PRUETT: Triple Stint, 3.27

IndyCar

PRUETT: Triple Stint, 3.27

Feeling Randy?, Planning to Plan, Nice Promos, Split Screen, Poison Politics, Bosom Buddies, LMPC is Too PC, Flying Birds, DCR, and Daytona DTM?

Marshall Pruett | Posted March 27, 2010

Is Randy Bernard making the right moves at the IRL? Tell us what you think! (LAT)

After a brief hiatus due to the insanity of the 12 Hours of Sebring, here's a twofer' of Triple Stint:

Feeling Randy?

Nearing one month in, how is the new IndyCar CEO doing? Is he making the right moves? The wrong ones? Somewhere in-between? I share my thoughts below, but I'd like to hear what you have to say. What are the early indicators you're receiving from him?

After almost a month on the job, how do you rate new IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard? (LAT)

Also, in his former role at the Professional Bull Riders, Randy's nickname was 'Nardo.' With the phallic-ality of the DeltaWing still fresh on my mind (sorry, still seeing a psychiatrist to fix that one), and the similarity of 'Nardo' to the term 'Nards' that describes the southern most region of a man's fiddly bits, I say Randy needs a new nickname -- one that doesn't conjure naughty thoughts I'll need more therapy to get rid of.

So, now that he's in IndyCar racing, what nickname should we bestow on Bernard? Send along your ideas and we'll pick a winner for next week's column.

Planning to Plan

What do you do when you need to make a critical decision and realize you don't have enough expertise or experience to make the call yourself? If you were the previous IndyCar administration, you'd ignore your ignorance and fumble your way through to come up with a solution that didn't help anybody.

In the case of the new IndyCar administration, and specifically the decision on how to proceed with forming the 2012 rules, you humble yourself, take yourself out of the equation, and assemble a panel of experts to deliver their best recommendation.

With his new ICONIC committee (Innovative, Competitive, Open-Wheel, New, Industry-Relevant, Cost-Effective), Randy Bernard is making a bold move by empowering non-League personnel to shape the series' future.

It will take time to determine whether Bernard's plan has worked, but on the surface, I love his willingness to let go and allow the smartest men in the room to come together and formulate a plan.

That's a necessary distinction to make: The whole scenario reminds me of the "Planning to Plan" slogan on the dry erase board in the conference room scene in Office Space between The Bobs and Peter. Bernard's ICONIC panel is a 'Planning to Plan' effort on his part, not turning over the keys to 2012 to a retired Air Force General and a cast of people chosen to star on The Real World: Indianapolis.

Bernard might lack the in-depth history about the IRL, CART, ChampCar and the modern day IndyCar Series, but he's learned how much the series has seen its stock drop in terms of public perception, and in this case, the public's trust.

Knowing that his series is perceived as being biased, and having an agenda to reward its current chassis and engine suppliers with a sole supplier contract for 2012, Bernard told me he came up with the ICONIC panel for one primary reason.

"I think 90% of the reason I created it was for credibility. I wanted to make sure that, first and foremost, that the team owners felt like they were part of the process. And they are a part, and have a vote. I brought the General on because there were two major things I wanted from him. I wanted a very articulate process and I wanted his integrity. What I found in the racing industry from the limited time I’ve had is everybody is always just a little bit worried about who's siding with who. If I could bring in someone that has impeccable credibility, integrity, and is respected for what he's done in that position and command with different controls, I felt he was a very valuable asset to bring in. And I had a relationship with him, so I called him and he said, “You bet, I'd love to do it.”

Part of Bernard's motivation to create the ICONIC advisory board was to demonstrate to all who want to listen that the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series is making a fresh start -- a clean break from the divisive politics that fractured the sport within the paddock and amongst the fans. Rather than use the CEO's chair to rule as a dictator, Bernard is trying to win his constituents over by inviting them to shape the process by which the 2012 car comes to life.

Will the ICONIC panel recommend the Swift as the car for 2012, or it will be just one of a few they suggest? Will it even make the cut? Will they call for the new car to debut in 2013? We'll soon know the answers to these questions. (Swift Engineering)

In the context of how things have been done in the past, these are radical tactics. For those accustomed to modern day business practices, Bernard is going about his job as he should be.

