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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Series Reveals 22 Leader Circle Contracts
The IZOD IndyCar Series has nominated the 22 teams which will receive the lucrative $1M subsidy for the 2013 season.
22 teams will receive a $1M stipend from the IndyCar Series in 2013. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)
The IZOD IndyCar Series has nominated the 22 teams which will receive the lucrative $1M Leader circle (LC) subsidy for the 2013 season.
The allocation of the 2012 LC contracts was met with a bit of controversy when two contracts, forfeited by the departing Newman/Haas Racing, were opened by the series for lobbying and acquisition. Dragon Racing and Ed Carpenter Racing earned those contracts to the dismay of a number of teams that felt they offered more value.
The process for 2013, which included three forfeitures, was led by Brian Barnhart and has been far more more streamlined.
The loss of the three LC-earning entries from Team Penske (Ryan Briscoe), KV Racing (Barrichello) and Ganassi Racing (Graham Rahal) brought the returning, full-time entrant count down to 19, leading the series to award the three available contracts to Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (Josef Newgarden), HVM Racing (TBD) and Dragon Racing (Sebastien Bourdais).
Those teams finished 23rd, 24th and 25th in entrant standings last season, but with the three vacancies, they fell within the adjusted top 22 in entrant points.
With the Keith Wiggins-owned HVM as the only real surprise on the LC list, the veteran owner told SPEED.com his LC contract was received as part of a relationship that will be announced in the coming days.
“We’ll be collaborating with another team on our entry, the details of which will be revealed shortly,” he said.
New full-time entries for Schmidt Peterson's Tristan Vautier and Rahal Letterman Lanigan's James Jakes are the two major exclusions from the 2013 LC program.
A drop from 2012's base of $1.16M to $1M also serves as a notable change in the LC program, but interim IndyCar CEO Jeff Belskus says it was the best way to keep the same volume of contracts on offer.
“While we are seeing a slight decrease in Leaders Circle payout this season, our goal is to reinvest in the series with more promotion to increase the value of participation for all of those involved,” he said.
The guaranteed income continues to take the place of traditional prize money payout sums, but the nominal prize money for the top 5 at each event other than the Indy 500 ($35,000 for first place, $25,000 for second, $20,000 for third, $15,000 for fourth and $10,000 for fifth) will continue.
2013 IZOD INDYCAR SERIES LEADER CIRCLE ENTRANTS
Number, Entrant, Driver
1, Andretti Autosport, Ryan Hunter-Reay
3, Team Penske, Helio Castroneves
4, Panther Racing, JR Hildebrand
7, Dragon Racing, Sebastien Bourdais
9, Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Scott Dixon
10, Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Dario Franchitti
11, KV Racing Technology, Tony Kanaan
12, Verizon Team Penske, Will Power
14, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Takuma Sato
15, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Graham Rahal
18, Dale Coyne Racing, TBA
19, Dale Coyne Racing, TBA
20, Ed Carpenter Racing, Ed Carpenter
22, Panther DRR, Oriol Servia
25, Andretti Autosport, Marco Andretti
27, Andretti Autosport, James Hinchcliffe
67, Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, Josef Newgarden
77, Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports, Simon Pagenaud
78, KV Racing Technology, Simona de Silvestro
83, NovoNordisk Chip Ganassi Racing, Charlie Kimball
98, Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian, Alex Tagliani
TBA, HVM Racing, TBA
Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, covering IndyCar and sports cars. Now in his 27th year in the sport, Pruett was an open-wheel mechanic, engineer and manager before joining SPEED. He also contributes to RACER, Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him @MarshallPruett.
The allocation of the 2012 LC contracts was met with a bit of controversy when two contracts, forfeited by the departing Newman/Haas Racing, were opened by the series for lobbying and acquisition. Dragon Racing and Ed Carpenter Racing earned those contracts to the dismay of a number of teams that felt they offered more value.
The process for 2013, which included three forfeitures, was led by Brian Barnhart and has been far more more streamlined.
The loss of the three LC-earning entries from Team Penske (Ryan Briscoe), KV Racing (Barrichello) and Ganassi Racing (Graham Rahal) brought the returning, full-time entrant count down to 19, leading the series to award the three available contracts to Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (Josef Newgarden), HVM Racing (TBD) and Dragon Racing (Sebastien Bourdais).
Those teams finished 23rd, 24th and 25th in entrant standings last season, but with the three vacancies, they fell within the adjusted top 22 in entrant points.
With the Keith Wiggins-owned HVM as the only real surprise on the LC list, the veteran owner told SPEED.com his LC contract was received as part of a relationship that will be announced in the coming days.
“We’ll be collaborating with another team on our entry, the details of which will be revealed shortly,” he said.
New full-time entries for Schmidt Peterson's Tristan Vautier and Rahal Letterman Lanigan's James Jakes are the two major exclusions from the 2013 LC program.
A drop from 2012's base of $1.16M to $1M also serves as a notable change in the LC program, but interim IndyCar CEO Jeff Belskus says it was the best way to keep the same volume of contracts on offer.
“While we are seeing a slight decrease in Leaders Circle payout this season, our goal is to reinvest in the series with more promotion to increase the value of participation for all of those involved,” he said.
The guaranteed income continues to take the place of traditional prize money payout sums, but the nominal prize money for the top 5 at each event other than the Indy 500 ($35,000 for first place, $25,000 for second, $20,000 for third, $15,000 for fourth and $10,000 for fifth) will continue.
2013 IZOD INDYCAR SERIES LEADER CIRCLE ENTRANTS
Number, Entrant, Driver
1, Andretti Autosport, Ryan Hunter-Reay
3, Team Penske, Helio Castroneves
4, Panther Racing, JR Hildebrand
7, Dragon Racing, Sebastien Bourdais
9, Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Scott Dixon
10, Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Dario Franchitti
11, KV Racing Technology, Tony Kanaan
12, Verizon Team Penske, Will Power
14, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Takuma Sato
15, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Graham Rahal
18, Dale Coyne Racing, TBA
19, Dale Coyne Racing, TBA
20, Ed Carpenter Racing, Ed Carpenter
22, Panther DRR, Oriol Servia
25, Andretti Autosport, Marco Andretti
27, Andretti Autosport, James Hinchcliffe
67, Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, Josef Newgarden
77, Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports, Simon Pagenaud
78, KV Racing Technology, Simona de Silvestro
83, NovoNordisk Chip Ganassi Racing, Charlie Kimball
98, Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian, Alex Tagliani
TBA, HVM Racing, TBA
Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, covering IndyCar and sports cars. Now in his 27th year in the sport, Pruett was an open-wheel mechanic, engineer and manager before joining SPEED. He also contributes to RACER, Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him @MarshallPruett.
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