34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

There are 26 full season IRL teams participating at Homestead-Miami this weekend.
Twenty-five will take the green tomorrow night as the Graham Rahal entry was withdrawn after a practice crash on Tuesday.

You can see the starting grid at www.indycar.com ; Scott Dixon won the pole.

These 26 regular season teams will go to Indy .... need 7 more for the 33 car starting field -

These 7 drivers are either already confirmed for an "Indy only" entry for '08 ... or , are close to a deal.

1- Sarah Fisher
2- Max Papis
3- Townsend Bell
4- Jon Herb
5- Al Unser Jr.:thumb
6- Davey Hamilton
7- Stephan Gregoire

There's the field of 33 perhaps , but no "bumping" yet ... Who could be missing ?

8- ________________
9- ________________
10-________________
11-________________
12-________________


Paul Gray :greenflag: www.paulgray28.com

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

didnt robby gordon already verbally commit to doing the 500 and the 600??

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Jimmy Kite

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

I got a 1990 ranger, affectionately named the "thunderbolt grease slapper" I would be willing to enter it. It's not much to look at, but it's scary slow.:greenflag::D In all seriousness, there is a month before practice starts, I think (hope) Tony will make sure there are enough teams/cars to not have bump day a joke.

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Some teams have extra cars that are used as backups. Once their regular cars are in the show some of those would be available for a driver that can bring a one race sponsorship. Might add a car or two to the mix.

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

It's sad that between the two series, they still have to scrape the bottom of the barrel to get 33 participants. It just shows one how dire the situation was in ChampCar. Not to say that the IRL was in financial paradise.

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

In years past IRL only had 18 regulars and still found a way to bump one or two cars each year.

This year I am expecting around 40 cars



Is it even possible to do a double anymore with the change in starting time

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

OK, so the "traditional" field at Indy is 33 cars. But in this day of high prices and lousy economic times, in addition to fewer Indy entrants, does 33 have to be the "sacred" number?

Maybe Indy needs to cut the field to 28 or 24 - if you want to see bumping, that's one way to make it happen....Or they could change it from a spec series(Dallara/Honda) to a series where teams could choose to build or buy cars, as they saw fit.

Let's face it, for the most part, cars that qualify 24th to 33rd(in speed) are, for the most part, field fillers, not competitive racers. And I'm not demeaning their efforts to race at Indy - I'm just recognizing them for what they are.....And less cars should earn a few more bucks for the teams that do end up in the race....

But that's just my opinion - but some folks think that tradition is very important.

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Of course, for the most part, you are correct. But, on occasion, one of those backmarkers puts on quite a show. Scott Goodyear coming from 33rd and last in '92 to give Al Unser Jr. the race of his life to the checkered flag is one of the most compelling finishes in the history of the 500.

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

For me, 33 is a must. That's my standard for continuing to order my seats. I don't particularly agree with shrinking the field in order create an artificial bump day, either. With economic times the way they are, especially in openwheel racing, sending anyone home is a sin. They depend on that Indy money to stay above water. I would rather not see bumping at all if it means one of the better financed teams pulling out a back up car and knocking one of the smaller/poorer teams out of the show. Until they can get this sport's ship righted, they need to be very careful how they treat their lower budget competitors.

Less than 33 at Indy would be the symbolic "nail in the coffin" for Indy car racing.

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

By May I'm sure Patrick and Dario will have had so much of their fill of fender racing they will be chomping at the bit to get back in a Dallara.

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Who Cares! When They Get Back To Midgets And Sprint Car Driver Racing Indy Most American Open Wheel Fans Could Care Less!!!!!!

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

You're right Duke and I don't understand why these car owners and management can't see that.

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

This is a popular belief of people that wish there was only two types of racing Open wheel and closed wheel.

This is so wrong and is like saying Cup and DP are the same because they are closed wheel

Not all open wheel fans are sprint car fans and not all closed wheel fans are NASCAR fans

Most open wheel fans do care and the 500 will have more people in attendance then USAC National Sprints or Midgets will for the for the ENTIRE season

Half the field is American. Which is a shock in itself because the FIRST boarding race school is about to open. The thing most people do not relize is these Forgein drivers are better educatated in marketing and the way the car works which gives them the advantage in talking to engineers and sponsers then the majority of natural born drivers.

