2011-2012 Offseason TrackForum Favorite Driver Survey Results!

[AFColt]

Here are the results of the 2011-12 TrackForum Favorite Driver Survey! We've had some big moviers from our results from last year, and we have a new #1 driver!

Listed below is the number of votes each driver received this year, with last year's ranking noted in parentheses. Hinch is our big mover, with Simona De Silvestro, TK, and Will Power staying strong. JR Hildebrand made a nice jump, and newcomers Josef Newgarden and Pippa Mann each made a nice splash in the Top 10.

Thanks for participating, and we'll see which drivers move up or down after 2012's season!

1) James Hinchcliffe 59 (T29)
2) Simona de Silvestro 42 (1)
3) Tony Kanaan 41 (T3)
4) Will Power 35 (5)
5) JR Hildebrand 30 (T13)
6) Ed Carpenter 26 (T9)
7) Graham Rahal 20 (T3)
T8) Josef Newgarden 17 (NR)
T8) Pippa Mann 17 (NR)
T8) Helio Castroneves 17 (P6)

T11) Paul Tracy 16 (7)
T11) Justin Wilson 16 (8)
13) Tomas Scheckter 14 (11)
T14) Oriol Servia 13 (T23)
T14) Ryan Hunter Reay 13 (2)
16) Marco Andretti 12 (15)
17) Dario Franchitti 11 (9T)
18) Scott Dixon 7 (19)
T19) Sebastien Bourdais 6 (NR)
T19) Buddy Rice 6 (NR)

T21) Alex Tagliani 5 (17)
T21) Danica Patrick 5 (T13)
T21) Simon Pagenaud 5 (NR)
T21) Vitor Meira 5 (12)
T21) Ryan Briscoe 5 (18)
T26) Alex Lloyd 3 (T26)
T26) Townsend Bell 3 (28)

2 votes each: Davey Hamilton (T20), John Andretti (T29), Jay Howard (T29), Bryan Clauson (NR), Takuma Sato (T26), Martin Plowman (NR)

1 vote each: Mike Conway (T23), Wade Cunningham (T29), EJ Viso, Ana Beatriz (T20), Charlie Kimball (NR), Bertrand Baguette (T20)

[fleshwound_NPG]

The Mayor of TrackForum

[goldie19]

Great work, Colt!

I'm embarrassed by this for our sport! 4 time champ is 17th....I wonder if this says more about who is on chat boards than who the total group of fans are. No offense intended to anyone....just doesn't seem to be a true pulse of the fans. Seems like backlash against Penske and Ganassi for winning too much!

[fleshwound_NPG]

Great work, Colt!

I'm embarrassed by this for our sport! 4 time champ is 17th....I wonder if this says more about who is on chat boards than who the total group of fans are. No offense intended to anyone....just doesn't seem to be a true pulse of the fans. Seems like backlash against Penske and Ganassi for winning too much!

Jimmie Johnson's popularity in the NASCAR realm is somewhat similar.

[AFColt]

Great work, Colt!

I'm embarrassed by this for our sport! 4 time champ is 17th....I wonder if this says more about who is on chat boards than who the total group of fans are. No offense intended to anyone....just doesn't seem to be a true pulse of the fans. Seems like backlash against Penske and Ganassi for winning too much!

I think you get that in any sport, be it racing or baseball or football. Fans or followers who pay more attention to the sport are likely going to have some favorites that are more obscure to the greater fanbase. As a KC Royals fan (pity me, I know), my favorite player back in the early 2000s was usually a scrappy utility infielder that maybe played every 3rd game. If you go over to the Colts forum, I guarantee you'd get responses including a 3rd string RB, a backup QB, and a wide receiver that's well under the radar, or something to that effect.

If it were a NASCAR poll, you'd get the same thing. Dale Jr (and now presumably Danica) aren't at the top of that sport, but are still more popular than the guy who dominated for half the decade prior to this year.

[INDY500FAN13]

Man, doesn't it seem weird that people with personality are at the top? who whudda thunk it?

[millrace]

Man, doesn't it seem weird that people with personality are at the top? who whudda thunk it?

