came in under the radar, barely running in the top five or ten in
practice as he quietly worked on race setups all month. If the Panoz will
support his quest for a 2nd Indy win, Rice will be a contender. Simmons doesn't
have any Panoz seat time, but he'll get some at Motegi. He'll do well at Indy.
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Here's Danica in the car at the Indy test, look
at the distance between that little helmet and the air inlet above her, that
unobstructed air passage is one advantage they can't "rule" away from
her, unless they make her sit on a "NYC" phone book.
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PDM Racing...
18, Thiago Medeiros, P/H/F
Please note; as far as I know, "the little team that could" has
the people to run a "program," if hired to do so, as they did last
year for Marty Roth, but Roth appears to be running his own operation this
year, so the best we can expect from PDM is a 2nd week, last minute deal using
leased equipment to fill the field of 33. With many extra entries being run,
you can be sure the people still involved with PDM won't be out of work on race
day, even if they don't get a chance to run a car.
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Cheever Racing...
51/51T, Eddie
Cheever, Phoenix, AZ, D/H/F
52, D/H/F, no driver specified.
Notes; from what remains of Cheever's 2005 effort there is enough rolling
stock to support two entries. Cheever has run the first two ICS races this
year, finishing 10th at Homestead, four laps down, and 11 at St. Pete, one lap
back at a place where the road racer in him should have brought him a much
better result. Just when I began to wonder if this team, which was so good with
a damn poor Toyota engine program last year; had anything good left in them
this year, Cheever ran 7th at the IMS open test! Eddie won't be in the car this
week at Motegi, having a conflict with his now Porsche powered Grand AM team at
Virginia International Raceway. Instead Tomas Enge of the Czech Republic will
run the car. Enge, who had a stellar winter in the A1GP Series, and got better
with every race with Panther Racing last year, will get everything out of the
Cheever car it has at Motegi, but if he is to drive the #52 at Indy he will
have to bring Cheever's #51 home in one piece this Saturday at Motegi. Quite
frankly, that has been a major issue with Enge in the past. Again, if as
rumored, every team has been induced to field an additional Indy entry, Team
Cheever will "run-two" at Indy, or try. Whether or not it will be
Enge in the 2nd car, or if Cheever will turn to 2005 ICS standout Patrick
Carpentier remains to be seen.
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Super Aguri Fernandez Racing...
55/55T,
Kosuke Matsuura,
Aichi
,
Japan
, D/H/F
Notes; between the "SAF" entry and the "Delphi
Fernandez" effort of Scott Sharp, this is the only regular IndyCar team
that hasn't at least entered another "TBA." That isn't to say that
they couldn't run one of the backup cars entered for either driver, and Adrian
Fernandez could again return to Indy. Fernandez, who was so good at Indy in
2004, finishing 7th, had a dismal 500 in 2005 running a car fielded by Mo Nunn
and supported by some of the members of his own team. Last year Adrian was 14
to 16 cars still running at the finish, 3 laps down to the winner, finishing in
the same position he started. I find one thing interesting about this entry,
the backup car is listed as a Dallara and Sharp is using one as his primary car
as well, with a Panoz as a backup. That would mean that the combined Fernandez
efforts would have 3 Dallara's at their disposal, I think they only have two.
That might be possible, as the team acquired some of the Kelley Racing assets
when that team folded at the end of 2004, and they were Dallara only, but
supposedly most of the Kelley equipment went to Tony George and Vision Racing.
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Luyendyk Racing...
61/61T, Arie Luyendyk
Jr. (R),
Scottsdale
,
AZ, P/H/F
Notes;
Arie Jr. made a 2nd week rookie run at last years 500, and between weather
issues and one wall contact, ran out of time and talent after not having the
means or a car available to make the ROP program at the start of the month.
With long-time Arie Luyendyk Sr. associate's and Panoz specialists Skip Faul
and Tim Wardrop involved in this effort, all the talent is in place with
this team except that of the young driver. I can only hope that this year the
team has the funds and/or the speedway requires the kid to run ROP or not run
at all. With the Dallara now the IndyCar of choice for most of the teams, there
are plenty on Panoz cars available, so I have no reason to doubt this team has
at least one car and at least enough parts and pieces to put another together,
they may need both.