Face it the way to Indy is through through Carts on road courses

But some people are never happy and will never be happy and always remembers how great things were and refuse to see how great things are or can be and that hurts the sport more then not having dirt track racers at Indy

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

What Hurts Racing At Indy Is That You Don't Know The Drivers Or There Names Till They Show Up At Indy With There Check Books! Try This Take All The Open Wheel Drivers That Went To Nascar And Add 20 More Like Dave Darland The Jones's Tracy Hines (ect) And You Would Pack The Place Like The Good Old Days! Can You Remember When The First Day Of Time Trials Where PackED? I Can! No I'am Not Happy! BeEN Going There Since 1946! Seen A Lot Of Changes But When It Become All Rear Engine Cars And Rich Guys Buying Rides Its Went To Hell! Been There!

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

The top quality rides are still not bought by people with check books they are bought by talent and SOME of the second teir seats are there because of someones check book got opened but that is the same as it is in almost every series and most of those second teir seats would not be there if noone opened up the wallet because some one needs to foot the bill


You could never be more incorrect about not knowing the drivers until they show up. I know plenty of the drivers before they sit in their first indy car because I am race fan and follow several different series all over the globe not just the narrow version of what is in front of me.

90% of Indy car drivers were succesful in open wheel rear engined cars on circits you have never cared to learn about before they ever got to the IRL

If you want technoligy that stopped 40 years ago then watch NASCAR if you want to watch a fluid series with a car that is constantly evolving that is has some of the top engineers designing some of the fastest and safest race cars in America then watch the IRL

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

SUPERDUKE should know better... :kookoo

If you are driving Midgets and/or Sprints and you want to make it to Indy , you'll at least need a grandstand ticket and maybe a mapquest !
Midgets / Sprints need not apply .... it's a different day !
Go to Europe ( as did Danica , Graham Rahal and many others ) , drive Formula Ford , Formula Renault , GP1 , etc. , achieve some status through accomplishments and get noticed. Return to America and tout your resume. Associate in the corporate world as you'll need some money as "ride buying" is always a viable option.

And , while we are on the subject - "NEWS FLASH" ... Karts to Quarter Midgets to Mini Sprints to 600's to full Midgets , Sprints .... it will no longer pave your road to NASCAR ! The open wheel exodus to NASCAR is over !

A lot of youngsters today are coming up just like Gordon , Stewart , Kahne , Yeley ... driving the cars and series as they did and hoping it all leads to NASCAR. Not gonna happen ! ( that dog no longer hunts ! ).

Study the path of Joey Logano. Yes , he competed in Quarter Midgets at ages 6 , 7 , 8 ...
but what followed made the difference ! Bandoleros , Legends , ASA , Hooters Pro Cup , Busch East.

Late Models. Pavement. Richard Childress will tell you that the scouts are looking at those showing great promise in Late Models... taxi cabs on pavement.

Dario , Carpentier , Hornish , Allmendinger , Villeneuve ... forget it ; not helping to open any doors from open wheel. Anybody in Charlotte and Mooresville will tell you !!

Brian Clauson may have made it in under the wire ... and he would tell you that he is under tremendous pressure to perform and attract sponsor interest. I wish him great fortune in all that lies ahead! ( I like Brian ... raced with him at Mt. Lawn in Regional Midgets a couple times ).

More like Joey Logano .... that's the latest trend. More like him. Believe it !

Paul Gray :greenflag: www.paulgray28.com

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Aint there technicallly about ten teams that only run the 500 namely Johnathan Byrd and a few others? Also Backups will be qualified and if nothing goes wrong with the main car, They will probably run.

I also think some of the exedus crew will be looking to return as a couple have already been bumped out of Napcar due to lack of sponsorship and a few poor performances or not making the races to begin with.



