Indy 500 Entries - Can We Get 33?

[BootsOntheSide]

I know I've been quite pessimistic recently regarding the potential IRL grid, as we've only got 20 confirmed entries, although Access may still come up with 1 or 2, and Mo Nunn can't be ruled out. 20 cars is a reasonable number of a series, but it looks like the scramble to get 33 500 entries will be tough. Robby Gordon should be there, but where else will the extra cars come from?

Hemelgarn? Playa Del? Roth? Brad Pollard? A second or thrid Foyt car? A third Penske, perhaps ran by Sam Schmidt or someone? Billy Boat? Beck?

[Kicking-back]

21 tested at Homestead + AJ Foyt = 22, so that's 2 towards the target already!

[Hazza]

Don't mean to be a pain, but that was because Darren and Scott changed cars, and it only listed their best times. So it goes 17,18,20,21 or something.

But I don't think we'll have a problem getting a full field. Billy Boat, Robbie Buhl, the Laziers, maybe Arie Jr. Tony Stewart?

[GP Racer]

Its alittle to early to tell, but I think they'll make it, barely. The money and final deals usually only happen in the the month of May. Some possibilities I see:

1 - one or two CC entries
2 - Marty Roth
3 - AJ Foyt will add a car
4 - Fernandez should be there
5 - D&R could add a car
6 - Robby Gordon for sure, and maybe a second car for him?
7 - Helmegarn is a good possibility, with Paul Dana at the wheel
8 - Sam Schmidt has has a strong IPS team, he could do the race
9 - Playa Del Racing is a possibility, with Ed Carpenter?
10 - Possible third entry for Penske
11 - Mo Nunn should be there
12 - Maybe Pat Patrick to!
13 - Let's hope Access gets onto the grid to

I'm probably missing some, but I'm optomistic about makng 33. Be nice to see a real Bump Day though...

[BootsOntheSide]

I expect the same thing as last year will happen - about 26-28 attempting to qualify on Pole Day, extra deals being thrashed out in the final week adding a few more cars, then Tony George throwing money around to bring in extras, with the funding stopping once a car from one of the regular owners is on the bubble. A proper Bump Day would be wonderful, but realistically I don't expect it.

[luke]

I head only 31, but I certainly hope over 33, as I'm sure all of us are.

[racer69]

Although 33 is 'just a number', they will ensure 33 cars will start, the bad publicity and the scrutiny of the last few years has been too much, there is so much attention on the grid size, they'll be murdered if they don't get it.

I'm reading an edition of Racing Car News in 1983 at the moment, and in it it quotes that the entry list for the 1983 Indy500 stands at 109, including 39(!) rookies. A far cry from nowadays

[marcus]

alot of those would have to have been T cars though , but yes certainly different to nowadays isnt it.

Im sure they will get 33 or give it a damm close shake thats for sure.

I'd like to see guys like Robby McGhee , Robby Gordon , Thiago mederios and a few more get a shot at Indy , but where the cars will come from is unknown at this time

[macdaddy]

Back on Jan.6, Curt Cavin of the IndyStar wrote:

Already, Andretti Green has four, Ganassi is expected to have three, Team Penske is full with two, Cheever has announced two, Panther probably will have two, Rahal has three, Fernandez has two and Dreyer & Reinbold has one. That's 19. Throw in one from these sponsorship-challenged teams -- Foyt, Access, Nunn and PDM -- and you have 23.

Where do the next 10 come from? Even if extras come from Foyt, D&R, Cheever, Nunn, Panther and Fernandez, that only pushes the total to 29. Marty Roth has equipment, which makes 30. Sam Schmidt could acquire a car from Penske again, which makes 31. You see how difficult this is going to be.

[Down F0rce]

It'll be hard, but it's been hard for the past couple of years and they've always scraped though. I'm sure we'll get 33 this year.

[Kicking-back]

I'm absolutely confident there will be 33.

[rustyfan]

It sure didn't look too good last year either but we still got 33 cars lined-up, so I'll remain confident we'll get 33 cars this year as well.

[GP Racer]

Curt Cavin missed a couple.

We now know for sure that Hemelgarn will have at least one entry. I also think there's a decent shot of seeing a Patrick entry. He somehow forgot Robby Gordon, who will have at least one, and who knows, maybe two cars when its crunch time. Playa Del Racing is a good possibility for the 500, because apparently they still have good sponsorship. It will be difficult, but we'll get there again...

He does mention PDM, which is a team we all seem to have forgotten about. I havn't heard a word about them since the end of last season, when they said they wanted to do the full 05 season. Anybody know anything?

[BootsOntheSide]

Which part of 'back on Jan 6th' don't you understand? Things have advanced in the last 2 weeks, which is a good sign. I think there will, jsut about, be 33, but it's a shame it'll be so hard to get them.

[Tenoch]

33 will defenatively show up on race day its just the way it is, no matter what has happen between IRL and CCWS the indy 500 is still the premier open wheel racing event in this hemisphere. there will be ringers hoping to get in just to get their cars and their sponsors the indy 500 is still a great way to advertise.

[GTRMagic]

Is it not better to have 20 cars that can genuinely race for the win, than a series of backmarkers filling in the numbers?

Will we miss Dr Jack Miller, racing dentist, as he spends his year's milkmoney on a start? Well kinda... but he wasnt figuring in the competitiveness stakes anyway....