"I think what this process is going to do, is just going to let everyone know that we were open-minded and that it was thought out. There is a process. I want it to be passionate. I want there to be heated conversation, I want there to be times that people stand up for what they believe in, but at the end of the day I'm confident that General Looney will bring it back to our primary objective."

Bernard says he's prepared to take the findings of the ICONIC panel and General Looney's report and evaluate what's best for the series, even if they comes back with an unpopular opinion on where the sport needs to go in 2012.

"What if they come back to me and say that due to the economic times that only seven out of the 24 team owners feel that they can afford to move over to a new car by 2012? Which is a concern to me. I want to make sure that we have the very best decision for the entrants in mind when we do this. I'm not convinced yet our timing is exactly perfect on having the ICONIC car in 2012. But that's not my decision, I want to hear it from our panel members and the paddock they represent. We need to know what team owners think, and it's a very important part of the process."

A bit of disconnect happened between our talk on Thursday and the announcement by the IndyCar Series on Friday that Gil de Ferran was the first member chosen for the ICONIC panel. It doesn't change his goals for the committee, but it appears the announcement, made against his wishes, speaks to everyone inside 16th & Georgetown still trying to get on the same page.

"We created this panel and someone asked me if I was going to announce the panel members this week. I don’t want to take it away from the race. This week there’s a race, let's keep the focus on what it should be. It should be on the drivers and it should be on the owners and the competition this week. That's with the sport is about. I’m going to get some names next week, at the end of next week so there’s something next Saturday or Sunday after St. Pete that’s fresh and new, but right now, by God, I want to make sure what we’re all about is the sport. And that's racing this weekend, not panel announcements."

A fair amount of criticism has been leveled at Bernard for bringing General Looney into the 2012 debate, with a few team owners and a number of fans questioning Bernard's intentions. Concerns that Looney would have a vote in the process (he doesn't) caused the first uproar, followed by skepticism that the panel members, whomever they are (in addition to GdF), will make the right call on how many different chassis should be allowed, what kind of engines should be used, and all other aspects of how the future IndyCar should come together.

Bernard, feeling the need to overstate the obvious, and in a nod the ICONIC committee simply being created to help in his 'Planning to Plan' phase, says he's willing to live with the negativity aimed in his direction as long as his panel makes the best decision for 2012.

"I’m not trying to play politics at all. What I'm trying to do is make sure that we give [the entrants] a voice. And I felt that we needed to have a process where they felt like everyone is heard, and I felt this is the best way to do it. I didn't have to create ICONIC. It was a choice. This decision was made strictly from what I thought was in the very best interest of the IZOD IndyCar Series."

I asked Randy whether the recommendations he'll receive from General Looney will be acted upon by himself, or if the final decision on the 2012 car and rules would have a wider group involved with what gets signed into place. Bernard says that once he's read General Looney's summary -- like a judge reading a jury's findings -- he'll deliver his 2012 recommendation to IndyCar's Supreme Court: IMS.

"Well, I’m going to take it to our Board of Directors with a presentation on what we believe the next step is. That's where things get finalized and I hope it won't take us too long."

The last topic we spoke on was the perceived snub to the DeltaWing group. While the DeltaWings want to have their 2012 chassis design accepted, they also wanted to be empowered as the technical arm that works between the paddock and the IndyCar Series. But with the formation of the ICONIC group, Bernard sidestepped DeltaWing's offer to steer and oversee the formulation of the rules and cars for 2012.

I've been told by a few influential DeltaWings that even if their car is turned down, they still want to lend their engineering and design expertise to help the series produce the best car for 2012, but Bernard politely intimated that the wishes of the DeltaWing group, at this stage, will have to take a backseat while his panel offers up a direction to consider. He didn't rule out their participation after the panel's findings, and made it clear that until the committee comes back with something, his focus will be on improving the series.

"General Looney will be busy and we'll see who all fits in once we have a 2012 plan in place. Until then, my foremost goal is to sell the very most tickets to the Indianapolis 500 and the other events on our calendar. I'm focused on getting bigger crowds and television audiences. We can take things slow -- one at a time -- or work on multiple problems at once. I want to multi-task. As for ICONIC, I hope that it's a very big honor to be on this and I hope that in 20 years that people can look back and say that those seven people shaped decisions for the League that are still beneficial a decade or two later."

