2004 IRL Wrap

Well the season is over and Tony Kanaan did complete every lap of competition this season. A new record in open wheel racing. What a season for Tony, Andretti Green Racing and Honda. My hat is off to them! The season came to a close Sunday at Texas as Julio finally got off the schneid and won for the first time since 2002. Julio’s struggles have been well documented, but this season can be tied to what can only be labeled as an underpowered Toyota engine. With the exception of Homestead and Texas, it was a Honda sweep this season. On the track it was another great season for the IRL. Besides Julio the winners included Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice, season opener winner Sam Hornish Jr., IRL champion Kanaan, runner-up Dan Wheldon, three time winner Adrian Fernandez and Dario Franchitti. While these were the only drivers to win, several others made life interesting in their pursuit for wins. Vitor Meira and Tomas Wreckter both had several good runs, but were ultimately denied winners circle for various reasons. By far the biggest disappointment had to be Scott Dixon. Scotty D was the defending IRL champion and basically disappeared from the points chase by Indy. Most of his problems could be traced to the Toyota powerplant, but I still maintain that his poor test at Barcelona for Williams F1 was his undoing. I honestly believe Scott thought he was going to get the ride and I did too. He had a great test in France, but just a so-so in Spain. Apparently Sir Frank didn’t like what he saw and let the whole project go. I think Scotty D was so devastated by the experience that he never recovered. I hope he can come back next year with a renewed focus and drive. Another disappointment was Sarah. She only ran at Indy and as a third Kelley car. For whatever reason, the most popular driver in the IRL just can’t land a ride. Did I mention she had the best tits in the IRL? Unfortunately she spent the last month of the season running NASCAR West series races. Before that she spent most of the season driving the two-seater at IRL events. Sad! The biggest surprise had to be split between two factions. One was Buddy Rice’s rise from interim driver to Indy 500 champion and title contender. Last year Rice was a sub on Eddie Cheever’s team. This year he remained in the hunt for the IRL title until the second to last race. He suffered an ugly crash at Chicagoland, but nonetheless had a great season filling in for Kenny Brack. He will be back next year for Rahal/Letterman Racing. The other surprise had to be Adrian Fernandez. AF came to the IRL just after the season opener. His early efforts at Phoenix and Twin Ring Motegi were pitiful. At Indy he started to show some Honda muscle and ran well all month. Finally at Kentucky he broke through with a solid win. He followed it up with two more wins and seemed genuinely thrilled to be in the IRL and racing with the best. So like I said, it was a great year on the track. Unfortunately, off the track the league still faces issues that if left unresolved will ultimately kill it. While attendance was up at most events, it was down at Indy. Television ratings also stayed in the toilet. No one seems to know the answer. I’m not going to get into the whole FTRG thing here today, but suffice it to say the IRL was poorly conceived and it really hurt to get off to a bad start. The fans are coming to the tracks, but until TV ratings pick up, the money for the purses necessary will not come. Here is my assessment of the teams and what to expect in 2005: Andretti Green Racing – “One big happy family” seems to be the mantra this team has said all season and when it came down to it you have to believe them. The drive was apparent from each of them and the whole team, but it was a team effort. First and second place in the standings for the season. Only Herta failed to crack victory lane. Judd is the only one not signed for next year, but it looks like that is just a matter of getting him and the contracts together. If Honda keeps their competitive edge next year look for more of the same. Rahal/Letterman Racing – They won the big enchilada this year and kept Buddy Rice in contention until he went a sailing at Kansas. Honestly his troubles were already well begun, but it was still an excellent season for an afterthought driver. Next year? Hard to say at this point. It looks like Danica Patrick will get a seat but beyond her and Buddy I’m not sure. And where is Kenny Brack? He was at the Texas race, but is the 1999 Indy 500 winner going to race in the IRL again? I don’t hear much to indicate he will. Still, the team should be strong. Marlboro Team Penske – This season has to be considered a disappointment. Sure Julio and Sammy both won races, but were basically uncompetitive most of the year. Toyota lost at Motegi for the first time and at Indy they sucked. Next year will be better if only because Sam and Julio will be together for a second season. However, unless Toyota can make some strides in the offseason, they will be relegated to the back