If its important to TG, it will become important to Chevy/Honda/Toyota, so some magic will happen....

[N I Tram]

We won't miss Dr Jack Miller, but we'll miss Fernandez, Bell, the Laziers, Al Jr, Carpenter, Ray, Taylor, McGehee, Boat etc if they can't make the grid. Ultimately, 33 cars is the classic number to start the 500, and that's a big tradition to keep. I accept that there are at least as many potentially-competitive cars as the last few years, but it's a shame that, yet again, filling the field could be last-minute.

[Kicking-back]

Fernandez will be in the Indy 500.

Al Unser Jr has retired.

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Is it not better to have 20 cars that can genuinely race for the win, than a series of backmarkers filling in the numbers?

Will we miss Dr Jack Miller, racing dentist, as he spends his year's milkmoney on a start? Well kinda... but he wasnt figuring in the competitiveness stakes anyway....

If its important to TG, it will become important to Chevy/Honda/Toyota, so some magic will happen....

What is your problem with Jack Miller?
Nissan, I am sure, was glad he stuck with their product when other "top" teams were too incompentent, or lazy, to try to not be GMs butt boys.

Twenty cars that can genuinely win the race?
There are 33 cars that can genuinly win the race every year, if not tell the boys who came fromthe last two rows to a top three finish they are not supposed to be there.

Chevy, Honda and Toyota care about Chevy, Honda and Toyota. If George was not screwing things up, no one would be leaving.

If you want to mock someone mock George, he took a good thing and has made it a joke.

Bob

[BootsOntheSide]

Get real Bob. In the old days it was quite normal for a regualr front-runner to qualify near the back of the grid and fight through the field - Goodyear in 1995 or even Tracy in 2002. When there only 33 entries though, the chance of one of the big names not completing their qualifying lap on Pole Day is pretty slim - and as such, they won't start near the back. The days of someone coming in for a one-off race challenging for the win are gone, unless Bruno does the race from ChampCars - and there's no reason why he'd fail to qualify near the front anyway.

Toyota are leaving because NASCAR is now the biggest championship in North America, and they are desperate to win that - and we don't need ot go into why NASCAR is now bigger again. There's nothing to say that Honda will leave in the near future. Chevvy are pulling out because they couldn't invest enough to be competitive, and didn't have any top teams (barring Panther, who had a relatively poor 2004 line-up, and Cheever).

[Kicking-back]

A driver of Jack Miller's calibre signalled the lowest ebb of the Indy 500 - thankfully the race is in better health talent-wise these days.

[GP Racer]

Indystar is reporting that former IRL driver Davey Hamilton is seeking sponsorship to run this years Indy 500.

If he gets it, thats another step towards 33...

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by Kicking-back

A driver of Jack Miller's calibre signalled the lowest ebb of the Indy 500 - thankfully the race is in better health talent-wise these days.

Why, the fact that he could successfully qualify a car at 220 mph?

Give me some genuine reasons, other than a bigoted opinion, just what makes him less than your heros.

A lack money, Penske could not get any of his cars qualified in 1995, I guess that makes his a gutter trash team and drivers, of course then wasn't he part of the crash fest at Michingan, where all the superior drivers showed their skill?

Defend your point, you must be able to.

Bob

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by BootsOntheSide

Get real Bob. In the old days it was quite normal for a regualr front-runner to qualify near the back of the grid and fight through the field - Goodyear in 1995 or even Tracy in 2002. When there only 33 entries though, the chance of one of the big names not completing their qualifying lap on Pole Day is pretty slim - and as such, they won't start near the back. The days of someone coming in for a one-off race challenging for the win are gone, unless Bruno does the race from ChampCars - and there's no reason why he'd fail to qualify near the front anyway.

Toyota are leaving because NASCAR is now the biggest championship in North America, and they are desperate to win that - and we don't need ot go into why NASCAR is now bigger again. There's nothing to say that Honda will leave in the near future. Chevvy are pulling out because they couldn't invest enough to be competitive, and didn't have any top teams (barring Panther, who had a relatively poor 2004 line-up, and Cheever).

I am not talking about big buck teams starting in the back, for which there is no excuse, if Jack Miller was able to start mid-field; I am speaking of cars like Gary Bettenhausen's sh*tbox Drake powered car that finished third on the same lap of the winners from the last starting position.

Such stories is-are what Indy has always been about not big dollar teams doing what is expected of them; If they do not perform well then compared to a low buck team like Jack Miller's they are pathetic.

I think you get my point.
It is easy to smear anyone but unless on can provide reason for smearing said same person, it only show a lack of class on the part of the person talking trash.
Bob

[Kicking-back]

Originally Posted by Bob Riebe

Why, the fact that he could successfully qualify a car at 220 mph?

Give me some genuine reasons, other than a bigoted opinion, just what makes him less than your heros.

A lack money, Penske could not get any of his cars qualified in 1995, I guess that makes his a gutter trash team and drivers, of course then wasn't he part of the crash fest at Michingan, where all the superior drivers showed their skill?

Defend your point, you must be able to.

Bob

I think anyone who reads these forums regularly will know I don't post bigoted opinions - and I am quite even handed in terms of praising or criticising ChampCar and IndyCar.

I am astonished anyone would try to defend the racing abilities of Jack Miller.

Brave and enthusiastic he may be.

Nice guy he may be.

Top class racing driver of Indy 500 standard - I think not.