Nice Promos

VERSUS appears to be hitting its stride in the second year of its relationship with the IndyCar Series. While the style and format of the season opener at Sao Paulo looked little different than their broadcasts did in 2009, I've been impressed with the high production quality and the amount of energy VERSUS has put into their IndyCar commercials and promotions.

Their drop-ins for the upcoming race at Barber Motorsports Park during the UFC on VERSUS 1 fight on Sunday night looked superb, and matched the tone you would expect the 18-49 year olds that watched the event would respond to.

If the big rating boost for Sao Paulo is anything to go by, and knowing how many DirecTV households were just added back, the needle on IndyCar's ratings could move from being stuck on 'E' and start to creep towards a quarter tank before long.

Split Screen

While we're on the topic of IndyCar TV, can I suggest for the Series to require the use of a split screen during every broadcast to guarantee every entry receives air time?

We see during every NASCAR race that no matter how poorly a driver might be doing, their car, or rather their sponsors, get mentioned by the broadcasters and the logos are beamed prominently into every household.

Dad's Root Beer, Valspar, and Piloti aren't household names, but their backing of dedicated teams like Dreyer & Reinbold is crucial to IndyCar's survival. How about throwing them a bone with a guaranteed minimum of TV time at each round? (LAT)

It tells the Fortune 500 companies (and even the smaller ones) that their participation in the sport, rather than their position on the track is what matters most.

Now it's time for IndyCar to send the same message.

As IndyCar sponsors are becoming a rare find these days, why not implement a split screen policy where the leaders are shown in one frame while the cars outside the battle for the front are shown? What's more important...following the same six or seven cars that are always up front (and keeping only their sponsors happy) or giving some regular, race-by-race love to the majority of the field that lives outside the top-6?

Teams are having a harder time selling sponsorships due to poor TV ratings, so why not alleviate that problem by mandating every car -- even Milka and Citgo -- get a set amount of screen time and sponsor mentions at every event?

Surely I'm not the only person to fall asleep in front of the TV during IndyCar races when the action slows down or becomes predictable; provided the interesting portions are always shown (rather than cut away to focus solely on the guy running 17th and why his sponsor is the bestest in the world), it seems like a no-brainer to me.

It would also give teams and their marketing staff something to use in their sponsorship meetings. With the series so low on sponsorship dollars, it makes it much harder for a mid-pack team to make a sales pitch when the ratings are low and they have no guarantee a sponsor will get meaningful coverage.

The old argument that teams should do better, move up in the field, and then they'll get TV coverage works in a perfect world, but we don't live there anymore. If a sponsor is willing to fork out funds to be involved in the IndyCar Series in 2010, I say they need to be rewarded, and even if it's only a guarantee of three minutes of dedicated split screen coverage per race, I think it would make a huge difference in boosting the commercial aspects of the series.

If potential sponsors knew they had coverage at every round, it would make it much easier to justify their expenditures while the economy is still recovering. That doesn't mean I'd be excited looking at a 3-minute split screen piece as Bob Jenkins extols the virtues of Team 3G and their sponsors, but until the series gets back to a place where it's overflowing with cash, how can they afford not to give sponsors more value than ever in each broadcast?

Poison Politics

Enough, already.

We get it.

The other team has major advantages with their car, but they are sandbagging so no one can see it. The problem is, the team you are accusing of sandbagging is saying the same thing about you.

Welcome to the 2010 edition of the American Le Mans GT2 category, where paranoia, conspiracy theories and drivers spewing sound bytes on an endless loop about how their competitors are hiding unfair advantages has hit a fever pitch.

Sadly, we've only finished one round so far and I'm already sick of the snotty banter. Wait until we get to the season finale at Petit Le Mans! The crying and bitching will drown out the sounds of the cars on track.

The Corvettes are clearly faster, but aren't showing it, in fear of IMSA slapping extra ballast or air restrictors on the C6R.GTs. Same with the Porsches. And BMWs. And the Ford...and the Jag...and given enough time, I'm sure the pace car will be called into question.

