Engine Availability is NOT an Issue...

[Tim Northcutt]

That's according to a story in today's Indianaplis Star..

All three manufacturers said that they have enough engines for competitors to fill the grid for the indy 500..."so don't blame them" as the story put it...

They did say that they aren't going to give out engines for free....and the cost of a Lease for May only might run in the $350,000-425,000 range

I'm assuming that would be two engines for a primary and one or two for a back-up car... based on prices quoted by people like Brian barnhart in the past...

Honda also said that they would "do a Bump Day and Race Day" deal if someone wanted one....and it would be for less $$$ thant the price above...

but there "have been no takers" (Honda's quote in the story)

Penske also said that he would consider the G-Force to a competitor who could work a deal...he thought that if things worked like they did last year that the G-Force chassis in his stable could be available...

Chevy said they could supply two more teams beyond what they already have out there...they did not create a big inventory, becasue they didn't want to build too many of them only to have them sit on a shelf...

Toyota also said that they have enough engines to supply whoever would want or need them....but there have been no inquiries...

Thus the rumor about engine shortages is false...

Let's see who steps up, and whether or not we'll have 33 cars on May 30th...