2018 IndyCar news/misc. stuff

He was always going to get into Indycar, especially when his dad works for Andretti, plus it's looking like he'll win the Indy Lights series title and that's a 3-race schedule there. With the news of McLaren maybe partnering with Andretti for 2019, it may have to be another team on the grid now. Probably a Honda one, maybe Andretti hires him out, maybe Bryan Herta separates his team from Andretti (doubting that)...
 
I'm not sure I understand why, but both Detroit races were watched by many more people than the Texas race. I don't think Indy 500 coattails would flip that reality. I don't know what is happening to appreciation for oval racing in America, but Indycar has one "grand oval". I personally want them on the schedule, but they aren't the draw they used to be.

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I personally wish we could get them back at MIS but that ship has sailed. These cars are incredible to watch on ovals, albeit they need a little more downforce at Indy for next year
 
I'm not sure I understand why, but both Detroit races were watched by many more people than the Texas race. I don't think Indy 500 coattails would flip that reality. I don't know what is happening to appreciation for oval racing in America, but Indycar has one "grand oval". I personally want them on the schedule, but they aren't the draw they used to be.

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NBCSN versus ABC is a big factor. The last time Texas was on ABC (2013) it got 1.4M viewers the weekend after Detroit got 883K and 1.0M. This year's number was no doubt pretty bad though. I imagine they'll come to an agreement to renew, but I can't say the same for other events like Iowa and Phoenix. I'd love to see some more ovals on the schedule too but besides Gateway and maybe Pocono I don't think the fans have shown up like they expected and need to call it a success.
 
New superspeedway tuning options for Pocono
https://racer.com/2018/06/18/new-superspeedway-tuning-options-for-pocono/

Two proposals made for series title sponsor, and a more-likely-than-not chance of two new teams on the grid next season...according to Miles. International TV rights also still at play.

IndyCar midseason review, part III: What's still to come
https://www.indystar.com/story/spor...n-review-part-iii-whats-still-come/704696002/

creeping back to more down force..good. hope it doesn't get cluttered up by cars with mickey mouse ears and colored lug nuts.
 
Now this would be something. Could Alonso have burned yet another bridge that would preclude him from even a factory-backed IndyCar seat? I could certainly see Dixon culminating his career with the team founded by his countryman (about the only way he could ever leave CGR). At the very least, it's apparent McLaren are willing to do IndyCar with or without Alonso. And amid reports that McLaren are seeking Daniel Ricciardo for F1, they may be ready to move on from him entirely.

Dixon to McLaren? The 2019 IndyCar silly season is ramping up
https://racer.com/2018/06/21/dixon-to-mclaren-the-2019-indycar-silly-season-is-ramping-up/
 
One less Indycar race I'll be watching then.
Grandstand, casual fan attendance was way too low for it to keep on going. It had the lowest attendance of any oval and I think many would say it had the worst "show" of any oval as well. The statement did say IndyCar and ISC will work together on finding a replacement venue for 2019.



 
Fernando Alonso’s open wheel career is ending before our eyes, really can’t believe that he’s burning another bridge. For as talented as he is, he must be a huge arse to deal with. I’d be shocked if Dixie left for McLaren, he might be the best driver CGR has ever had. I really hope Indy car races at Homestead at Night and shifts Gateway to the season finale, at the very worst your championship deciding race even though it wasn’t set out to be that shouldn’t be at a road course.
 
As I'd posted previously, I had serious doubts about whether Alonso would be interested in the entire IndyCar series. If that report is accurate, I'm not surprised. The Indy 500 is meaningful everywhere in the world and is one of the most prestigious races. Right or wrong, the series is not that significant in Euro-centric open wheel circles. @FLRacingFan said it well when he posted about having difficulty envisioning Alonso hanging out in the cornfields of Iowa.

I hope he's back at Indy next year. Beyond that, who knows what he's going to do.
 
Harding will do some "driver evaluations" the rest of the season, beginning with Conor Daly at Toronto...

Daly to replace Chaves in Toronto as Harding shakes up lineup
“We’re trying to see where we’re at for the remainder of 2018 and see what we can do for 2019 because it’s our goal to be a two-car team next year,” said Harding boss Brian Barnhart. “So Mike [Harding] wants to do some driver evaluations with some guys in this year’s Indianapolis 500 and some of the talented kids in Lights.
https://racer.com/2018/07/10/daly-to-replace-chaves-at-harding-for-final-six-races/

Also very out-of-left field...