If everyone complains that the other guy is sandbagging, how do we get back to a place where mouths are shut and we simply go racing? (Marshall Pruett)

Eventually, we reach a Mexican Standoff, where every team and manufacturer takes aim and fires accusations at each other, but with GT2 serving as the most populated and most anticipated battle at each round, I don't want to see the constant bickering drag the class down.

I'd love to see Scot Elkins, Beaux Barfield, or even Scott Atherton call the GT2 drivers into the IMSA trailer at Long Beach and tell them to put a sock in it.

(And if anyone took a moment to think about it, using the media to air grievances or to sway the series in one's favor is a smart tactic, but it doesn't work in this case. Officials aren't listening to Radio Le Mans during a session, nor are they listening to the TV commentary during a race. They have headsets on, and are plugged in to race communications. The only people receiving the complaints are the TV viewers and radio listeners...)

When NASCAR drivers bitch and moan about one another, it generates headlines. When ALMS drivers do it, it sounds petty -- like spoiled brats crying over whose million dollar toy is shinier.

That's not to say some of the drivers' complaints aren't valid, but airing then non-stop over the trackside public address system or on-air during the broadcast comes across as nothing more than sour grapes.

ALMS GT2 is one of the finest single categories of racing in the world today -- let's not pollute it with poisonous politics.

Bosom Buddies

As I've chronicled many times before, a good engineer is as important as a good driver these days. In a top level series like IndyCar, a skilled engineer is crucial to a driver's success -- without the right person setting up the car, even the best driver will languish back in the pack.

One IndyCar driver in particular came away from Sao Paulo with a renewed appreciation of how a good engineer can make all the difference in the world.

Jeff Britton, left, and Vitor Meira, right, hope to have a lot more race days like they had in Brazil. (Courtesy of A.J. Foyt Racing)

"There’s a trust between engineers and their drivers," said Vitor Meira about his podium finish at Brazil, "and that's what I have with Jeff [Britton] and now we are together with A.J. Foyt. This is so very important."

Meira and Britton formed a fast and fruitful relationship at Rahal Letterman Racing in 2005, with the Brazilian driver building an easy bond with his American race engineer. For some new driver/engineer combinations, it takes a while for the two to click, and even then, there's no guarantee of success on the race track. In the case of Vitor and Jeff, they hit it off right away and the results came immediately.

"If I’m not mistaken, my last race with Jeff was in California in 2005 and we finished third. So coming back and finishing third in our first race – which, by the way, is the best start of the season that I've had so far – it's very comforting. It's like we missed no time being away working together."

Meira and team would be forgiven if they allowed themselves to get caught up in the hype surrounding their third place finish at Sao Paulo, but he says that hasn't happened in the two weeks since the race.

"We were not the third best car. I realize that; we were not the third fastest car. We made the right decision in order to be at that position. It's not going to happen every race. But we started this way and it’s very good for the team itself, from the lady that picks up the phone to the tire guy to AJ and to myself and to Larry [Foyt], I mean, everybody is working to improve the team. And you know how those things are. It's not just me and Jeff.

"This result in Brazil was because we were fast and smart, but maybe not the fastest or the smartest. This is what we will continue to work on. To have the whole team in sync and the whole team trusting each other can make a lot of difference throughout the year. I think seeing us on the podium, and I don't think people expect to see us up there, helps to inspire everyone at the ABC Supply team even more."

While Meira was cautious not to place too much credit on Britton's shoulders for their podium performance, he made it clear that by drafting in a veteran engineer, the Foyts have shortened the team's path to becoming a force on road courses and on the ovals.

"I'm not saying anything bad about the other engineers we had who were very competent, but they didn't have enough experience in the IRL. They were great engineers but they were new to IRL so they had a lot to learn. And Jeff has been around for a long time. So having Jeff in the place he is right now, just taking care of engineering responsibilities, we don’t gain only an engineer; we gain and engineer and also we gained AJ worrying about other things on the team but not engineering the car.

"Before he was coming into the shop and he was engineering the car. He had to do all the stuff he does outside the mechanical and engineering stuff on the car, like marketing and going after sponsors and this and that. So not only did we gain an engineer but we helped to give AJ time to not have to try and do everything all by himself. This makes us stronger, I'm positive."

With 16 races left to run, any predictions at this point would be premature, but if the League handed out an award for the most improved team, AJ Foyt Racing served notice in Brazil that they are focused on moving up a few notches in the championship standings this year.

