Teams & Drivers for 2004 (rumoured and confirmed)

[rustyfan]

Figured it would be nice with a rundown of confirmed and potential teams and drivers for 2004.. I guess it's a silly season thread, of sorts

Ah yes, better get this in here as well...

Disclaimer: While some of the information below is confirmed, much of it is also based on speculation and as such is not to be taken as facts.

To avoid confusion (or try at least - some people have a knack of taking rumors as facts sometimes).

Anyway, the IndyCar Silly Season isn't exactly my strong side, but here goes;


IRL IndyCar Teams for 2004;


Access Motorsports
-----------------------------------
#1 - Greg Ray, USA


AJ Foyt Enterprises
-----------------------------------
#1 - AJ Foyt IV, USA


Andretti Green Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Tony Kanaan, BRA
#2 - Dan Wheldon, GBR
#3 - (Herta? Franchitti?)


Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Robbie Buhl, USA
#2 - Sarah Fisher, USA


Hemelgarn Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Richie Hearn, USA(?)


Kelley Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Scott Sharp, USA
#2 - Al Unser Jr., USA(?)


Marlboro Team Penske
-----------------------------------
#1 - Helio Castroneves, BRA
#2 - Sam Hornish Jr., USA


Mo Nunn Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Felipe Giaffone, BRA(?)
#2 - Tora Takagi, JPN


Panther Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Tomas Scheckter, RSA
#2 - Mark Taylor, GBR


PDM Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Ed Carpenter, USA(?)


Red Bull Cheever Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Alex Barron, USA(?)
#2 - Eddie Cheever, USA(?)


Super Aguri Fernandez Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Roger Yasukawa, USA(?)
#2 - Kousuke Matsuura, JPN(?)


Target Chip Ganassi Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Scott Dixon, NZL
#2 - Darren Manning, GBR


Team Rahal
-----------------------------------
#1 - Kenny Brack, SWE (will miss beginning of 2004)
#2 - ? (Rahal has expressed interest in 2nd team if sponsor can be found)



Does this look about right (from what we know right now)? Corrections, confirmations and any additional information would be appreciated.

(?) denotes drivers etc where I recall hearing that they might be moving on or whatever.

[jhansen]

I can't say that I can help you on much of the driver speculation. However, Cheever to run two cars? Havn't heard that. Dreyer and Reinbold had trouble securing that second car for Fisher early this season. Might they have that trouble this year? Hopefully SAFR can field a second car. Maybe Andretti Green will only have two cars next year? I read that somewhere.

[BootsOntheSide]

Cheever may run 2 cars, but I doubt Eddie himself will be behind the wheel. Wouldn't surprise me if Red Bull take their backing to CART or even F3000, with or without team Cheever.

This is a wild rumour, but could Conquest return, given that IRl will be much cheaper realtive to CART next year?

Dreyer and Reibold struggling to find sponsorship for second car? if tehy had a competant racing driver, maybe, but they've wisely chosen a second rate *edit* driver.


Sorry Boots, but that was a touch sexsist.

[Down F0rce]

Aren't Red Bull pulling out of F3000?

[jhansen]

If Cheever loses Red Bull wouldn't that also make it tougher to field a second car?

[Alex K]

There is a rumour that Cheever Racing is going to CART, with Eddie as driver.
Maybe Alex Barron will field in Team Rahal's Dallara instead of injured Brack.

[macdaddy]

Boots... You don't check your PM's much.
Your post up there was way out-of-line.

[marcus]

I thought both Sharp and Unser were out at Kelley ????

then again as stated above nothing is certain but im pretty sure Al is out and Sharp might be aswell??

[Down F0rce]

Unser probably is... but Sharp was testing with Kelley at Phoenix just a few days ago. Maybe they'll be down to a one car team next year?

[rustyfan]

Some notes on my thinking when I made the initial post;


RE: Kelley Racing

I recall reading somewhere that Unser Jr. was perhaps on his way out, but that Sharp would stay (enforced by the fact, as Down F0rce mentioned, that Sharp tested at Phoenix just the other day).


RE: Team Cheever

I recall reading somewhere (or heard mentioned by TV commentators - could have been during the Texas2 race coverage) that 1) they have one year left on their contract with Red Bull and 2) that Cheever was hoping to field a second car and that he would drive it himself.


