Running 2023 Motorsports thread

Mario Andretti and AJ Foyt both won the Daytona 500.

 

Andretti drive for Holman Moody in 1967, Foyt for the Wood brothers in 1972. Two top teams. The problem today is a top IndyCar driver can't get a one-off with a top team. (Knowing people helped as well: Andretti's Ford connection paved the way for his Holman Moody ride; Foyt and Glen Wood had worked together before.)

 

It's a question that comes up a lot. Actually, it's two questions: Why don't more drivers from other series run the Daytona 500/Indy 500? And why don't they do better?

It's expensive to do a competitive one-off ride in either race but the cost is probably the easiest hurdle to overcome. It's more about contracts and rules.

Short answer to Question No. 1: Manufacturer/sponsor obligations and NASCAR's charters/team limits.

Let's say Josef Newgarden asks Roger Penske to put him in a Verizon car for the Daytona 500. Right off the bat, there's a problem. Newgarden drives a Chevrolet in IndyCar, but Penske races Fords in NASCAR. I'm certain his driver's contract wouldn't allow that. Team Penske has three full-time Cup teams to worry about and adding a one-0ff ride spreads their resources, particularly since there are only four non-guaranteed spots in the 40-car field.

On the other hand, Kyle Larson would go from Chevy in NASCAR to Chevy at Indy in 2024, and the major stumbling block there is the number of engine leases that Chevrolet has available for the 500. And Arrow McLaren has lots of experience at putting together a usually successful* third race program in IndyCar.

*Fernando Alonzo might disagree.

The answer to Question No. 2 is a lot more complicated and requires another post.

 

I wonder what those guys who work on the one-off Indy entries do for the rest of the year. Are they just from the team's full-time cars and working on both their car and the one-off? Are they mechanics in other series who pitch in for the month (well, two weeks now)? The latter seems suboptimal, for a variety of reasons.

 

No idea about Indy, but I know a bit about the PT Nascar rides (Pastrana & Jimmie Johnson at Daytona, for example). One of the mechanics on the Johnson entry was Bozi Tatarevic, who's a favorite follow on Twitter. He's a full time IMSA mechanic (Vasser Sullivan), who has added the PT Nascar gig for this season. Pastrana's ride was staffed by mostly 23XI shop folks. My cousin's son worked his way up the NASCAR mechanic ladder, eventually becoming part of the travel party with Stewart Haas & now 23XI. After getting married & having their first kiddo, he no longer wanted to travel, so transitioned to the shop, building / (mostly) rebuilding cars full time. He was crew rostered for the Pastrana car.

 

Beth Paretta's one-off for Simona DeSilvestra in 2021 was an interesting concept. First, it was a "technical partnership" with Penske, which allowed that team to not only get engineering data support from the best team in the sport but also extensive over-the-wall training for the women who pitted that car. That was a huge leap in the learning curve that a lot of startups never get.

Used to be there were "experienced" pit crew people all around the Indianapolis area that could fill in in a pinch, but I don't know if that's how Ed Carpenter operates a third team for the 500. I'm assuming Juncos uses their road racing or Indy Lights crew.

 

Bozi is a neat follow on Twitter.

 

"The racing's great" for the drivers but nobody's passing anybody. The winner of the first stage has gone on to win the race four of the past five trips there. And guess what? The weather in February ain't always that great -- consider there are blizzard warnings in the mountains -- and I sat through a long night where the jet dryers made more laps than the Cup cars because it just wouldn't stop misting.

But it was worse Labor Day weekend when your shoes would actually stick to the asphalt in the garage area.

Riverside was a great track that was worth more as a housing project and shopping center. Ontario suffered from being built right at the start of the oil crisis and decade-long deflation. Southern California has a great car culture but that doesn't always translate to wanting to sit in grandstands watching identical wheeled sponsor billboards go around in circles.

 

NASCAR: "We're building an exciting new short track at Fontana!"

Reason: NASCAR has sold off almost all the land. If they're going to go the short track route, they can buy Irwindale and make it into a suitable Cup facility.

 

If NASCAR can't race in SoCal this weekend because of the weather, I'll chuckle.

 

It’s certainly a better idea than going to Rockingham and Richmond in late February. Fans at those races should’ve received medals.