"I think we can be the best improved team. There's a lot to improve still. We are not going to be competitive everywhere we go. We are not at this stage right now but the goal for the team today is to improve. It is to every race go to one step ahead of the other, one feet ahead of the other and that's the goal right now until we get into a place that we can get ourselves in the top three or win championship targets and goals. But right now what we want is to every race and every time we go to the track be a bit better we were. By doing that we will start to catch some teams and we will be where we want to be."

Looking at all of the promise and potential his ABC Supply team has in 2010, Meira says his recovery from the back injury he suffered at Indy last year is not only complete, he's returned to the IZOD IndyCar Series with a renewed sense of purpose. And he's also having the time of his life.

"It's been a long time since I have enjoyed myself as much as I am right now. I can really be honest with you because – in my last year I was at Panther, it was a very good car, very good team, we had a great time. But I was feeling the pressure quite a lot and this made things where not so many smiles happen. When this happens… I mean, luckily I've been performing under pressure for a number of years but it doesn't mean that I enjoy myself that much. You drive as hard as ever, but you miss the joy that can come with your job.

"And right now with AJ – it's not that there is no pressure, there's always pressure – but the way that AJ has been facing everything, you can see what AJ is trying to do with his team, and he is working so hard to make us better. To make us the best. I know I need to give him all of my best performances, and give him all of my respect because he deserves it. I work well with Jeff and I think we will surprise some people this year. AJ created this situation for us, and we all are happy to repay him and our sponsors with more results like in Sao Paulo."

LMPC is Too PC

The LMPC class got off to a somewhat auspicious start at Sebring, but between malfunctions and extended stays in the pits and paddock, the ALMS' new spec prototypes showed promise.

Launching a new category -- one designed for sprint races -- at the 12 Hours of Sebring was always destined to provide more problems than positives, yet most of the PC teams came away from the event having learned an extensive amount about their new cars.

More noise, more power and more tire would do wonders for the LMPC cars. (Marshall Pruett)

If the series responds to the universal call for more power -- enough to give it the punch off the corners and a bit of separation on the top end from the GT cars -- I think all of the participants would be much happier.

No one wants P-cars stuck in a GT battle, and vice versa. One area to help unleash a few extra ponies, and to give the muted cars a bit more of an identity, would be to remove the oversized "look what I just bought to keep Grandma' Buick Roadmaster quiet" mufflers. Not only do the big honking mufflers make the Corvette-powered cars sound wimpy, it helps them to get lost amongst the wide array of sounds the ALMS cars are known for.

When I think of quiet and slow, I want to envision 3-cylinder hybrids taking a half hour to get away from a stop light, not a prototype with a throaty American V8 nestled in the back.

IMSA, please uncork the LMPC cars.

Adding auditory appeal to the visual appeal of the class is important, but I'd say upping the car's performance index is even more crucial. How that is achieved, unfortunately, isn't as easy as solving the sound issue.

With the ORECA-Chevrolet FLM09, the series has a car with an imbalanced power to weight ratio. Fixing that ratio comes in two ways: Adding power or dropping weight.

Built with a carbon chassis, affixed with carbon brakes, carbon bodywork, and with an aluminum engine and gearbox, shaving pounds off the FLM09 would be prohibitively expensive. For a budget class, it's the last thing IMSA would ask their entrants to do.

The Chevy LS3 engine already comes with aluminum heads and an aluminum block, and while the oil sump is made from heavier billet aluminum, that's one area most people would rather have a sturdier solution. Weighing in at almost 440 pounds, the engine is still heavy for a prototype powerplant, but like the chassis, putting the LS3 on a Jenny Craig diet would be a wasteful use of everyone's limited budgets.

One crew member told me at Sebring that the gears inside the Xtrac gearbox are overkill -- something they thought even a diesel prototype would consider too beefy -- so there could be some weight savings with thinner, lighter gears. It would also help the PC cars to accelerate faster.

The LS3 has a redline of 6300 rpms, and its power curve flattens out at 6000 rpms, so simply increasing the current rev limit won't produce more steam.