again. Target Chip Ganassi Racing – What a nightmare! Defending IRL champion Scott Dixon vanished and Darren Manning hit everything but the pace car. This team will remain intact for next season but I have to wonder how long Chip puts up with this type of performance. Two years ago, before the Indy 500 I said Ganassi was the best owner in motorsports. He may well still be, but his driver lineup and Toyota engines had to hurt. This team is a complete enigma going into next year. Fernandez/Super Agouri Racing – With AF and Rookie of the Year Kosuke Matsura on board this team is poised for the top. AF won 3 of the last 5 this year and Matsura was solid if not spectacular all season. They will be a threat next year at every track. Red Bull Eddie Cheever Racing – Ed Carpenter and Alex Baron will not be back it would appear. This team is in disarray and who know what is next. This team has the feel of AJ Foyt Racing in the 90’s which was a revolving door of drivers. That is no way to build consistency or get results. Mo Nunn Racing – Mo wants to put PJ Chesson in the seat but is hesitant. Chesson threw shit on the track to cause a yellow Saturday in Texas. He was fined and docked points and pissed off his owner Mrs. Mo. Takagi is most likely gone. This game may be getting too revved up for ol’ Mo anymore. Mike is also an option. AJ Foyt Enterprises – Well Quatro got a top 10 at Texas Sunday, but that was the best of his career. Underpowered with the Toyota and down in the brains department because of no engineer this team will continue to underproduce. AJ Jr. has to get his head out of his ass and start running the team like a race team in the new millennium. He is stuck at Duquoin circa 1970. Dreyer & Reinbold – Wow, where do you go from here? Can’t go down, so up is the only option, unless of course they stay the same. Robbie Buhl’s May retirement came a s a surprise, but I thought they could get something together with Mike at the wheel. Didn’t happen. I think they would like to go with two cars next year, but they could lose Mike and have to start all over. Lack of funds is hurting this team and unless some major sponsorship can be found expect more of the same next year. Panther Racing – Wreckter looks like he may be back next year. To be fair, his pit crew was more of a problem than anything else. He probably would have won at Kentucky had it not been for a bad pit. Similar problems at Milwaukee and Michigan doomed a pretty good second half of the season. This team will push on and with the Menard money should be able to find someone better than Townsend Bell, who replaced Mark Taylor to drive the second car. Hard to turn down that money though! Patrick Racing – A veritable revolving door of drivers since Little Al hung up his helmet with expected results. Jacques Lazier was probably the best of the bunch, but he had no money and was released. Tomas Enge finished the season. My how the mighty have fallen. U.E. “Pat” Patrick probably should have called it quits himself. Kelley Racing – The Star says Tom Kelley shutting it down. Kelley says he is not. Scott Sharp who brings the Delphi money will probably take it to another team if the team folds. Rumor has it that it will be Ganassi, but I don’t know if Chip wants to run three cars. Thanks for the support Tom, you will be missed if you go. Access Motorsports – What a tough year for Greg Ray. He had the Honda engine package and ran solid in the first three races of the season. Then for some reason he didn’t get on the track until Bump Day at Indy. He ran at Texas and Richmond then took his car to Kansas but never took it off the trailer. It looked like it was over. But then Mark Taylor’s dad stepped in with some money and bought the seat. Ray says he is putting together some things for next year and hopes to run a two car operation. Hope it works out for him. Of course the IRL is always watching OWRS to see if or when it will fail. OWRS has made it through this year so far, but barely. The race in South Korea never materialized and they still have the fiasco from Surfers Paradise of last year to recover from. Newman/Haas will have Bruno at Indy for sure. The three amigos are almost sure to lose a shit load of money this year by being promoter and car owners, and it will be seen how long they can last. Former IRL stalwart Ron Hemelgarn was supposed to go OWRS racing this year for free but that never materialized. He may make another run at Indy next year, if not the whole IRL. I still wonder what happened between him and Bubby. While I may not think much of Bubby, he still won Indy and was the best Hemelgarn had. Next year is crucial. If this league is to flourish it needs to start to flex some muscle and take over. Those fans who refuse to enjoy the wonderful racing can just fuck off. There are a lot of them and some have legit beefs. Obviously there was no problem with the 500 in 1995 and now there is. It is up to FTRG and the rest of his marketing department to get this venture over the hump. He has the product, now it is time to sell it!