I think it takes alot of boldness to actually think you can tell who is a great driver and who isn't just by watching a wreck or two, especially if you haven't ever raced, or raced the kind of cars we are talking about. It's the old armchair quarterback talk again....
I think alot of the people on IOW wouldn't like anyone that never raced at Gas City, no matter if they were American or not. Too many people view IndyCar for what it isn't, rather than what it is.
As far as ride buying, Almost every sprint carr/midget ride I look into, you have to bring money. So what if you have to bring it to some teams in the IRL? Let the economy get much worse, and see more sponsors dropping from Nascar, and ride buying will become more prevalant there as well. ARCA has been that way for years.
I learned a long time ago, that sprint car and midget drivers aren't the only people that car drive race cars.
Oh, Rhody, Paul Tracy is Canadian.