If lightening the PC chassis and engine is too expensive, a lighter gear stack would be a small performance enhancement, but the most dramatic and cost effective change to widen the gap between the FLM09s and the GT cars would be to upgrade their camshaft package.

Not only is it relatively inexpensive, it would allow the redline to be increased and provide more top end power -- just where GT and PC cars fumble over each other at the moment.

The last area I'd suggest to modify for the future would be to go to a slightly wider rear tire, or to move to a softer rear tire compound. Sporting a harder tire to promote longevity (and to keep costs down), I watched throughout most of Sebring's 17 turns last week as the PC cars struggled for rear grip.

440 pounds of Chevy V8, coupled with the uber 'box, meant most drivers were being swung like a pendulum from behind, and as most of the cars hopped and bounced around in the corners, Michelin's rear tires were asked to do more than their fair share to keep the tail from wagging the dog.

It got to a point where I could close my eyes (I actually tried it just to see if I could do it successfully) and could pick out the tire squeals of a PC car in a corner when I heard a pack of cars coming. Ignoring the exhaust notes, the sound of the PC's Michelins chirping and skipping sideways when the car was being driven hard was easy to single out. Too easy, frankly.

I can't say if my ideas will go any farther than this page, but cams, smaller gears and more grip at the rear would give the LMPC cars higher top speeds, better initial acceleration, and more grip to accelerate between corners.

As those are the three biggest areas where they struggle to distinguish themselves from the GT classes, let's hope something is done to solve these issues.

Flying Birds

Gil de Ferran made one of the most successful and seamless transitions from life as a retired racing driver to that of a team owner/driver with the formation of the de Ferran Motorsports ALMS program in 2008. The former open-wheel champion turned his upstart program into a title contender in only its second year of operation, nearly taking the LMP1 championship last season and developing his dFM outfit into a team that was expected to make the leap to IndyCars for 2010.

But when that failed to happen -- at least as a standalone team -- de Ferran made a strong lateral move to join forces with the impressive Luczo Dragon team, effectively combining dFM and LDR into a single unit where the strengths of each organization were blended.

Forgetting de Ferran's experience as an IndyCar driver, his tenure as Honda F1's sporting director and especially as the owner of an elite sportscar team -- one where technology and efficient processes came first -- helped the Brazilian to establish himself as one of the more capable team bosses in North America.

de Ferran, right, confers with Raphael Matos. The two-time CART champion and 2003 Indy 500 winner says running an IndyCar team isn't much different than a top-tier sportscar program. (LAT)

After learning all of the intricacies about ownership, budgets, development and working practices in the ALMS, de Ferran says shifting what he's learned racing prototypes with Acura over to running in a spec open-wheel series has been a relatively easy transition.

"Well, we carry over a lot of it, and then none of it at the same time! There are certain nuances that are different from what used to do [in the ALMS], by virtue of the rules primarily. But, at the end of the day, when it’s all go, it’s all go. The sense of urgency is the same. Obviously, the feeling of responsibility, the necessity to make good calls and so on and so forth, that all feels very much the same from the pit lane. I have to say it's not very different. The sportscar program, certainly with all the HPD folk and also the guys from Wirth and other suppliers, were all new to use at the beginning. Even the people within our team. And now we have to deal with different groups, starting to make relationships with all of the IndyCar suppliers and such. It's new people, but it doesn't feel very different, I have to say."

Anybody who has worked with de Ferran knows he's not one to operate in the background, which from the outside, could make the working arrangement between he and fellow co-owners Steve Luczo and Jay Penske somewhat difficult. Each of the three principals have their particular roles and strengths, and according to de Ferran, he's happy to maintain the leadership role he'd grown accustomed to in the ALMS.

"That hasn't changed very much. As the president of the team, the buck stops here."

For a driver with such a strong reputation for his technical and engineering aptitude, de Ferran meshed perfectly with HPD and Wirth Research as the radical Acura ARX-02a LMP1 car was developed. Yet no matter how many times I've discussed Gil's role as the technical leader within his team, he's always been reluctant to accept his place as an owner whose abilities are comparable to some of the better engineers in the paddock.

Whether he shies away from accepting this because he doesn't want to be seen as impolite to the engineers on his staff, or because he feels he hasn't worked as an engineer within a team and therefore hasn't earned the right to be associated with them remains unknown, but as in the past, he distances himself from claiming a technical leadership role within his IndyCar operation.

