Quote:
Originally posted by racer69
Why is a 34th car crucial? Sure it is desired to have a heap of qualifiers for some action on bump day, but there are only 33 spots up for grabs, so i'm not sure how it makes a mockery of any hostorical aspects of the race.
I wouldn't think there would be too much trouble finding a driver. For starters they wouldn't require a pay driver. Vasser?, Junquiera?
Interesting to see what they do regarding Kanaan. They need a driver in the car quick enough to qualify it for the race, but how many quick drivers are willing to sacrifice a race seat to qualify a car for someone else?
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The nature of the Month of May, with the exact schedule of practice, qualfying 1 then Bubble Day, is one of the things which makes the Indy 500 special. The schedule has been exactly the same for decades, and has produced some of the classic moments of champions struggling to qualify, and often failing. Not to mention the system of people who only qualify on day 2 starting near the back of the field no matter hwo fast they were. Besides, if there are only 33 cars, whoever replaces Kanaan in qualifying that car can dawdle round as slowly as he likes.
<b><i> Vasser and Junquiera do not want to the race the Indy 500 this year</i></b>. It would mean missing two CART rounds (one if they chose to skip first day qualifying), and that would be too much of a dent to their championship aspirations. What's more, why would Newman-Haas or Johansson release their drivers, unless major funding is offered for their replacement? The Indy 500 is dangerous as well, arguably more so than oval races in CART.