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IndyCar
INDYCAR: 34th Indy 500 Entry To Be Used?
Is the one open seat left for the Indy 500, entered by Ed Carpenter Racing, a genuine option for one of the many drivers hoping to make the show?
Ed Carpenter and Tony George hold the keys to the one open seat for the Indy 500, but will they put a driver in the car if it isn't absolutely necessary? (Photo: Marshall Pruett)
33 drivers. 34 entries. That’s how the grid for the 2012 Indy 500 looks at the moment, but is that 34th seat a genuine option for one of the many drivers hoping to make the show?
Entered by Ed Carpenter Racing, the Chevrolet-powered No. 21 ECR car would appear to be the one way for a Jay Howard, Alex Lloyd or Pippa Mann to try and qualify for the 96th running of the race, but ECR General Manager Derrick Walker told SPEED.com the No. 21 is likely to remain parked for a variety of reasons.
“In no particular order I'll give you the scenarios,” said the Scot. “Number one, Ed Carpenter Racing has always looked at the second entry for Indy as something that has to be relevant. Relevant to ECR in the sense that it's going to make a positive impact on what will help us, not just load up our bases and dilute our effort. Making ECR better is the underlying goal, if the second car was to be run.
"Ed and Tony [George] looked at a number of options of deals that have come along and come and gone. And none of them has really presented the right package that says: yeah, this is a must-do.”
With engine partner Chevrolet stretching its resources incredibly thin to meet a much greater of demand at Indy that it had planned, every available motor has been pressed into service, which has impacted ECR’s ability to run the No. 21.
“The next stage of that is when you go through this sort of process, you look at the availability of engines and it’s a very murky sort of picture,” said Walker. “How many engines would the engine suppliers supply? And what kind of program do you have, as to whether that would be something they'd want to shell out another engine for? A lot like ECR, I think Chevy also want to make sure it supports the right programs.
"So we’ve sort of been under pressure at different times to make a decision as to whether we were going to field another car and when we didn't have the first partner in place, we didn't keep our name in the hat there on that engine. Having an engine lease and just letting it sit—not using it until something came along—wasn’t an option.”
PHOTOS: Click Here or on the image below to view INDYCAR: Indy 500 Practice, May 13th
Entered by Ed Carpenter Racing, the Chevrolet-powered No. 21 ECR car would appear to be the one way for a Jay Howard, Alex Lloyd or Pippa Mann to try and qualify for the 96th running of the race, but ECR General Manager Derrick Walker told SPEED.com the No. 21 is likely to remain parked for a variety of reasons.
“In no particular order I'll give you the scenarios,” said the Scot. “Number one, Ed Carpenter Racing has always looked at the second entry for Indy as something that has to be relevant. Relevant to ECR in the sense that it's going to make a positive impact on what will help us, not just load up our bases and dilute our effort. Making ECR better is the underlying goal, if the second car was to be run.
"Ed and Tony [George] looked at a number of options of deals that have come along and come and gone. And none of them has really presented the right package that says: yeah, this is a must-do.”
With engine partner Chevrolet stretching its resources incredibly thin to meet a much greater of demand at Indy that it had planned, every available motor has been pressed into service, which has impacted ECR’s ability to run the No. 21.
“The next stage of that is when you go through this sort of process, you look at the availability of engines and it’s a very murky sort of picture,” said Walker. “How many engines would the engine suppliers supply? And what kind of program do you have, as to whether that would be something they'd want to shell out another engine for? A lot like ECR, I think Chevy also want to make sure it supports the right programs.
"So we’ve sort of been under pressure at different times to make a decision as to whether we were going to field another car and when we didn't have the first partner in place, we didn't keep our name in the hat there on that engine. Having an engine lease and just letting it sit—not using it until something came along—wasn’t an option.”
PHOTOS: Click Here or on the image below to view INDYCAR: Indy 500 Practice, May 13th
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