Being a smart mouth clown isn't going to fetch him any wins. We'll see where Hinchcliffe is on this list in a couple years from now.

[Josh Knight]

Who wants to tell him the good news via Twitter

[colognecapri]

Being a smart mouth clown isn't going to fetch him any wins. We'll see where Hinchcliffe is on this list in a couple years from now.

Are you still mad about his Indy 500 comments on a youtube video from 5 years ago?

[Josh Knight]

Are you still mad about his Indy 500 comments on a youtube video from 5 years ago?

what where they

[AFColt]

Being a smart mouth clown isn't going to fetch him any wins. We'll see where Hinchcliffe is on this list in a couple years from now.

I'd think his apparent abundance of driving talent will do that.

[Tree0404]

Pippa and Newgarden with 3 starts between them both in the top 10....



I don't mind either necessarily, but really?

I'm all for personality (Hinch, TK in my own top 5) but proven talent has to come in SOMEwhere doesn't it...

for the record, I think Newgarden's talent will be shown eventually, but with 0 IICS starts, you can't quite argue for him yet. Several good IICS driver didn't do diddly-poo in the big leagues.

Another interesting notice - Vitor's popularity has declined big time. He certainly doesn't have many (if any) detractors, but I think he'd better do something this year (i'm talking multiple podiums or a good run at indy - both unlikely to happen since the quality of team he's going to drive for seems to be less and less unless he holds out for an indy one-off) or he's going to be out very soon. Sad, I like the guy.

[piercey]

what where they

YouTube is your friend on that one. Basically, take a younger and brasher Hinch and add in some CCWS love. You get the idea.

[Buellboy]

Do speak from experience?

Being a smart mouth clown isn't going to fetch him any wins. We'll see where Hinchcliffe is on this list in a couple years from now.

[Tree0404]

YouTube is your friend on that one. Basically, take a younger and brasher Hinch and add in some CCWS love. You get the idea.

considering his decent (and continuing improvement) on ovals, i think he probably would change his tune on that now.

then again, the ovals are disappearing....

[AFColt]

Pippa and Newgarden with 3 starts between them both in the top 10....



I don't mind either necessarily, but really?

I'm all for personality (Hinch, TK in my own top 5) but proven talent has to come in SOMEwhere doesn't it...

for the record, I think Newgarden's talent will be shown eventually, but with 0 IICS starts, you can't quite argue for him yet. Several good IICS driver didn't do diddly-poo in the big leagues.

Well, it isn't a Most Accomplished poll; it's a Favorites poll. For younger drivers, that means likely having the likability or personality where folks are wishing the best for you and want you to succeed.

Another interesting notice - Vitor's popularity has declined big time. He certainly doesn't have many (if any) detractors, but I think he'd better do something this year (i'm talking multiple podiums or a good run at indy - both unlikely to happen since the quality of team he's going to drive for seems to be less and less unless he holds out for an indy one-off) or he's going to be out very soon. Sad, I like the guy.

With a lot of these drivers, such as Vitor, I don't think it's that they're not liked, it's just that they aren't at the top of anyone's list. I think you hit upon it--he doesn't really have detractors, but he's not real high up, either..

[goldie19]

I like SDS, but have never thought of her as having an abundance of personality either....the girl thing lives on! (no problem with it, either....just sayin!

Most popular drivers in series the last ten years....Sarah 3 times, Danica 7 times.....Simona and Pippa, please pick up a white courtesy phone!

[AFColt]

I like SDS, but have never thought of her as having an abundance of personality either....the girl thing lives on! (no problem with it, either....just sayin!

Most popular drivers in series the last ten years....Sarah 3 times, Danica 7 times.....Simona and Pippa, please pick up a white courtesy phone!

Simona is the Iron Maiden. I think that's all the reason she needs to be in the Top 10. Anyone who saw her at Indy this year would have her in there for sure.

[Tree0404]

Simona is the Iron Maiden. I think that's all the reason she needs to be in the Top 10. Anyone who saw her at Indy this year would have her in there for sure.

