Here’s another thing that needs to be kept in mind. How many guys running sprint cars have access to speak with million dollar sponsors? Sponsors on the dirt track level don’t have the funds to sponsor an IndyCar. Years ago a “smaller sponsor” could still help get to Indy, it can’t now. Take Big Game Tree Stands in WoO (using that since that series goes coast to coast), you think they would have the funds to sponsor an IndyCar if they wanted to? Not likely. Drivers that deal with sponsors on a smaller scale don’t have access to speak with those sponsors that can make a difference. So unless it becomes much cheaper or teams start finding more of their own money and then hiring, it’s going to be hard. If RB can keep things moving in the right direction, then maybe the latter will happen more. There is actual hope that might happen with him in charge, there was no hope before. Your driving should be your resume, but it’s not like that anymore. I don’t like it, but a driver either works hard to come up with something or they don’t move up. At least IndyCar now sees that it’s important to have short track guys again.

A foreign driver in many cases has more access to speak with those high dollar sponsors. Also, they can race much cheaper in the US than overseas so the money goes further. I read today that the money Dragon is getting for Tung is allowing them to run a second car which Scott Speed will drive. So do you take money from China and run two cars or take no money and run 0 cars? Hate it that those are the rules, but it is what it is. Personally, I just ignore those drivers I don’t care about. Speed I’m interested in seeing how he does, Tung I’m not because I don’t know anything about him…can’t relate to where he came from racing-wise (has nothing to do with where he is from). The key for fan is to be able to say, I saw that driver run X the last 3 years, now I want to follow them to see how they do. That’s how Nascar is for me. To me, that’s not racing. But I do check periodically to see how the guys I follow are doing. I can’t watch the whole thing because it bores me. Then only thing that has me check in are the drivers.