Earlier I showed the picture you now see below and guessed it could be a 3rd
TCGR entry, I have just learned that the car has been leased to Luyendyk Racing
for Arie Jr. to run at Indy, so at least we now have a "before"
picture. Faul, Wardrop and Arie Sr. will give young Arie a safe, well setup car
to try and put in the field. Hopefully they will bring him along slowly and get
him in the show. I wonder if Arie Sr. will go through the "refresher"
process and at least set the car up for his son, or better still, get another
car and run with him.
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Carmelo Hemelgarn Racing...
91/91T, PJ Chesson
(R), Far Hills, NJ, D/H/F
Notes; I know that this team has at least two Dallara's and with Carmelo
Anthony and Gene Simmons' help, enough funding as well. Ron Hemelgarn and his
people, with outside funding in place, can produce a decent effort, and the
team knows Indy. Chesson has been a pleasant surprise so far this season as
well. The book on PJ in the past was that he crashes early and often in finding
his way in a new series, but other than some off-street excursions that could
be expected of a rookie on a street course, Chesson has been safe and proven to
be a quick study. PJ was unable to take part in the IMS open test because of
his ROP requirements, Chesson will run this week at Motegi, and if all goes
well there and all the equipment is still intact, will next be seen when IMS
opens for Indy 500 practice with ROP on May 7th.
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Hemelgarn Racing...
92/92T, Jeff
Bucknum, Glendale, CA, D/H/F
93, D/H/F, no
driver specified.
Notes; this could be a part of the urged/supported IndyCar
Indy 500 effort rumor that I have often eluded to, although I
don't know where the Dallara's would come from, it seems to me
that all the available Hemelgarn rolling stock is committed to the
Chesson effort. That said, one of Ron Hemelgarn's lot's in life
has been to run Indy 500 "programs" for other people,
and that may be what this deal is. Bucknam's sponsor this year and
last in his D&R supported efforts at Motegi and rookie run at
Indy was Investment Properties of America, so this appears
to be a real effort although the "93" may just be
"garage space."
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Sam Schmidt
Motorsports...
#88 Airton Dare
P/H/F How do I know, even I can figure out this much,
afirmou Daré, que correrá com um Panoz/Honda de número 88.
and a friend from Brazil who is staying here at my house did a
translation from the TSO report and she says that Dare will be in
the car on Thursday May 11th.
Notes; everything "TBA" here, even the car number,
but Sam has worked with Team Penske in the past, and if it is true
that IndyCar/IMS "desires" all teams to make an
additional Indy entry, Team Penske probably would be the last to
run three (but man do I wish they would). I expect that they would
comply though, but channel the effort through SSM. As for cars
that Sam ran in the past, he had at least one Penske Panoz, but
that car was at least up for sale at one of the off-season
auctions.
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Here is my
"MIA" list of the many "names" not heard from
yet...
I don't know how long it has been since there was an Indy 500
without a Beck Motorsports attempt at the race. The team may have
tried and failed to make one other Indy 500 besides last year in
the IRL era, when Tyce Carlson was destroying every car he sat in
one year. I also remember many Beck efforts in the early to
mid-90's as well. Beck ran Arie Jr. last year and still had all
four wheels on the car when Arie was done and bumped from the
field. There were also reports he bought one of the TCGR 2005
Dallara's as well. So unless he sold it, Beck Motorsports still
has a car and even without an entry, "substitutions" can
be made by entered teams and a beck alliance would still be
possible, and Greg Beck still knows his way around Indy.
As for possible drivers, here's my short list;
1. Alex Barron
2. Patrick Carpentier
3. Tomas Enge
4. Sarah Fisher (rumored to have TG support)
5. Roberto Moreno
6. Bruno Junqueira
7. Sebastien Bourdais
8. Adrian Fernandez
9. Jaques Lazier
10. PJ Jones
These remaining two drivers are just names tossed into the hat.
11. Jimmy Vasser
12. Max Papis
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