Make it 33 for Indy

[jonovision_man]

Autosport... I don't see BB directly saying 33 but sounds like it was implied in the question.

IRL boss promises full grid for Indy
By Tim Redmayne
Friday, March 3rd 2006, 15:25 GMT

The 2006 Indianapolis 500 will have a full field of 33 cars this season.

That's the message that Brian Barnhart, president of the Indy Racing League, will deliver tomorrow at a 'State of the IRL address' to the gathered media at Homestead Speedway in Florida.

...

"There's no reason to expect less this season, even with Honda Performance Development supplying the entire Indianapolis 500 field," Barnhart said.

...

IRL executive vice president of communications Fred Nation back up Barnhart's comments, saying that there has been this concern before and the Indy 500 always had a full grid.

"For the past two years people kept saying this and we always had the full amount of cars," Nation told autosport.com. "There is no doubt whatsoever that we will have a full grid.

"I don't know why they keep saying it. The two-tiered developing engine leasing we've got makes it easy to run the Indy 500.

"We are talking to a lot of people behind the scene about extra cars. Yes, some of them won't come off but enough of them will come off to make the field."

[TKG]

great

[Cosworth]

They have no choice but to have 33 on the grid, that would be the only story coming out of Indy. The race, the winner, even Danica would be a mere afterthought.

[SportscarBruce]

I guess you can sleep easy now as 33 is almost a given.

[Cosworth]

I guess you can sleep easy now as 33 is almost a given.

It is a given, and what a rag tag group it will be.

[downtowndeco]

It is a given, and what a rag tag group it will be.

Oh come on. Even in "The glory days" of Indy there were plenty of drivers/teams that were marginal and were not super stars that filled the grid out. For every AJ Foyt there was another guy who started 28th that nobody has thought of since.

Glad to hear there will be 33 but I wasn't really worried.

[NDPanther]

It's always been a given. How many years have we been hearing there's "NO CHANCE" for 33? What's that story about crying wolf and some boy...

[shawn67]

Wahh

Wow the May Whine is starting early!!!

[Saw150]

It is a given, and what a rag tag group it will be.

Shouldn't your screen name be Kosworth from Kanada?

Another cute glib noobie...hey that's original.

[jonovision_man]

I guess you can sleep easy now as 33 is almost a given.

Zzzzzzz.

Now the question becomes... will there be 34?

jono

[Grinder-Tank]

I remember the gold ole days with no Rag Tag entries in the 500, Salt Walter.

[Chitownfan]

It is a given, and what a rag tag group it will be.

Have you looked at the CC driver line up lately?

[jonovision_man]

Have you looked at the CC driver line up lately?

Pretty strong so far!

jono

[Turn13]

That's one opinion

[jonovision_man]

That's one opinion

Sure is.

I see a lot of compelling stories and battles in that field. I know when all the ink is dry and they line up on the grid there will be some filler at the back, that's expected in every series. F1, CCWS, IRL incl the 500... no sense in bashing each other's last rows when they all look about as bad.

jono

[Chitownfan]

It is a given, and what a rag tag group it will be.

Confirmed Indy 500 drivers so far:

Helio Castroneves
Sam Hornish Jr.
Bryan Herta
Tony Kanaan
Marco Andretti
Dario Franchitti
Michael Andretti
Buddy Rice
Danica Patrick
Paul Dana
Dan Wheldon
Scott Dixon
Ed Carpenter
Tomas Scheckter
Scott Sharp
Kosuke Matsuura
Felipe Giaffone
AJ Foyt IV
Vitor Meira
Buddy Lazier
Eddie Cheever
Marty Roth


CC drivers so far:

Will Power
Kathrine Legge
Ronnie Bremer
Sebastien Bourdais
Bruno Junqueira
Paul Tracy
Mario Dominguez
AJ Allmendinger
Justin Wilson
Alex Tagilani



You were saying ???

[Tony Johns]

I don't see anything impressive about either scraping (barely) to 33 or scraping (barely) to however many cars will start Long Beach or Homestead.

Fred says it's "easy" to run Indy. Well, hell, if it were so easy... why aren't more people doing it?

It's not May yet so I'm not ready for my annual "Temporary Gomer Mode" that I switch into between May 1 and May 31, so forgive me if I'm not wowed by this statement that there will be 33 cars.

Oh, and by the way -- the difference between the "rag-tag" field-fillers from days of yore and the ones today is that in the "glory days" you had dozens of hopefuls fighting for the distinction to be the last "wing and a prayer" driver in the field. Now, they have to beg and plead to find that 33rd qualifier every year. So, in essence, 33 is just a number... but it's a different 33 now than what it used to be... and should be.