DragonSpeed aiming for part-time 2019 IndyCar program
https://racer.com/2018/07/09/dragonspeed-aiming-for-part-time-2019-indycar-program/
 
Harding will do some "driver evaluations" the rest of the season, beginning with Conor Daly at Toronto...

Daly to replace Chaves in Toronto as Harding shakes up lineup

https://racer.com/2018/07/10/daly-to-replace-chaves-at-harding-for-final-six-races/

Also very out-of-left field...

DragonSpeed aiming for part-time 2019 IndyCar program
https://racer.com/2018/07/09/dragonspeed-aiming-for-part-time-2019-indycar-program/

I get what Harding and Barnhardt are doing, but Gabby has been doing pretty good for a sponsorless team in their first year. Its unfortunate that he won't be in the car as much as he should.

Interesting to see who will be in the car after Conor? I hope Munoz gets a shot as well,
 
I get what Harding and Barnhardt are doing, but Gabby has been doing pretty good for a sponsorless team in their first year. Its unfortunate that he won't be in the car as much as he should.

Interesting to see who will be in the car after Conor? I hope Munoz gets a shot as well,
It's been updated to say that O'Ward, Herta, and Urrutia will probably all get in there. Should be interesting to see how those guys do. Lord knows it's been a long time coming for Santi.
 
It's been updated to say that O'Ward, Herta, and Urrutia will probably all get in there. Should be interesting to see how those guys do. Lord knows it's been a long time coming for Santi.

Man, its crazy to think all of these young guys are ready to make the next step. I wonder how long the 40+ crowd is going to stick around?

Santi should be first in line, he's been IndyCar ready for the longest.
 
I get what Harding and Barnhardt are doing, but Gabby has been doing pretty good for a sponsorless team in their first year. Its unfortunate that he won't be in the car as much as he should.

Interesting to see who will be in the car after Conor? I hope Munoz gets a shot as well,

Well last year as an upstart they ran 9th, 5th, and 15th at Indy, Texas, and Pocono. His best finishes this year have been two 14ths after 11 races.

I'm happy for Daly to get another opportunity, and my wife who became fans of him and Rossi after Amazing Race is too, but agree that Chaves is probably doing as good as you can expect for the equipment. He's 18th of the 20 full-time drivers in points, ahead of rookie Matheus Leist and Chilton (who I'll be charitable to and say it's a rookie team). Indycar is just a brutal series to get results in the past few years. There's some races you can look at the guys that took 10th, say they drove the heck out of their car, but 10th in Indycar is still midfield.
 
Man, its crazy to think all of these young guys are ready to make the next step. I wonder how long the 40+ crowd is going to stick around?

Santi should be first in line, he's been IndyCar ready for the longest.

Not too sure. Urrutia really should be winning Lights this year, and he's a distant 3rd to O'Ward and Herta. And when you compare to last season, he lost to Kaiser, who I'm not sure we're going to ever see him in an Indycar again after using up his sponsorship money.

There's an Uruguayan around on some racing forums, and he says Urrutia really doesn't have the level of financial backing one would think he has.

I'm sure Urrutia if he could get the opportunity would punch Felix Serralles in the mouth. :)
 
Sounds like Herta might be favored to run a third RLL car. Makes sense, Andretti expanding to five full-time (with a major exception for any possible McLaren effort) would be really spreading it thin IMO. With Sato's age, this could be a great get for RLL to partner with Graham long-term.

Rahal inches closer to three full-time cars in 2019
https://racer.com/2018/07/10/rahal-inches-closer-to-three-full-time-cars-in-2019/

Not too sure. Urrutia really should be winning Lights this year, and he's a distant 3rd to O'Ward and Herta. And when you compare to last season, he lost to Kaiser, who I'm not sure we're going to ever see him in an Indycar again after using up his sponsorship money.

There's an Uruguayan around on some racing forums, and he says Urrutia really doesn't have the level of financial backing one would think he has.

I'm sure Urrutia if he could get the opportunity would punch Felix Serralles in the mouth. :)
No doubt he has to be peeved about the last point...what a way to lose a title and the scholarship money that comes with it. I think over the first two years of Lights he beat maybe four guys who already are in IndyCar, and was one pass away from winning that title over a guy who now has a Ganassi ride. That has to sting.
 
Wow. I'm not convinced this is an upgrade over Phoenix when it comes to attendance or entertainment. I will be disappointed if they don't add an oval and this is the only addition to the calendar.

 
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to host 2019 INDYCAR season finale
INDYCAR and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca announced that the historic Northern California road course with deep Indy car roots will return to the schedule in 2019.