"Well, you know, I don't see myself as a technical director. I didn't see myself as the technical director of the F1 operation, I didn't see myself as the technical director of the sportscar operation, and I certainly don't see it now. I think from a technical standpoint I feel like I am the enabler in my position. I have a reasonable understanding. As they say, I know enough to be dangerous. And I try to support our engineers in their quest for speed in the best way I can. I guess that probably does come a lot from my personal beliefs and background.

"We believe in the science and technology of it all. We believe that the science, understanding the science of it all, will give us more speed and eventually a competitive advantage. Most of the investments we make is with intelligence, know-how and technology. And so, am I the one deciding how to integrate those investments? No, I am the one in enabling those investments to take place."

And so Gil Don't call me the technical director de Ferran is now busy blending the high level of technical resources his ALMS team adopted and exploited, which should give the team's sophomore driver, Raphael Matos, a better shot at being faster and more consistent throughout the year.

"I'm in really, in the thick of the fight, I suppose. Just establishing a lot of the processes and making sure we have all the right tools to do everything that we need for Rafa to succeed. It's one step at a time here, and for the technical side, I'm just directing which path the bird is flying towards."

An Honest Video

I appreciate Corvette Racing's willingness to air their mistakes as well as promote their successes. There's little here for them to spin, so they don't. Good on them.

Daytona Tourenwagon Masters?

I've received a fairly steady volume of inquiries about GRAND-AM and rumors of the Rolex Series running to DTM regulations starting in 2011, the DTM buying GRAND-AM, GRAND-AM allowing DTM cars in the Rolex GT class, and a few other questions on the same theme.

Here's what one senior GRAND-AM official told me.

"It's true, there is a dialogue going on between GRAND-AM and the organizers of the DTM. They reached out to us, and while I'm not at liberty to discuss what our conversations have contained, I can say that we are in a relationship building stage right now. People can read into that whatever they want, but it's just that simple, and no more complicated than that. We're getting to know each other, and if that turns into more than two different series talking and seeing how each other works, we'll look forward to sharing those details with our entrants and our fans."

Watching DTM cars turn left from the infield onto Daytona's banking would be an amazing sight. Let's hope we get to witness it someday soon. (LAT)

Knowing how much emphasis GRAND-AM places on affordability, it would be hard to imagine DTM rules or DTM cars being incorporated into the Rolex Series. The complexities and costs of an Audi or Mercedes DTM machine makes every other GT car in the world look like a Schwinn bicycle with a banana seat and streamers on the handlebars, so the DTM's 'F1 with fenders' approach to exotic materials and technology doesn't jive with the mindset that created the DP and GT classes.

In terms of the DTM buying GRAND-Am or vice versa, it's not hard to figure out who has the biggest bank account (it isn't the Germans). The rumors of sales -- in either direction -- are baseless.

If there's a direction that makes sense, it lies in the DTM reaching out to GRAND-AM about hosting and administering a future DTM round. Whether at Daytona or another Speedway owned circuit, the DTM in known for venturing outside of Germany's borders to promote their international drivers and to help Audi and Mercedes to promote their brand.

As the two marques rely upon sales in the United States to make up a significant portion of their annual sales, running a round in the USA with GRAND-AM's help isn't too far fetched of a scenario.

How cool would it be to have a DTM double-header at the 2011 Rolex 24? One race on Friday, followed by another on Saturday prior to the start of the big race? I can't say if the Blue Oval or the General would let a Carl Edwards or a Jimmie Johnson strap in to an Audi or a Merc to take on Timo Scheider and Gary Paffett in one of the DTM races, but even without the Sprint Cup angle, having a racing schedule packed with Continental Tire Series, DTM and Rolex Series cars would be a Woodstock-meets-sportscars experience most fans wouldn't want to miss.

DCR Emails

My comments in the last Triple Stint about Dale Coyne Racing's choice of a Brit to drive the Boys Scouts of America car was met with a mix of responses. Some don't care about a driver's nationality when it comes to a car sponsored by (or promoting) a national institution, while others, like me, see it as a major issue.

