IndyCar Silly Season

[Down F0rce]

Keep your Eyes on Team Cheever next year. Now with a Toyta powerplanet and a stronger driver line up, they are gonna go places...

[Tim Northcutt]

Indy Star reports this morning that Danica will test next week at Phoenix (we knew they would, but not exactly when) and that most of the funding for the third car is now in place...so Rahall is planning to run a 3-car team...

Also Ganassi is planning to test some drivers, including Ryan Hunter-reay (which we already heard through the rumor mill) for his 3-car effort....

So both of those teams have confirmed that they will have what will be needed in place for 3-car efforts next season...

[Down F0rce]

Great, more cars on the grid. I do wonder who else Ganassi will test, unless they have thier hearts on RHR...

[GP Racer]

Still alot of questions remain -

1-D&R wants to field 2 cars, will Gaiffone remain, and with what engines? No news at all from these guys.

2-Where will Scott Sharp wind-up?

3-Will this Playa Del Racing team happen, and will Ed Carpenter get the drive?

4-Who will drive the third cars for Cheever, Ganassi, and Rahal?

5-Will Fernandez field a third car, and who will drive it?

6-Mo Nunn is still searching for a driver. I hear that PJ Chesson wants out of his MIPS deal, because he thinks he can get an IRL drive...

7-Whats up with Panther? Will T Bell and the Menards car be back?

8-Will Access be back, and if so, with one or two cars? Who will drive? Mark Taylor remains unsigned.

9-Will AJ Foyt be back? He lost his sponsorship, and doesn't want to go road racing.

10-Is Enge signed with Patrick for next season?

Alot of loose ends need to be tied-up. I thought we would have more answers by now, but many teams havn't said boo about their plans for next season...

[Down F0rce]

Danica Patrick is a shoe-in for the third Rahal car...not heard a lot else...

I hope there are some more announcements soon...

[GP Racer]

I'd love to see RHR get that third seat at Ganassi. I've been a fan of his since he came up.

He's made his dislike of the IRL known in the past, but I guess it goes to show you, as an open wheel driver in America these days, you don't talk ill of the other series, because you never know where you could wind up!

[BootsOntheSide]

Shapr at Panther, Menard leaving the team, and Townsend Bell forced to go elsewhere looks like the mostly likely situation. Actually, thinking out loud, maybe he'd be good for the third Cheever car, as he's already Red Bull backed?

Danika Patrick should get the Rahal drive. Whether Patrick Racing will continue, and with which driver, is anyone's guess - Pat may not feel that it's worth it, and the Chevvy situation could be the final straw.

[stmookeyj033]

Originally posted by GP Racer
Still alot of questions remain -

1-D&R wants to field 2 cars, will Gaiffone remain, and with what engines? No news at all from these guys.

2-Where will Scott Sharp wind-up?

3-Will this Playa Del Racing team happen, and will Ed Carpenter get the drive?

4-Who will drive the third cars for Cheever, Ganassi, and Rahal?

5-Will Fernandez field a third car, and who will drive it?

6-Mo Nunn is still searching for a driver. I hear that PJ Chesson wants out of his MIPS deal, because he thinks he can get an IRL drive...

7-Whats up with Panther? Will T Bell and the Menards car be back?

8-Will Access be back, and if so, with one or two cars? Who will drive? Mark Taylor remains unsigned.

9-Will AJ Foyt be back? He lost his sponsorship, and doesn't want to go road racing.

10-Is Enge signed with Patrick for next season?

Alot of loose ends need to be tied-up. I thought we would have more answers by now, but many teams havn't said boo about their plans for next season...

I'll try my best but no guarantees.....

1. Unless someone came with cash and/or sponsors don't expect D&R to be 2 cars. Don't know about Giaffone, and they'll probably run Chevy's.

2. Sharp to either Ganassi, Fernandez (Answers Q5 possibly) or maybe even Panther.

3. Looks like it will happen with Carpenter in one seat.

4. Don't bet on Cheever 3rd car, Ganassi probably Sharp or Hunter-Reay but that could be a possible partial sched only. Rahal probably same boat with Patrick.

6. No Idea

7. Menards is pulling out altogether (or so I heard), so I don't know where that leaves Bell.

8. If Access returns, it would be a 1 car with Taylor likely to pilot it. And that's a BIG if.

9. He'll be at Indy, but not too certain apart from that.

10. Don't bet on Patrick Racing being on the grid next season.

[GP Racer]

Some interesting notes from IndyStar:

Danica Patrick is scheduled to test at Phoenix next week for Rahal Letterman Racing. The funding is nearly in place for a three-car effort, team general manager Scott Roembke said. Patrick would join Meira and Buddy Rice. . . .

Ganassi Racing also plans to add a third IRL car next year. The team plans to test two drivers, including Champ Car's Ryan Hunter-Reay, later this month. . . .

Kathryn Nunn tested six female drivers at Texas Motor Speedway for her Menards Infiniti Pro Series program. Nunn said she'd like to have a two-car women's team next season. . . .

1 - so Danica looks like a shoe-in as the third Rahal driver.

2 - we knew about the RHR test, but who could the second driver be?

3 - and it looks like an all-female team in the IPS for Mo Nunns wife. That would leave PJ Chesson out, and wasn't his brother also racing with the same team? Wonder what they'll be up to!?

[Kicking-back]

Originally posted by GP Racer


2 - we knew about the RHR test, but who could the second driver be?

Probably Luis Diaz.

[Tim Northcutt]

That's my guess, too....he took his ROP for the IRL last April at Indy, so he would be good to go...and he did quite well, according to media reports at that time...

[BootsOntheSide]

I'm sure Chip would prefer RHR - he's got more experience, theoretically more potential, and he's American.

[Kicking-back]

I'd prefer RHR too.

It would be good to get another Mexican in the field somewhere, it would help with bringing one of the Mexican races onto the schedule in 2006.

[luke]

RHR has had plenty of offers to the IRL over the past few years like several other drivers (Jourdain Jr.) and has ambitions set on F1, and states that Champ Cars are the place to be for F1.

[Kicking-back]

Maybe, but Ganassi will pay him a salary - he won't get that in ChampCar most likely.