I was pretty impressed they managed 24-25 teams for this openener. Vs the 12-14 either could usually muster for the split series. A couple of teams didn't even make it to the track as they were having problems getting all the stuff together to run the dillara/honda so early after the merger. The teams that made it already had a jump before the announcement. and a couple teams folded, At least for 08

We may be moving on up! and besides, This first year is a reaquaintence of two already diminished series.

Chuck, looking forward to the days a few new motors and chassis are introduced. It don't mean much to some but I would love to see FORD, Chevy and others. Even Mopar get involved.

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Jonathan Byrd ( as in the Indiana "Jonathan Byrd Cafeteria 's ) sold out a number of years ago.

Ron Hemelgarn ( Hemelgarn Racing - Indianapolis ) is looking ... needs the money but has a car last driven in '07 by Richie Hearn.

PDM Racing - Indianapolis ; Owner Paul Diatlovich lives for the "500" ! Like Hemelgarn , has a car ... needs all the money. Jimmy Kite failed to make the field in '07.

Just to name a few and the last of a dying breed !

BTW - Both Hemelgarn and Diatlovich are the owners of "parked" New Generation Pavement Silver Crown cars. ( ...both pushed to the back of their shops and as one said , "wouldn't make a good boat anchor" ).

Paul Gray :greenflag: www.paulgray28.com

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

one the silver crown cars were junk to begin with, two 33 is the number i dont care what anyone says, its always been 33 should always be 33. i went for the first time last year and it was the most excited id ever been to go to a race, anywhere anytime. Ive been to eldora for the world 100, been to terre haute for the hut hundred, been to the coke 600, been to talladega been to alot of "big" but its still the INDIANAPOLIS 500 mile race. THEY CALL IT THE GREATEST SPECTACLE IN RACING FOR A REASON. three, would i be more interested in the irl if there were more usac guys o hell yes, guys that ive seen in a car before, you want to convince me that your one of the best in the world hop on the cushion in a dirt car either no fenders or even with fenders. dont get me wrong, i love the irl ive been waiting for the meger for 5 years, but it just annoys me that the irl got away from what it was meant to do, this about it 10 years ago you look at the entry list of an irl event you see names like: Tony Stewart, Billy Boat, JJ Yeley, Jason Leffler, Jack Hewitt, Davey Hamilton, hell Steve Kinser got to run the 500. jmo

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Most USAC drivers have about as much business driving a rear engined 200+ mph Indy car, as most IRL drivers do driving a 850hp 1,300lb Sprint car...

Times have changed in almost every form of motorsports, except for sprints and midgets. The only real change for them were from the Offy to the V8.

If you want to race NASCAR, start off in Modifieds and Late Models (and now Sprints & Midgets). If you want to run rear engine pavement cars (F1 or IRL), start off in Karts, Formula Renault, Formula 3 and GP2.

BTW, it IS okay to enjoy different types of racing. I find some sort of enjoyment in pretty much ALL forms of motorsports.

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Bring These Clowns To Winchester And Run A 14 Sec. Lap In A Sprint Car And Then They Can Go To The Speedway!

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Half the field is American. Which is a shock in itself because the FIRST boarding race school is about to open. The thing most people do not relize is these Forgein drivers are better educatated in marketing and the way the car works which gives them the advantage in talking to engineers and sponsers then the majority of natural born drivers.

Face it the way to Indy is through through Carts on road courses..........smbperformance



smb, I'm telling you, everytime I try to prosyletize, for the sport, all I get is "we don't know who those guys are and we don't care"! That's a fact. You can diminish the impact of the disappearing American circle tracker on Indy Car racing all you want but, you're only kidding yourself. By your theory we would never have seen the likes of Foyt, Jones, Andretti, Sneva, Johncock and Rutherford. They were all circle trackers who adapted to the rear-engine cars with ease. No, it's much more than being better educated and possessing better technical expertise, it's that most of the foreign drivers seem to come from, and bring, more money.
Another thing, we raced go-karts on both road courses and ovals. Go-karts essentially have "NO" suspensions thus, how does one gain technical expertise on setting up a formula-type car from a rigid structure like a go-kart? That's a bunch of bull but, even if what you say is true, then the powers that be in Indy car racing desparately need to develop a program to recruit and train circle trackers on the nuances of the Indy type cars and marketing. As long as foreigners dominate all of the top rides in the sport, it will never grow in this country. Danica is a girl and Marco is an Andretti, otherwise, we have no Americans in top tier rides. Hornish was the last American that was of the wrong gender or, not born into racing royalty, that landed a top tier ride.