The three-year agreement, approved today by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors overseeing operation of the facility, calls for Laguna Seca to be the host site of the final race of the 2019 Verizon IndyCar Series season. Next year’s race weekend will be Sept. 20-22. The remainder of the series schedule will be announced later.

Laguna Seca held Indy car races annually from 1983-2004. The 2.238-mile permanent road course near Monterey, California, was the site of the season finale from 1989-96.
https://www.indycar.com/News/2018/07/07-17-Laguna-Seca-added-to-2019-schedule

 
Idk about this...

I'm not feeling the move that much.
Sonoma is not/was not that great of a circuit for Indy cars. Maybe that'll change a little this year with the new kits, but it generally had the feeling of being an underwhelming finale. It has no real Indy car history (besides one USAC race way back when), only coming onto the schedule during the IRL days.

I don't think Laguna will be that much more interesting, but it should retain or even enhance the ability for the series and teams to host guests, and the fact that it's a classic track with heritage might get some more old road racing fans interested and hopefully draw a better crowd than Sonoma. That is cautious optimism though. I am not expecting anything groundbreaking out of it.
 
I think it will be great..because cork screw. They are going to look awesome coming down that thing and guys like Rossi will try to pass there
 
What the hell? Looks like Andretti are possibly preparing to bring up their junior drivers through Harding Racing. Everyone knows of the McLaren deal, but if it fails, I guess Harding will be the backup plan. Michael is being aggressive in attempt to bring in Colton and Pato, I would guess. Where would this leave Marco? What about the Lights program?

I get the boost from Andretti and what he's doing, but the Lights field is in major need of a sponsorship boost. This is interesting, but I think Michael sill be stretching himself thin. Not to mention that if the field continues to grow. Chevy and Honda are going to need more help.
https://racer.com/2018/07/30/andretti-autosport-harding-considering-tie-in/
 
What the hell? Looks like Andretti are possibly preparing to bring up their junior drivers through Harding Racing. Everyone knows of the McLaren deal, but if it fails, I guess Harding will be the backup plan. Michael is being aggressive in attempt to bring in Colton and Pato, I would guess. Where would this leave Marco? What about the Lights program?

I get the boost from Andretti and what he's doing, but the Lights field is in major need of a sponsorship boost. This is interesting, but I think Michael sill be stretching himself thin. Not to mention that if the field continues to grow. Chevy and Honda are going to need more help.
https://racer.com/2018/07/30/andretti-autosport-harding-considering-tie-in/
I think it's interesting another team inquired about Marco.

I'd prefer Harding to take the next step and grow on their own, but if a partnership is needed, so be it. Could lead to good things down the road. Michael said in a McLaren article that they could field six cars...I wonder if that is totally in-house, then they could have another one or two run out of Harding's shop? Or McLaren postpone and they can just run Harding in-house too. I'm not sure it's healthy to have one team make up so much of the field, but I'd rather have more good cars than fewer. But the Honda engine supply factor also comes into play too. I think they are close to maxed out, if not there already.

Speaking of Harding...Colton is testing for them this week, ZCD has met with them, and Karam could be looked at as well.

Scott Dixon says he still has options. It was mentioned during the Mid-Ohio broadcast by Robin Miller that Penske is also in the Dixon sweepstakes. Now that could be something that have a domino effect too, maybe moreso than if he went to Andretti-McLaren.

MSR want to run 10 races with Harvey next year, and lastly, Iowa becomes a night race again in 2019.

https://racer.com/2018/07/30/herta-to-join-harding-for-portland-test/

https://racer.com/2018/07/27/ive-got-a-couple-options-for-2019-dixon/

https://racer.com/2018/07/27/meyer-shank-aims-for-10-indycar-races-in-2019/

https://racer.com/2018/07/30/indycars-iowa-race-returns-to-saturday-night/
 
HOLY sh!t!
https://www.tsoladder.com/2018/07/3...ers-will-still-be-awarded-their-scholarships/

Dude... So what happens now? Mazda leaving is horrible news, but who would replace them as the primary sponsor/manufactuer? All of this momentum for IndyCar, but the development series are crumbling a bit.
IndyCar finally steps up to support Lights. I have no idea how Miles, Frye, et al., finally convinced Hulman and Co. to do it, but I am impressed nonetheless. Sounds like they've been working on this quietly for many months now.

IndyCar, Andersen unveil five-year Indy Lights plan
https://racer.com/2018/08/01/indycar-andersen-unveil-five-year-indy-lights-plan/
 
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