I don’t particularly care for NASCAR.  It isn’t a secret that I keep.  First, leading after 400 miles in Indianapolis doesn’t mean anything.  Second, growing up, I had been predisposed that a race car looks like a race car, not like a sedan.  In fact, I think part of the reason I’ve put effort into this site is that people at or about my age had toy indycars when they were children but have since lost that childhood memory.

I watch it, mainly because it’ll be the only thing on TV a lot of the time, but I don’t particularly care for it.  I wish the best for two drivers over there.  Their names are Juan Pablo Montoya and Sam Hornish, Jr.

Well, there has been a teleconference set for Monday about a NASCAR team entering a car in the Indianapolis 500.  As far as I’m concerned, it’s another entry, and that’s a positive.  That said, I don’t know that I like it.

It isn’t like a driver is going to run the double, because thanks to a later start time and Indiana catching up with the rest of the world on daylight savings, it just isn’t feasible.  So what do we as fans or the series have to gain from it, other than another entrant?  They either come here and struggle and get no attention, or they come, do well, and make the Series look bad.

So who will it be?  Does it really matter?  There are three logical choices.

First, Robby Gordon owns a team over there, and he used to be cool.  He runs Toyotas, though, so I wouldn’t count on him coming over and running Hondas.  The Japanese are sensitive about that stuff.

Second, John Andretti via Petty Motorsports.  It’d be cool if there would be irony to it, but I don’t think there is anyone with the Petty name actually connected to the Petty team anymore.  John Andretti has already announced that he would run the 500, so that wouldn’t even add an entry.

Third would be Tony Stewart.  He, with blessing, adopted AJ’s number, teaching a generation of children absolutely nothing because they’ll associate the number incorrectly with Stewart.  Tony loves owning things, though, so this is my guess.  Mike King said during coverage that it was
“somebody that already should have won it.”  Well, Stewart would be the closest to that, though I’d argue that till I’m blue in the face.  Why?  For having an engine fail in 1996?  Gasp!  An old V6 Menards engine failing!?!?!?  He was on the lead lap in 1997, but was fifth with two former winners, a guy who actually can claim that he “should have won it”, and Jeff Ward.  1998?  Well, he lead a lap and had his engine fail.  He couldn’t whine about pop-off valves for this race.  1999 onward?  He was committed to NASCAR by then.  “Should have won it”?  Well, maybe if he stayed, because he was a talented driver.  He didn’t though, and I’d like to reiterate: leading after 400 miles at Indianapolis doesn’t mean anything.

Remember, cabs were used as a rationalization to split away in the first place.  People actually thought that NASCAR teams would start IRL teams.  Well, that didn’t happen.

Now, NASCAR is probably partially responsible to the League still being alive as well, thanks to profits from that race that doesn’t count.  That doesn’t mean I’m grateful, though.

Update:  The AP says it’s Petty/Andretti

Update2:  In conjunction with D&R

Update3:  Jeffy over at My Name is IRL says that Mike King said that what was said about Petty/Andretti wasn’t what he was saying.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 3rd, 2009 at 2:40 pm and is filed under ICS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.