[Rhody]

I attended the Sears Point race last year, so I don't just sit behind the keyboard and complain. I would like to see Indycar racing thrive, but the current product is not going to sell to the masses, heck it doesn't even sell to race fans. A large part of the problem is the drivers. I am an avid F1 fan, so foreign drivers can't really be an issue can they? The problem is that I don't believe that I am seeing the best drivers available. For a $50 ticket, I want to see the best! Watching the race at Sears Point, I knew that these guys and girls were not the best available drivers. Watch these people on the track and a lot of them are very ragged. I'm talking missed braking points, blown lines, overdriving the car and just an obvious lack of car control. Some are pretty good, I believe that Franchitti, Kanaan, Wheldon and Castroneves should be professional race drivers, but I also believe that Americas best Indycar driver is sitting a the house, that would be Paul Tracy. We have all seen Danica demonstrate that she has a definite talent shortcoming, as evidenced by the torn up stock cars she has been littering the track with. You can quote me all the top 10 and top 5 finishes in Indycar that you want, but that proves nothing because Indycar does not have 10 good drivers. So until one of these people can make the A at the Chili Bowl, I just can't believe that they are a great driver.
For the record, I don't like NASCAR either, but we all know that Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and JJ Yeley are great drivers, so you gotta do something right to beat them.

Also don't pick this apart by saying I didn't mention this driver or that driver. Just go to one of these races and tell me that you get as excited by seeing these drivers race each other as you do seeing Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell race against each other. Heck I get more excited watching a weekly show at Lincoln Speedway (PA) because I'm pretty sure there is more talent in that field than in the Indy 500 starting line up.

[Puppy]

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.

[Rhody]

Puppy- I'm not talking the difference between good and great- I'm talking the difference between good and bad. It wasn't subtle, it was like watching someone on dirt try to run the bottom and end up spinning their tires in the middle, or try to run the cushion and jump it on 2 out of every 5 laps. And I know PT is Canadian, but it's in North America and he lives in Vegas now.
Yes I've raced. Dirt and Asphalt. Spent many years spinning wrenches on asphalt stock cars. I try to drive sprints and midgets now.

[Wingman]

I know I sound like a broken record but do away with the road courses they suck! They have had some great oval shows.

[cecil98]

Originally Posted by Russell Ficklin I think they could solve a lot of their problems in Indycar if they would put the engines back in the front and replace those road races with dirt tracks!

The thing is, Foyt, the Unsers, Sneva, Marshman, Rutherford, Johncock, Ward, Parnelli, Andretti, Ruby etc. didn't need the engines moved back up to front to compete with the best that Formula I had offer at Indy. They all excelled in rear-engined cars. Why do today's American circle trackers need front engine cars to compete at Indy? The fact is, that today's cars are much more stable and easier to drive than the death traps that the aforementioned group of American drivers had to adapt to beginning in 1964. I have no doubt that todays short track stars would have no problem competing if they could get a quality ride. Problem is, most Indy car owners come from a road racing background, took the sport in that direction in the 80's, and want road racers in their cars. I loved seeing the Formula I stars come over here and run against Foyt, Al, Bobby and the rest of our stars. The problem is, were not getting those "types" of foreign racers anymore (marquee names from FI). We're getting obscure drivers from these minor road racing series in Europe and South America whom no one has ever heard of until they show up here in one of our top rides. They are taking the seats that American circle trackers should be given a shot at. The fact is, the current group of car owners doesn't want to take the time to develop our drivers and because the series is now heavily balanced to the road racing side of things, Americans are once again being shut out of the sport, as they were during the 90's in CART. The reason today's American short trackers aspire to NASCAR is because NECKCAR welcomed our young Jeff Gordons back then and the fans went with them to the Tin Tops. That meant the $$$$ also went there. That's why NASCAR went from a regional sport in the mid 80's to the juggarnaut it became in the 90's leaving openwheel racing in a state of decline that it has never recovered from. The leadership and ownership in Indy Car racing is nothing more than BLIND & STUPID!!!!!

[Danny Burton]

Cecil, you gotta be the smartest mole trapper/sprint car owner around.

[i love dirt track racing]

Originally Posted by Wingman I know I sound like a broken record but do away with the road courses they suck! They have had some great oval shows.

they need to back to michagan speedway that ways a great race.

[racephoto]

Originally Posted by cecil98 ...... We're getting obscure drivers from these minor road racing series in Europe and South America whom no one has ever heard of until they show up here in one of our top rides.....

NOT EXACTLY!!!!!!!!

Roster for the USF2000 Series - Level 1 of the ladder structure to Indy Car Series
15 drivers>>>LINK
USA - 9
Canada - 1
Australia - 1
Ireland - 1
France - 1
Columbia - 1
Finland - 1

Roster of the Star Mazda Series - Level 2 of the ladder structure
18 drivers>>>LINK
USA - 9
Puerto Rico - 1
Canada - 2
Ireland - 1
France - 1
Brazil - 1
Venazuela - 1
Columbia - 1
Chile - 1

Roster of the Indy Lights Series - level 3 of the ladder structure
17 drivers>>>LINK
USA - 4
Canada -2
UK - 2
Ireland - 1
Norway - 1
Argentina - 1
Angola - 1
Brazil - 1
Venezuela - 1
Mexico - 1
Columbia - 1
Spain - 1

Roster of the Indy Car Series
26 drivers>>>LINK
USA - 7
Canada - 1
UK - 2
Scotland - 1
Australia - 2
New Zealand - 1
Brazil - 5
Switzerland - 1
France - 1
Spain - 1
Japan - 1
Columbia - 1
Venezuela - 1

Not quite as skewed to foreign drivers as many think especially in the development series.

Hmmm!!! Are the Canadians close enough to America for you?

How about Puerto Rico(US territory), the UK, Scotland, Ireland?

How about Australia and New Zealand where US sprint drivers sometimes go to race in the off season?

HMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!! -- As JackWebb used to say, "Just the facts ma'am!"

[Puppy]

THanks for sharing this Racephoto. It's very interesting.....
I think we'll see that it's not as much of a "foreign" driver issue as it is a "road racing" issue....
The folks on IOW are not really road race fans.
But for the record, I grew up in the 70's as a Nascar fan, also saw alot of IndyCar races at Michigan In't. I was stuck in the "stock car" world for years, thinking there was NOTHING that could compare. Road racing esp. But later, I began to appreciate and watch and follow ALL types of motorsport. And guess what? THey are all different but great in thier own way. I eventually started racing myself, and it was Sprint cars that inspired me to do that, never did I have a urge to drive just watching the stockers, but when I started going to sprint car races, my life changed. But that doesnt mean that there aren't other series where the drivers are great too.
Ever watch any Star Mazda races on tv? Those guys really race! Same with the Speed GT races. It's good stuff. One has to take something for what is IS, not for what it ISN'T....

[SUPERDUKE]

AMERICAN SPRINT & MIDGETS CAR DRIVERS IN ANY AMERICAN BUILT CAR! (NO SPEC CARS) WITH AMERICAN BUILT 305ci STOCK BLOCKS! 10-1 COMPRESSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!