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Hawker Your Right! Now Tell Aj Foyt Al & Bobby & Al Jr Unser Johnny Rutherford Pancho Carter Gary Bettenhausen Rick Mears Parnelli Jones And Ruby Mcelreath Andretti Mccuskey Sneva Vukovich Johncock Snider Mosley Dickson Richmond Kunzman Dallenbach Sessions Polard Grim Hulse Kenyon Foster Ward Boyd Tingelstad Branson Williams ! That They Had No Business In The Indy 500!

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Different time.....Different era........Different cars.......Different everything

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Tell Me Did You Ever Drive A Race Car

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

To be fair, Mike Groff actually qualified that car. Goodyear couldn't get enough speed out of it and was going to miss the race. That's why the car started 33rd...driver change. Goodyear did of course drive it to 2nd, but Groff put it in the show. The worst weather day I've ever been to was '92.

As for 33.... Why would you cut back from 33 just to have bumping? If you have 33 or just a few over, why send cars home just add some "excitement" to it? That makes no sense. It's been 33 forever (except on a few occations) and it needs to stay there. I think this year you'll see 40...few more, few less.

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Karts were ment as a place to start not the direct path. Karts give you the throttle control and the teaches you how to drive and choose a line. Most top teir open wheel drivers still race Karts to stay sharp when they are not racing their main car. However like someone else talked about you must leave Karts and go into formula style cars like Vee, 2000, Ford, Star Mazda..... And now the path way from Indy Lights (IPS) to the IRL is starting to opening up.


I also like BC and cheer for him every week but I am going to use him as an example because he is one we all know.

But look at the carrer path of BC and the carrer path of Montoya, Castronevas, Dixon, Servia, Kannan and other.

BC grew up racing quarters in Cali then at 13/14 moved to Indy and was running sprints and kenyons. He had success on the local series and that got him noticed getting in increasingly better and better quality cars. When he turned 16 he started racing on a national level and shortly after that he got notced and then the first thing Gannasi did was put him in pavement late models a car similar to the ones he was going to run. The only formal education that he has is from the Noblesville school district

Then if you look at the "foregin" drivers they start racing Karts at 5 or so and compete there for a couple of years until they can get accepted into a race school. Once they get into school they not only practice driving but they are taught how to present yourself, find and talk to potential sponsers and keep your sponsers and how to talk to the media. These are the things you need to do to get the bills paid as you move through the ranks which they do while they are in school on the weekends. Vechile dynamics is a vast subject and is more then a pound of air here a round of "wedge" here it is knowing the scrub radius of the tire and how you can manipulate your line and driving style corner entry and exit to change the handling caretistics of the car. This will allow the drivers and the engineers to have a more intimate releationship and get the car better sooner.

If you play hockey and want to make it to the pros and live in Canada then you go on to play in the Juniors. For years there was a lack of Americans in Pro Hockey unless they moved to Canada to play in the Juniors and now the USHL is formed and opened up that path way. If you are living outside the US and want to race for a living then go to a race school but in america you have to no direct path or formal training. Now there is going to be an american race school which will help.

Most drivers when prepairing for the jump from USAC to NASCAR spend time at a short term driving school like Fast Track or Petty's now how much better would a driver be if they started one of those schools at age 10 and it was a boarding school that they went to year round. During the week they would review last weeks races practice lines and driving styles and learn how and why the car works. Along with learning about PR and marketing. Graduates of that school would have a better chance to make it to NASCAR then some one running dirt tracks and trying to do it on their own.

