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IndyCar
IN THE COCKPIT: JR Hildebrand: On To Indy
We’re taking our talents back to Indy, and I’d have to say, I think things are due to change.
J.R. Hildebrand  |  Posted May 08, 2011  
Hildebrand reveals his fondness for cars like Roger Penske's Sunoco-sponsored McLaren M16B and the spirit that brought such open-minded cars to the grid. (LAT)


Since my last column we’ve blazed through the Long Beach and Sao Paulo race weekends, and seen a variety of ups and downs as we closed out the first segment of road course racing this season.

In retrospect, it’s been a tougher battle than I think a lot of us expected it would be when the season started, but that’s why there are 17 races on the schedule and not just four, and now we shift gears and head to Indy.

The upcoming months aren’t going to be any less difficult in my estimation, however, I do think that the cards are in my favor this time around given the team that I’m racing for and the recent announcement that Buddy Rice will be joining the fray. I’m pretty fired up about it!

PUZZLES ARE FUN AND REWARDING, BUT THEY CAN BE A PAIN IN THE ASS, TOO

When I was a little kid, I went through a phase where I really enjoyed a good puzzle. You know, a real puzzle. I’m not trying to get all deep on you. You’d devise some plan of attack, then methodically work your way through putting the pieces together. You slowly start making connections and identifying things that go together, and with some chance breakthroughs here and there that help you with the tough parts, you’d wind up with an awesome picture of a space shuttle or something.

I’ve always enjoyed a good mental challenge based on logic; it’s what I liked about geometry and calculus; it’s why I secretly enjoy arguing with people, and it has certainly trickled down to being a part of what I like about racing.

Now having said that, racing is like having to put that space shuttle puzzle together in 3D while having to actually send it into orbit and you also have to make half of the pieces from scratch. And you have to do it by 10 MINUTES AGO. And it has to be super pretty, too… I mean, racing doesn’t have to be super pretty, just if it was a puzzle it would be… You know, because puzzles are supposed to look nice…

Okay, well it’s not exactly like putting a pretty space shuttle puzzle into orbit, but it can be a tough gig.

Through the weekends that we had at Long Beach and Sao Paulo, there were definitely some major areas where we had figured out some pieces to our specific racing puzzle, but then we were frequently met with another challenge to deal with that we couldn’t sort out as quickly. I know that from my perspective, I’ve been extremely impressed with the team’s ability to continue problem solving, as I’m in a position where I need to be able to problem solve for myself as well.

It’s one of those things that you can’t help but get frustrated by when it’s not coming together as you’ve planned or hoped for, but at the same time, you can’t help but be enthused by the amount of effort and collaboration that’s going into figuring things out.

I felt like the race in Brazil was a good note for us to end on. We were up and down through the weekend, but then the rain came and suddenly none of that mattered. It was refreshing to get out on the track and feel like we were at no particular disadvantage because we didn’t have the information that the bigger teams have, or that I’m a rookie, or whatever the case might be.

We went out there and for a good portion of the race were mixing it up with the guys that are normally up in the top five or six, and legitimately had the pace. It paid off to think a little harder about the circumstances.

Yeah, I overdrove a couple of corners, but it had been that gambling mentality that had allowed me to pass my way through a good chunk of the field just before that. As far as the on-track action went, it was good for ALL of us to have that feeling of ‘Yes, we CAN do this.’

Now hopefully, like a tough puzzle, moving on to something different for a little while will allow both me and the team to come back better for it when we get back to road course racing later on this season.

IN THE WHEELHOUSE

Now this is a little bit of a different scenario I do believe. We’re taking our talents back to Indy, and I’d have to say, I think things are due to change. It’s no secret that Panther Racing has had a more than impressive record at the greatest track in the history of the world, and you can bet that we’re all looking to capitalize on that.

As an added bonus, we’ve got Buddy Rice’s skills for the race just to add to the collective experience and success in the Panther Racing stable. BOOM.

I’ve always though Buddy was just a straight-up good dude. He got his rides by earning them and being himself, and has always worked way harder at it than some people (for whatever reason) seem to give him credit for. He takes
responsibility for what he does and isn’t afraid to call BS when things go crooked. I have a ton of respect for him, and am psyched to be able to work with him.

I was hoping we’d be able to work together in some capacity since the beginning of the season, so I’m goin’ to the bank because this is MONEY.

WHEN RACECARS WERE STILL PART HOTROD

It’s funny how the times change. Roger Penske and Penske Racing are, and for all intents and purposes, have always been the standard of professionalism in American motorsports. A big part of that is the attitude, commitment, and accountability of the people that work there, but another unmistakable element of it is the appearance of those people, their equipment, and yes, the racecars.

Um, hey JR, you realize that you’ve totally contradicted yourself there with this whole times are changing thing right? Shut up dude, I’m getting there.
JR's new retro-themed helmet. (LAT)

The interesting thing about it is what that translated too back in the 60’s and 70’s versus what that translates to now. In this day and age, really for some time now, that professional image via the cars themselves has meant a spotless finish, the cleanest paint scheme, chrome wheels, polished suspension, and impeccable corporate branding.

Back then it was still a lot of those things, but with the finest hand-painted lettering, and pin-striping that would have made Von Dutch proud (a variety of reports that Von Dutch actually did some work on Penske’s cars at one point, but I can’t find legit confirmation of that).

To look at the Sunoco Can-Am, Trans-Am and USAC cars now, it’s crazy to see how badass they are in person. They’re all so similar with the dark blue and golden yellow, but all so individual at the same time because of the fine detail of the paintwork alone. It’s not a sign that Penske suddenly went vanilla or went corporate or something; it’s just the difference in what separating oneself by having the highest standard of presentation was all about back then and now. Either way, I’d like to see it come back a little.

I’ve told people for years, if you said to me I could have any car on the planet, I’m not wasting my time on a Bimmer, Bentley, or Benz; you can keep ’em. Give me a ratty ’67 Chevelle with a stroked small block, a big cam, open pipes, and no carpeting. It’d be obnoxious, would probably overheat and lack comfort… but man it would be seriously cool.

I dig those cars because they’re raw but they’re real, and I guess that’s what I’ve always thought about the kustom kulture from the 60’s as well.

So as such, I’ve rolled out a new lid for the remainder of the season that’s bringin’ back some of that old school flavor to add a little kustom flair to my wardrobe out at the speedway. After all, it worked out pretty well on the ole’ Penske McLaren M16B back in ’72….

Learn more about JR Hildebrand, Panther Racing and the National Guard by visiting www.PantherRacing.com.
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