That obviously doesn't mean it's to be taken as facts (hence the (?)'s), but I figured it was better to write something rather than nothing.

Then again, the idea of this thread was to feed speculation etc and concentrate it to one place (and that seems to have worked so far)

[Down F0rce]

"Super Aguri Fernández Racing, which is looking to step up to a two-car effort next season, will be confirming its driver line-up for the 2004 IRL IndyCar Series in the near future." - from www.superagurifernandezracing.com

Sounds interesting. Kousuke Matsuura left a good impression on the team owners, so he would be an obvious choise for the second seat. With the Indy Japan 300 being such a sucsessful event, why not get a Japanese company on board to sponor the car?

[ghinzani]

I heard a rumour that GM were going to start their own IRL team a while back, did that ever get confirmed??

[Down F0rce]

Well, I havn't heard anything about that...

I dunno if this means anything, but Cheever Racing's site lits Eddie Cheever and Alex Barron as drivers. Eddie did say he would be back next year, and not giving Alex a ride would be criminal...

[racer69]

Cheever (as far as i remember from when the Red Bull contract was signed for 2002) has a 3 year deal with Red Bull, which was paid out in a lump sum at the start of the contract to cover 3 years. Schekter knocked the budget arounf in 2002, hence presumebly only one car this year. All indications i have read point to Cheever in #51 next year, or a second car at least.

Herta (presumebly missing out on the third AGR seat to franchitti) to sub for Kenny Brack?

Fisher has an alliance with Chevrolet. They will presumbely place her with a team (hell, maybe Cheever). Where she goes may decide whether D&B run 1 or two cars. Wasn't Buhl talking about retiring after 2003 at one stage?

Kelly will run a second car only if the budget can be found.

Patrick racing apparently interested in an IRL program to run alongside the CART program. Unser Jnr possible, he has also talked to PDM and Kelly, but they both require sponsorship as far as i know.

May Foyt run two cars?

Any word on Carl Russo's team, has he decided between IRL, CART or Atlantics?

[BootsOntheSide]

The guys on the other side of the fence beleive RuSport will be in CART. Personally that's my hope, as that series is more in need of cars. Neither championship has many new teams being linked as such.

Losing Al Jr would be a disaster, easily overhadowing Manning's arrival, and maybe even Gil's retirement, considering his greatly improved form in 2003 now that his perosnal life is more on track.

[rustyfan]

AGR and Dario Franchitti have just confirmed he will be back with AGR in the IRL IndyCar series for 2004 (per Autosport article).


Time to update the list for the first time




IRL IndyCar Teams for 2004 Silly Season list, Version 1.1;

(Latest update in bold text)

Access Motorsports
-----------------------------------
#1 - Greg Ray, USA


AJ Foyt Enterprises
-----------------------------------
#1 - AJ Foyt IV, USA


Andretti Green Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Tony Kanaan, BRA
#2 - Dan Wheldon, GBR
#3 - Dario Franchitti, GBR


Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Robbie Buhl, USA
#2 - Sarah Fisher, USA


Hemelgarn Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Richie Hearn, USA(?)


Kelley Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Scott Sharp, USA
#2 - Al Unser Jr., USA(?)


Marlboro Team Penske
-----------------------------------
#1 - Helio Castroneves, BRA
#2 - Sam Hornish Jr., USA


Mo Nunn Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Felipe Giaffone, BRA(?)
#2 - Tora Takagi, JPN


Panther Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Tomas Scheckter, RSA
#2 - Mark Taylor, GBR


PDM Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Ed Carpenter, USA(?)


Red Bull Cheever Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Alex Barron, USA(?)
#2 - Eddie Cheever, USA(?)


Super Aguri Fernandez Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Roger Yasukawa, USA(?)
#2 - Kousuke Matsuura, JPN(?)


