Enrique Bernoldi: F
Highlight: Leading Laps at St. Pete’s
Enrique Antônio Langue e Silvério de Bernoldi was the constant factor at Conquest. Well, until he was replaced by Alex Tagliani after Infineon. Enrique once drove in F1. He disappeared for about half a decade before resurfacing with Rocketsports. After Paul Gentilozzi told the world that neither he or his driver had any interest in running ovals. Well, shortly thereafter, he showed up in a leaked photo being fitted for a Conquest car. Enrique whined quite a bit through the season. He wasn’t happy. Eric Bachelart wasn’t happy. Finally, Eric said toodle-loo to Enrique, though an injury was supposedly involved in this.

Jaime Camara: C-
Highlight: Leading Forty-Four Laps at Richmond
While I wouldn’t exactly call his season a resounding success, his 41 laps at the Richmond Race of Attrition were amazing. He wasn’t just leading under yellow, he was racing with the big three in what was probably the league’s worst car. Other than that one race, though, he did what he’s done for years: make people wonder why AGR had him under a developmental contract.

Marty Roth: F
Highlight: Shocking the world by qualifying eighth at Homestead
Well, Ol’ Marty gets a bum wrap. He really wasn’t that bad on ovals this season, and he invested in enough widgets and gadgets to have a car that could qualify near the front of the rest on the cookie cutters. That said, Marty has no right to be on a road course. He started as a two car team, but ended as Marty’s toy. He actually had Men’s Wearhouse on the car at Chicago, but didn’t send a press release (at least not one that was relayed by TSO). Marty liked the way he looked; I guarantee it.

Milka Duno: F
Highlight: This.
Oh Milka. It’s not Danica’s fault that you’re slow. Remember one thing. You led more laps than Danica this season.

Townsend Bell: B+
Highlight: Three Top Ten’s (incl. Indy)
Townsend drove the wheels off the car on the ovals he ran, but his road course performances left something to be desired. That said, the thing that will most be remembered about his season is the William Rast car at Indy. Simply put, it’s one of the most awesome liveries I’ve ever seen, and the pictures didn’t do it justice. You really had to see it in person. The flat-sheen army green paint with the glossy bright orange was unbelievable. I actually saw a pair of William Rast jeans at the store the other day. They were actually pretty awesome, but unfortunately, they don’t pay me enough to buy $200 jeans.

Mario Dominguez: B-
Highlight: Making the Podium at Long Beach
Pacific Coast Motorsports may or may not return next year. That said, Mario’s drive at Long Beach was far more representative
of his talent than his performances otherwise. The team got used equipment and didn’t make all of the races, but Mario qualified fairly well. His non-qualification at Indy deserves a lot of respect from fans. Though he didn’t make it, the team trimmed the car out in every way possible and went out there to
get in. In fact, his first lap was fast. Way fast, but they just trimmed off a little too much and he ended Bump Day in the wall. He deserves a lot of respect for going for all or nothing, though.

Jay Howard: D
Highlight: Starting the season with a full time ride
Boy, that’s not much of a highlight. That said, it really isn’t necessarily right or fair the way he was treated from Indy onward. In the same amount of races, he finished one point ahead of the guy who replaced him, though. Speaking of…

John Andretti: D
Highlight: Getting a ride at Indy at the age of seventy-four
Maybe I’m being a bit harsh on John here. If I remember correctly, he drove better than his results. That said, the Roth equipment was better than even John made it look. It’d be nice to see Marty hire a veteran who still has something left in the tank.

Franck Perera: C+
Highlight: Starting Third and Finishing Sixth at Long Beach
Franck is faster than he will ever get credit for. He looked good at St. Pete and Long Beach before his sponsors collapsed. He never had it quite together at Chicagoland (does a second Foyt entry ever really have it together?), but managed to only finish two laps off the lead. In fact, at Homestead he was the second-highest placing transition driver when the teams had next-to-no experience with them.

Tomas Scheckter: F
Highlight: Getting in on Pole Day for the Indianapolis 500
Yeah, Tomas’ year was terrible. Plain and simple. In fact, in fewer races, Howard, Perera, and Andretti outscored him. Tomas is a good driver, but if Luczo-Dragon doesn’t answer the bell next year, it could be argued that it’s partially his fault. Tomas’ reputation for being hard on equipment precedes him, but he’s fast. That said, I’d be surprised to see him as anything more than an Indy one-off next
season, particularly with Vitor on the market.

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