No offense, but there have been MANY a driver to come back and qualify for the indy 500 in a backup car after a frightening accident.

I certainly admire her tenacity and whatnot, but she gets the "holy crap, i can't believe she did it" badge of honor moreso than a Jim Crawford or Robbie McGehee (average to slightly above average drivers) strictly because she's a woman. People act like what she did was nearly God(dess)-like. She did what most drivers with the drive to compete want to do; nothing more. That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.

[AFColt]

No offense, but there have been MANY a driver to come back and qualify for the indy 500 in a backup car after a frightening accident.

I certainly admire her tenacity and whatnot, but she gets the "holy crap, i can't believe she did it" badge of honor moreso than a Jim Crawford or Robbie McGehee (average to slightly above average drivers) strictly because she's a woman. People act like what she did was nearly God(dess)-like. She did what most drivers with the drive to compete want to do; nothing more. That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.

No worries. It's an agree to disagree. I personally think if Lotus is worth anything this year, she'll be able to win.

[OrdinaryRaceFan]

Yea, female drivers often tend to be overhyped indeed. But with more and more females in the sport, it does not automatically make you the next superstar anymore. May I point out that Bia received little mention from the media over the last 12 months, and only had 1 vote in this survey, one of the worst score for a full timer(sure, she was disappointing last season).

Nothing wrong with Newgarden in the top 10 IMO, the kid is no stranger for anyone following feeder series, and he's quite refreshing. Pippa was disappointing last year, but she's a class act with the fans, and she has a very -interresting- post history on TF on the top of it

Anyway making deep analysis on this survey is probably pointless, I mean, it's only a favorite driver poll... As some French writer once said "the heart has its reasons that reason ignores". Also the people on TF are mostly die-hards who follow the sport differently than the few remaining casuals, so the chart is probably not very accurate if you want to draw conclusions on the general fanbase. indycar.com made a similar survey a few months ago, and IIRC Hinch and SImona didn't make it to the top 5.

Now thanks to AFColt for the work, this remains a very interresting chart, with very refreshing results. I bet the top 5 itself has most personality than the whole field of most big profile motorsports series

[vintage]

No offense, but there have been MANY a driver to come back and qualify for the indy 500 in a backup car after a frightening accident.

I certainly admire her tenacity and whatnot, but she gets the "holy crap, i can't believe she did it" badge of honor moreso than a Jim Crawford or Robbie McGehee (average to slightly above average drivers) strictly because she's a woman. People act like what she did was nearly God(dess)-like. She did what most drivers with the drive to compete want to do; nothing more. That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.

Agreed. Almost embarrassing that Pippa is in the top 10.

[Tree0404]

Agreed. Almost embarrassing that Pippa is in the top 10.

While my quote did pertain specifically to Simona (Indy practice wreck), it also works well for Pippa (Vegas race wreck).

That being said, the love for Simona (while overblown, IMO) is much more understandable than Pippa's.

I also voted for Hinch, but the fact that he is #1 is disconcerting too.

I think these polls are more of a "who's hot" at the moment rather than a real, good honest survey. (RHR #2 last year, WTF?)

[OrdinaryRaceFan]

While my quote did pertain specifically to Simona (Indy practice wreck), it also works well for Pippa (Vegas race wreck).

Only partly, since Pippa still has to climb back into a race car.

[AFColt]

While my quote did pertain specifically to Simona (Indy practice wreck), it also works well for Pippa (Vegas race wreck).

That being said, the love for Simona (while overblown, IMO) is much more understandable than Pippa's.

I also voted for Hinch, but the fact that he is #1 is disconcerting too.

I think these polls are more of a "who's hot" at the moment rather than a real, good honest survey. (RHR #2 last year, WTF?)

Well...yes. It's just a snapshot in time as to what the fans or followers around here think about drivers. It'll remain to be seen if Hinch, Simona, Newgarden, Pippa hang around that Top 10, or if they fade over the next season or so. There were drivers who did so from this year to next (RHR, as you mention), and there's those who were pretty consistent (Simona, TK, Power).