Dale Coyne's choice of England's Alex Lloyd to drive the Boy Scouts of America IndyCar was met with mixed responses by Triple Stint readers. No word as to whether they find it amusing that DCR uses a Panoz for promotional purposes at IndyCar events...(Ind

Here's some of what you had to say:

My brother and I are in the Army (he had to miss last years 500, when Castroneves won number three) and we both harp about the shortage of Americans in the IRL. I am happy RHR had an exceptional run and I forgot how excited I could get watching the Red/White/Blue up front.

International flavor is good, but you make a good point. Why can't we complain that we want American's in our race cars? It's our right, we just want to root for guys that we can picture our children possibly being, that's all.

TK said it best in an article I read earlier in the weekend. The Brazilian fans would root only for the Brazilians, because that's who they were rooting for, that is who they based their allegiance on. Why can't American's do the same?

This issue will continue to present itself, and continue to frustrate many fans for some time to come.

Tom Blackburn

So in trying to follow your logic about only having an American (and by American I assume you mean the United States of America and not the American continents which of course would include Canadian, Mexican, Brazilian, Argentinean etc drivers ) driving the Boy Scouts car, do you also think that if a family from England moved to the US that their son should not be allowed to be a Boy Scout? I'm sure that the kids in the Scouts wouldn't care who the driver was. Earlier in your column you mention the Nancy Grace mentality and it seems you are playing into that as well.

Ross van Adrichem

I fully agree with you on the fact that an American driver should be behind the wheel of the Boy Scouts car. The American talent is out there. Try J. R. Hildebrand for one. Look back at the young talent that has skipped Indy Car altogether and gone directly to Nascar (which has become pretty boring over the last few years). What really hurts me the most is knowing that guys like Gurney and Fogarty couldn't get a ride years ago when it's clear they have more talent than the majority of Indy car drivers over the last decade. I'm lucky to be old enough to get the opportunity to have witnessed USAC, CART, Indy 500 in it's peak years. Tons of American talent with a good mixture of top foreign drivers. It's really difficult to stay interested in the newer version of Indy Car. By the way, the National Guard car should only be driven by an American as well.

Thanks, Ron Kelley

The boy scouts or scouting in general was started in 1907 in England. Don't see anything wrong with it.

I am a former Boy Scout.

Erik Petersen

There are boy scouts of all ethic backgrounds. The BSofA web site is even in Spanish.
We live in a very multi cultural society.

I don't think there are many business people who listen to sports journalist when they decide when and where to spend their money.

Michael Oliver
Miami Beach, Florida

Scott,

As an Eagle Scout, the DCR situation has me perturbed. But its not to be unexpected given the way the IndyCar (and ChampCar too) has been run in the past decade. I remember being at the first Chicago Grand Prix in I think it was 2000 when a young kid by the name of Jon Fogarty was on podium for the Atlantic and I ran across in him the garage and congratulated him. Fine driver as I'm sure you are aware, but not a sniff from the OWS series. Same with his teammate even! This is AMERICAN open wheel racing, why is a talented guy like Rahal only having a partial ride? I'm sure that Paul Newman would be having fits.

Chris Schletter

Marshall:

I've been a supporter of Dale Coyne for years, and I admire his determination to keep a team afloat when others have fallen by the way side, but this move to put Alex Lloyd in the Boy Scouts of America car is truly baffling. What kind of a message is being sent to the millions of Boy Scouts across the country, as well as other fans by not choosing a young American driver, if in fact that Dale and his wife are funding the program themselves ?

I, as well as many others, would be interested to hear what Dale has to say about this.

Thanks,
Sgt. Al Thompson
Dolton, Il.

As always, thanks for reading and be sure to send your thoughts or questions to .

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, SPEED, FOX, or NewsCorp.

Marshall Pruett is SPEEDtv.com’s Auto Racing Editor, and also covers IndyCar and sportscar racing for the site. Pruett grew up at ‘Pruett's Olde English Garage,’ his father's shelter for abused foreign cars, and spent his childhood being dragged across the West Coast to help with his dad's amateur racing exploits.

Pruett spent 20 years working in the IRL, CART, IMSA, and most of the known open-wheel feeder series before retiring from active duty in 2001. And in case you were wondering, no, he isn’t related to Scott Pruett.

Marshall lives in Northern California with his wife Shabral.