Target Chip Ganassi Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Scott Dixon, NZL
#2 - Darren Manning, GBR


Team Rahal
-----------------------------------
#1 - Kenny Brack, SWE (will miss beginning of 2004 - Herta to sub?)
#2 - ? (Rahal has expressed interest in 2nd team if sponsor can be found)

[rustyfan]

Some notes lifted from an article by Robin Miller over at ESPN's site;

Morris Nunn recently laid off members of Felipe Giaffone's No. 21 team and parted ways with the Brazilian driver because Hollywood Cigarettes is pulling back, if not out, of Indy-car racing with Giaffone. Kelley Racing already let half of its crew go in its scale-back to one car and John Menard closed his doors to merge with Panther Racing (Panther has picked up a couple of Menard's mechanics). Hemelgarn Racing only had a few full-timers in 2003 and two of them have gone back to New Zealand.

Certainly reinforces some of the things mentioned earlier in this thread. Shame.





Access Motorsports
-----------------------------------
#1 - Greg Ray, USA


AJ Foyt Enterprises
-----------------------------------
#1 - AJ Foyt IV, USA


Andretti Green Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Tony Kanaan, BRA
#2 - Dan Wheldon, GBR
#3 - Dario Franchitti, GBR


Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Robbie Buhl, USA
#2 - Sarah Fisher, USA


Hemelgarn Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Richie Hearn, USA(?)


Kelley Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Scott Sharp, USA


Marlboro Team Penske
-----------------------------------
#1 - Helio Castroneves, BRA
#2 - Sam Hornish Jr., USA


Mo Nunn Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - ?
#2 - Tora Takagi, JPN


Panther Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Tomas Scheckter, RSA
#2 - Mark Taylor, GBR


PDM Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Ed Carpenter, USA(?)


Red Bull Cheever Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Alex Barron, USA(?)
#2 - Eddie Cheever, USA(?)


Super Aguri Fernandez Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Roger Yasukawa, USA(?)
#2 - Kousuke Matsuura, JPN(?)


Target Chip Ganassi Racing
-----------------------------------
#1 - Scott Dixon, NZL
#2 - Darren Manning, GBR


Team Rahal
-----------------------------------
#1 - Kenny Brack, SWE (will miss beginning of 2004 - Herta to sub?)
#2 - ? (Rahal has expressed interest in 2nd team if sponsor can be found)

[Down F0rce]

Thats a shame...so could Takagi be driving in a one car team for Mo Nunn? Are Pioneer still keen to sponsor him?

[gttouring]

Takagi has shown well, although not winning YET, i think he'll pull it off,
Cheeever has no business in a car anymore, he's gonna get some one killed-
Sarah is a good fan anchor, every one wants to see her win, and she can but she always fizzles near the end with 2 exceptions....
Target chip Ganassi is going to be a force (again) on the track with that pair- and penske's guy's will be front runners and winners(again)
AJ FOyt IV?? he is to inexperienced i feel, SuperTex us just practising nepotism- really PeeWee is not ready, he should wait a year or two trying Silvercrown, supermodifieds, trucks anything- but he is outclessed by Sarah Fisher right now, and as much as I want to see her win she is on the back of the list of winners for the season- especially how the field's class is getting turned up a notch.
Why is panther going to a 2 car team now? (finally)
and Why is Greg Ray not Partnered with anyone? He could use one and they would be a good team...Scott Sharp and Unser Jr. Unser is on his way down, with peaks of brilliance- his time is up- go the andretti way and own the team.
IRL is certainly capable of extending ones career, but unser is getting forgotten ifeel.
Wow IRL is turning into what TG wanted-maybe...

[racer69]

What has Eddie Cheever done?

If money (sponsers) are found, then personnel aren't hard to get hold of (& therefore drivers)

[alonso11]

AÃ*rton Daré has recovered from his accident and now he is back in the USA negotiating with two IRL teams about a possible drive in 2004.He said that if he can't secure one of those seats he is also interested in racing in NASCAR.

[jondownunder]

Originally posted by Down F0rce
Aren't Red Bull pulling out of F3000?

Yes, they've pulled out of having a Red Bull Junior team (squad last year run by Coloni, previously by RSM Marko), but still plan to back their driver Vitantonio Liuzzi, placing him with a top F3000 team. He's been testing with Arden who look a likely option, with a return to Coloni still a possibility.

[Down F0rce]

Ah I see. Thanks for the info

[Hazza]

I'd think the reason Panther are running 2 full time rides is that they don't want to loose Taylor - I mean c'mon - would you?

[climb]

hainvg panther done a joint-venture with Menard, it wouldn't be hard to do.