[Cosworth]

Confirmed Indy 500 drivers so far:

Helio Castroneves
Sam Hornish Jr.
Bryan Herta
Tony Kanaan
Marco Andretti
Dario Franchitti
Michael Andretti
Buddy Rice
Danica Patrick
Paul Dana
Dan Wheldon
Scott Dixon
Ed Carpenter
Tomas Scheckter
Scott Sharp
Kosuke Matsuura
Felipe Giaffone
AJ Foyt IV
Vitor Meira
Buddy Lazier
Eddie Cheever
Marty Roth


CC drivers so far:

Will Power
Kathrine Legge
Ronnie Bremer
Sebastien Bourdais
Bruno Junqueira
Paul Tracy
Mario Dominguez
AJ Allmendinger
Justin Wilson
Alex Tagilani



You were saying ???

Where's the other 11? which will be the rag tag bunch.

[infoxicated]

Pretty strong so far!

bwahahahahahahaha!

That just made my day... thanks!

[jonovision_man]

bwahahahahahahaha!

That just made my day... thanks!

I don't get how anyone can look at a field that includes a driver of Bourdais' calibre going against Tracy, with young guns like Wilson or AJ, or a compelling story like Legge and put it down. Other than Will Power, I can't see a name that shouldn't be there so far.

Not sure I want to wade into the "which series has a better field" debate, they're both shaping up pretty nicely, but you have to be pretty sold on an agenda to dismiss the grid out of hand like that.

IMO.

jono

[Turn13]

It's not May yet so I'm not ready for my annual "Temporary Gomer Mode" that I switch into between May 1 and May 31

Use the force Luke. Let go your feelings

[stockblock]

What's the big deal about 33 ? What really is important is when you have at least 45 drivers trying to make the 33 starting field. When i can name the 33 starting drivers in April what is the point of weeks of qualifying ?

[Chitownfan]

Where's the other 11? which will be the rag tag bunch.

Let's look at the rest that I was thinking for Indy:

Al Unser Jr.
Rusty Wallace
Casey Mears
Alex Barron
Jaques Lazier
Tomas Enge
Patrick Carpentier
Darren Manning
Ryan Briscoe
Jimmy Kite
PJ Chesson
Roger Yasukawa
Jeff Simmons
Greg Ray

Maybe two from mewman haas.

Now Champcar's other possible 8 (or are they going to run 16 this year):

Rudolfo Lavin
Nelson Philippe
Frank Montagny
Andrew Ranger
Michael McDowell
Fabrizio Del Monte
Jimmy Vasser
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Cristiano da Matta

And no, I'm not making these names up.

[Turn13]

I don't get how anyone can look at a field that includes a driver of Bourdais' calibre going against Tracy, with young guns like Wilson or AJ, or a compelling story like Legge and put it down.

Perhaps I can explain ... there's quality, and then there's quantity. I don't know that either of those attributes in CCWS exceeds that of Indy Car.

There's also, for me, the fact that PT is the only one I've watched or followed before, and he's about to retire... and even he was perhaps Penske's most disappointing and unaccomplished driver of the last 20 years. Just to excite the discussion a bit here

I also don't have any history or feel for any of the venues, outside of LB, RA, and Surfer's, so not only is my interest in the drivers diminished, my interest in what they're doing is diminished as well.

It's not so much that I put it down, it's just that I'm not that excited about it, relatively.

But that's just my opinion.

[Turn13]

What really is important is when you have at least 45 drivers trying to make the 33 starting field.

I agree with that- but I'm still looking forward to qualifications just the same... and even Carb Day

[Toonces]

...or a compelling story...

A compelling story does not a good race make.
Signed,
Sarah Fisher

[irloyal]

If there is a god, Ryan Brisco County Jr will not be allowed at Indy this year.

[jonovision_man]

Perhaps I can explain ... there's quality, and then there's quantity. I don't know that either of those attributes in CCWS exceeds that of Indy Car.

I never said it exceeded Indy Car. I'm not saying it doesn't either. All I said the CCWS grid is "pretty strong so far".

There's also, for me, the fact that PT is the only one I've watched or followed before, and he's about to retire... and even he was perhaps Penske's most disappointing and unaccomplished driver of the last 20 years. Just to excite the discussion a bit here

That speaks more to the fact that you don't watch CCWS than the quality of the drivers, doesn't it? I didn't know Buddy Rice from a hole in my behind before I started following the IRL more closely and watching the races.

It's not so much that I put it down, it's just that I'm not that excited about it, relatively.

But that's just my opinion.

And that's fair.

jono

[jonovision_man]

A compelling story does not a good race make.
Signed,
Sarah Fisher

You're not as good looking as me.
Signed,
Danica Patrick.

[Chitownfan]

You're not as good looking as me.
Signed,
Danica Patrick.

I have the same problem.
Signed,
Katherine Legge.