It is the same if there was an open wheel boarding school in America like there aren in other countries then that would become the best way to make it to Indy

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Your Right The Same Fans That Go To Go Kart Races Are The Ones That Pack The Speedway On The First Day Of Time Trials To Watch There Former 4 Horsepower Briggs & Stranton Driver Race!

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Did you ever gradutate from college, did you ever take advanced engineering courses, do you know the finer points of calculas?

Simpliy being a driver does not automaticly mean your opinion is right as much as an education and a college degree does not make mine right

Opinions are like something else we all know about



I have been a mechanic, a crew chief, a gasman, an engineer, a designer a pit steward, a compitition director, a prompoter................

More then drivers dream about kissing the yard of bricks and drinking milk in the month of May. No one talks about how diffucult it is to become a crew member, an engineer, or a mechanic in Indy cars right now. Because of the split the money is not htere but hopefully after 2010 and the new cars the sponsers and money will return

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

And the Knoxville Nats are filled with quarter midget fans?????????


A 125 6-Speed shifter Kart is more then a lawn mower it is a 100+ mph race car

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

And You Still Have No Ideal What The American Race Fans Want To See!

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Race Car?

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

They want to see a great race, side by side action and everyone to safely return home to their families at the end of the day

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Hold on!! Scrub Radius???? You don't have to be a "racing School" educated foreigner to know about scrub radius. I'm an old circle tracker and I know all about scrub radius. I designed my first race car (a center-steer modified) so that the "scrub" of scrub radius was essentially eliminated. I did it by designing and building the front wheels in such a way that the center of the tire patch was in the exact same spot as the king pin would be if (theoretically) extended to the ground. That made the tire "pivot" on, rather than "scrape", the ground as you turned the steering wheel. It was manual steering and with the car sitting still in the garage, you could turn the front wheels and it was so easy it almost felt like the drag link was disconnected. Glad you brought that up, smb! Brought back memories of when we used to build our own cars out in the garage!!!:)

PS....there's a picture of that old modified on my web-site. Click on "auto racing" at the top of the home page and scroll down.

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Then They Should Go To The Little 500

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

I will agree with that. The Little 500 is a great race and every race fan should see it at least once

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Do any of you people remember a kid named Travis Greg(g)?? Travis and his brother Jason were "regulars" in the sprint car division at Lawrenceburg Speedway around the year 2000 and on. They weren't USAC, ASCoC or WOO drivers. They just ran locally for the most part. Well, a couple of years ago Travis came up with the funding to drive a season with Sam Schmidt Motorsports in the Infinity Pro Series of the IRL. In his very first race he qualified up front and he ran with the lead group (he did this the whole season!). I believe he even won a race, or two, that year. Travis was as good as any of them. However, once the funding dried up, he disappeared. That's the way it works in openwheel these days. These guys running sprint cars can adapt and be competitive in the Indy Cars. It's a matter of funding rather than talent. NASCAR has the $$$ to hire these kids on merit whereas, in openwheel those same kids have to bring a suitcase full of money to even get a sniff. I'm not going to disagree, though, that they should attend one of the openwheel driving schools. It can only help make the transition easier but, there is no doubt that they are capable of succeeding at that level.

PS..there is a pic of Travis in his sprinter at Lawrenceburg (circa 2004) on my web site, as well. Click "auto racing" and I believe it's the 2nd pic down (yellow #81)

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Yes ...Travis Gregg last drove in 2007 Indy Pro but maybe only a couple of events.
Drove partial season schedules in each of the last 4 years.
Was a consistantly good qualifier with front row starts and probably a couple wins.
I have not seen him mentioned anywhere as a 2008 competitor.

Paul

Re: 34 Drivers Just Barely Makes A "Bump Day"
 

Nobody said that the drivers you list had no business in the 500. They were all lucky enough to be racing Indy cars during the transition to the rear engine car. The learning curve was the same for everyone. But look at the indy 500 results as the years rolled by after the introduction of the rear engine car. Sprint and midget turned Indy 500 drivers were shuffled out in favor of drivers who tailored their careers to drive Indy type cars.