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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Silly Season Continues To Heat Up
Marshall Pruett and Robin Miller talk with all of the major players with services to offer and seats to fill for the 2013 season.
With Ryan Hunter-Reay staying put at Andretti Autosport, some of the drivers pining for his seat have had to adjust their targets and look elsewhere for new opportunities. (Photo: LAT)
(Marshall Pruett and Robin Miller update their recent silly season story after talking with all of the major players with services to offer and seats to fill for the 2013 season.)
With Ryan Hunter-Reay electing to stay with Andretti Autosport, the silly season took a bit of a hit but there’s still plenty of wheeling and dealing going on these days.
The 31-year-old American was the biggest domino to fall this off-season, and had he chosen to sign with The Captain as teammate to Will Power and Helio Castroneves, a feeding frenzy would have been set off with half the paddock trying to fill his shoes in the No. 28 DHL/SunDrop Chevy.
With RHR forsaking Penske, what we’re left with are questions over how many cars the team will run next season, and if they’re genuinely interested in keeping Ryan Briscoe on the payroll and his third entry on the track.
Ganassi Racing is facing a similar dilemma with the No. 38 car that Graham Rahal drove for the past two seasons. Will the Indy 500-winning team stick with four cars, or reduce to three for 2013?
We don’t have the answers yet for this pair of top-line drives, but as talks continue to take place, it looks like Penske’s loss could be Ganassi’s gain.
The Penske camp has been tight-lipped on its plans for Briscoe, which has only helped to accelerate the Aussie’s search for a new home.
Early talks with Bobby Rahal seemed to indicate the Sonoma race winner might end up as teammate to Graham Rahal next year, and it still remains a possibility, but interest in having the 31-year-old rejoin the Ganassi fold, the first IndyCar Series team he drove for back in 2005, continues to heat up.
Ignoring Briscoe’s crash at the season finale, his oval skills are of particular interest to Honda, and with the need to strengthen its assembly of teams to take the fight to Chevy, his eight IndyCar wins and 13 poles would fit nicely in a proven Franchitti-Dixon-Briscoe package at Ganassi.
To move forward, funding for Rahal’s former Ganassi ride is the most challenging part of the equation.
Ganassi’s pair of Target cars is supported by sponsorship, while its satellite entries for Rahal and Charlie Kimball have been made possible by sponsors brought to the team by both drivers.
It’s believed that while some backing is in place for the No. 38 car, Briscoe and the team would need to put most of the necessary budget together for 2013. The other piece of the Ganassi puzzle involves filling some new (and expected vacancies) with the No. 38 program, including Rahal’s former engineer Martin Pare.
There’s a desire on all sides to see Briscoe in the No. 38, which would clearly be his best option if Penske doesn’t offer him a new contract. If something doesn’t happen at Ganassi, Penske or Rahal, Briscoe’s options could be limited.
Dale Coyne Racing is on pole position to re-sign Justin Wilson for his third tour of duty, but the lanky open-wheel veteran has also commanded interest from the same teams talking to Briscoe—Penske, Ganassi and Rahal. If Coyne lets him slip away, the former F1 and Champ Car ace would make the Chipster’s team a legitimate triple threat at any track, and especially after he scored his first oval victory at Texas.
Wilson would also be just as valuable for a Penske team that has struggled to find the consistency needed to win championships. Indy car’s winningest team has spent plenty of money on a three-car operation since Will Power joined full-time in 2010, but Power’s never really had a teammate who could keep up with him on the track or in the final standings.
The Brit finished runner-up twice in Champ Car against some stiff competition, so he knows how to get the job done, but has never had a front-line ride in the IndyCar Series to chase a title. If Roger wants to improve his team, he knows Wilson’s number.
Wilson and his engineer Bill Pappas, two of the tallest people on pit lane, also tend to come together as a package. They won Coyne’s first IndyCar race in 2009 and again this year at the Texas 550, which makes them a turnkey solution.
Ask a Power or Franchitti who they’d like to have under their tent and Wilson’s their guy, but Coyne knows how much of a gem he has in the Sonny’s BBQ car, so don’t expect him to let anyone poach his driver and engineer without a fight. Wilson’s also a loyal kind of guy, which Coyne respects, and who will win the race to get him to sign on the dotted line is something to follow as we look ahead.
What looked like a done deal between Sam Schmidt, Davey Hamilton and Rubens Barrichello just a few weeks ago at Baltimore has recently taken a few steps back. The costs involved with running the 40-year-old Brazilian have required more time and attention than originally expected, and the sponsorship needed to make it happen hasn’t completely materialized.
The Formula One veteran is expected to get a deal worked out with the Honda-powered team, but the timeline involved with bringing the financials together is open-ended. Barrichello’s name also popped up again as a possible replacement for Rahal at Ganassi, but he still stands the best chance of partnering with 2012 Rookie of the Year Simon Pagenaud at Schmidt’s smart little team.
