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Remember back in the '70s when somebody like the hoffmans or bill finley or the purcells had a chassis and somebody had an engine and they got together and ran the Speedway in May? That allowed guys like Dickson and Vogler and Chassey to run the 500 and make some money and let them sprint car, midget, and silver crown race the rest of the year and be able to eat all winter. How about how cool it was when a real life Indy car driver showed up at a sprint or midget event? You could recognize him by the Goodyear fire suit he wore that was given to him for running at the Speedway. Why can't this happen again? I figure there are at least 50 current IRL chassis in the world so cars aren't a problem. They have been around for a number of years so there should be as many parts for them as there were for a '72 Eagle back in the day. The problem is the insane engine lease agreement. We have to come up with a formula that would make a reasonably priced engine available for purchase for people to run an Indy car. USAC is full of great owners who deserve a shot at the biggest race in the world, Johnny Vance, Jetstar, Wilke, Rotondo- Weirich, Hoffmans, TSR, and a bunch more. The south is full of reliable 800 horsepower engines that can be had for cheap money right now and guys like Gaerte, Shaver, and Rick Long could adapt the systems to a current rear engine chassis and Indianapolis is full of great racing mechanics, fabricators, and machinists who could fit the engine in the current car. In my minds eye I see 50 cars trying to qualify at Indy with some doing well enough to venture to other races. This is probably senseless drivel to most people but it seems like the people who dream are the ones who make things happen because they move forward regardless of the naysayers. The real racers need to take Indy back and make it where a kid with talent and an owner with heart and enthusiasm can stand next to their car on the grid when Jim Nabors sings "Back Home Again In Indiana". Oh yeah, make the dirt miles a part of the national championship, too.
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