Team co-owner Hamilton, who brought primary sponsor Hewlett-Packard to keep Schmidt’s team on the grid, looked set to depart Schmidt’s program after one season but now expects to stay for 2013.
After Briscoe, Wilson and Barrichello, the next player in the 2013 silly season is Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Takuma Sato.
With Ryan Hunter-Reay electing to stay with Andretti Autosport, the silly season took a bit of a hit but there’s still plenty of wheeling and dealing going on these days.
The 31-year-old American was the biggest domino to fall this off-season, and had he chosen to sign with The Captain as teammate to Will Power and Helio Castroneves, a feeding frenzy would have been set off with half the paddock trying to fill his shoes in the No. 28 DHL/SunDrop Chevy.
With RHR forsaking Penske, what we’re left with are questions over how many cars the team will run next season, and if they’re genuinely interested in keeping Ryan Briscoe on the payroll and his third entry on the track.
Ganassi Racing is facing a similar dilemma with the No. 38 car that Graham Rahal drove for the past two seasons. Will the Indy 500-winning team stick with four cars, or reduce to three for 2013?
We don’t have the answers yet for this pair of top-line drives, but as talks continue to take place, it looks like Penske’s loss could be Ganassi’s gain.
The Penske camp has been tight-lipped on its plans for Briscoe, which has only helped to accelerate the Aussie’s search for a new home.
Early talks with Bobby Rahal seemed to indicate the Sonoma race winner might end up as teammate to Graham Rahal next year, and it still remains a possibility, but interest in having the 31-year-old rejoin the Ganassi fold, the first IndyCar Series team he drove for back in 2005, continues to heat up.
Ignoring Briscoe’s crash at the season finale, his oval skills are of particular interest to Honda, and with the need to strengthen its assembly of teams to take the fight to Chevy, his eight IndyCar wins and 13 poles would fit nicely in a proven Franchitti-Dixon-Briscoe package at Ganassi.
To move forward, funding for Rahal’s former Ganassi ride is the most challenging part of the equation.
Ganassi’s pair of Target cars is supported by sponsorship, while its satellite entries for Rahal and Charlie Kimball have been made possible by sponsors brought to the team by both drivers.
It’s believed that while some backing is in place for the No. 38 car, Briscoe and the team would need to put most of the necessary budget together for 2013. The other piece of the Ganassi puzzle involves filling some new (and expected vacancies) with the No. 38 program, including Rahal’s former engineer Martin Pare.
There’s a desire on all sides to see Briscoe in the No. 38, which would clearly be his best option if Penske doesn’t offer him a new contract. If something doesn’t happen at Ganassi, Penske or Rahal, Briscoe’s options could be limited.
Dale Coyne Racing is on pole position to re-sign Justin Wilson for his third tour of duty, but the lanky open-wheel veteran has also commanded interest from the same teams talking to Briscoe—Penske, Ganassi and Rahal. If Coyne lets him slip away, the former F1 and Champ Car ace would make the Chipster’s team a legitimate triple threat at any track, and especially after he scored his first oval victory at Texas.
Wilson would also be just as valuable for a Penske team that has struggled to find the consistency needed to win championships. Indy car’s winningest team has spent plenty of money on a three-car operation since Will Power joined full-time in 2010, but Power’s never really had a teammate who could keep up with him on the track or in the final standings.
The Brit finished runner-up twice in Champ Car against some stiff competition, so he knows how to get the job done, but has never had a front-line ride in the IndyCar Series to chase a title. If Roger wants to improve his team, he knows Wilson’s number.
Wilson and his engineer Bill Pappas, two of the tallest people on pit lane, also tend to come together as a package. They won Coyne’s first IndyCar race in 2009 and again this year at the Texas 550, which makes them a turnkey solution.
Ask a Power or Franchitti who they’d like to have under their tent and Wilson’s their guy, but Coyne knows how much of a gem he has in the Sonny’s BBQ car, so don’t expect him to let anyone poach his driver and engineer without a fight. Wilson’s also a loyal kind of guy, which Coyne respects, and who will win the race to get him to sign on the dotted line is something to follow as we look ahead.
What looked like a done deal between Sam Schmidt, Davey Hamilton and Rubens Barrichello just a few weeks ago at Baltimore has recently taken a few steps back. The costs involved with running the 40-year-old Brazilian have required more time and attention than originally expected, and the sponsorship needed to make it happen hasn’t completely materialized.
The Formula One veteran is expected to get a deal worked out with the Honda-powered team, but the timeline involved with bringing the financials together is open-ended. Barrichello’s name also popped up again as a possible replacement for Rahal at Ganassi, but he still stands the best chance of partnering with 2012 Rookie of the Year Simon Pagenaud at Schmidt’s smart little team.
Team co-owner Hamilton, who brought primary sponsor Hewlett-Packard to keep Schmidt’s team on the grid, looked set to depart Schmidt’s program after one season but now expects to stay for 2013.
After Briscoe, Wilson and Barrichello, the next player in the 2013 silly season is Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Takuma Sato.
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