Barnhart: 9 cars from CC for Homestead

[Jimmy Hendricks]

No link, but Barnhart was quoted this afternoon on local Indy radio, as saying 9 cars are "for sure" from CC teams for Homestead, with a possibility of a 10th.


He says that the IRL teams will have 17-18 cars at Homestead.

He says the IRL would like to have Tracy in series, but his salary demands are a huge detriment to that ever happening (editorial comment- that and the fact that he is under contract to someone who doesn't want to race in the IRL).

He thinks, right now, there should be 38-40 cars at Indy this year (which seems to be a pretty pathetic number, to be honest). Hopefully, he is just being conservative.

[Brickman]

No link, but Barnhart was quoted this afternoon on local Indy radio, as saying 9 cars are "for sure" from CC teams for Homestead, with a possibility of a 10th.


He says that the IRL teams will have 17-18 cars at Homestead.

He says the IRL would like to have Tracy in series, but his salary demands are a huge detriment to that ever happening (editorial comment- that and the fact that he is under contract to someone who doesn't want to race in the IRL).

He thinks, right now, there should be 38-40 cars at Indy this year (which seems to be a pretty pathetic number, to be honest). Hopefully, he is just being conservative.

He's worth every penny.

Where did I read that Monster wanted to pay GF 3 Million+- to be on the car and he turned them down, he wanted 7.

[Truth Detector]

26-28 cars would be very nice.

[JSR]

How does he get 9 with GF and Walker out?

[Brickman]

26-28 cars would be very nice.

At Michigan it would even be safe, small ovals will be tough this year.

[Jimmy Hendricks]

He's worth every penny.

I think the market is saying otherwise.

He brings a lot less to the table, then he thinks.


If he really wants to race in the IRL, he better figure out that whatever he did 4-5 years ago, means nothing now. And, his performances in the past few years show that he has no business with any top team, so he better realize his place in the sport.

Of course, as long as GF has him under contract, it really doesn't matter what he wants to do. He is going nowhere.

[Brickman]

I think the market is saying otherwise.

He brings a lot less to the table, then he thinks.


If he really wants to race in the IRL, he better figure out that whatever he did 4-5 years ago, means nothing now. And, his performances show that he has no business with any top team, so he better realize his place in the sport.

Of course, as long as GF has him under contract, it really doesn't matter what he wants to do. He is going nowhere.

He brings fans to the table, sure Bourdais had his number, but that because of the team more than the driver. The sport needs black hats to root against as well as drivers to root for. Too bad CC doesn't have more.

[diftw]

I think it would be great for the CC fans to have him in the series.

[Grinder-Tank]

Unfortunately, I get the feeling Paul Tracy is being used as a tool by GF.
The proof of this will be when GF takes Tracy to the AMLS and pays him out of his pocket like he did in ChampCar.

[whiskeyflip]

He brings fans to the table, sure Bourdais had his number, but that because of the team more than the driver. .

So why did AJ own him? Tracy is washed up and his fans are foul mouthed goons. No thanks.

[fanforlife]

How does he get 9 with GF and Walker out?

My best guess:

KV = 2
NHL = 2
Conquest = 2
Coyne = 2
Minardi = 1

Based on rumors around town, I'm fairly certain those 5 teams will all be at Homestead. Whether or not Conquest and Coyne run two cars is questionable to me, but maybe PCM shows up with a car in place of one of those teams' second car to keep us at 9 former CC entries.

[Z28]

He brings fans to the table, sure Bourdais had his number, but that because of the team more than the driver. The sport needs black hats to root against as well as drivers to root for. Too bad CC doesn't have more.

I wish there was a way to prove that PT brings fans to the table. I don't dispute that he is the longest tenured driver from CART/CCWS and he is popular with the CC fans. But as for him bringing them I don't think it can be claimed that CC fans in any noticable numbers are going to follow the ICS because of PT nor that his absence will keep any away. He just doesn't have that kind of pull.

I believe that a series needs rivalries but I don't think the WWE heel generates anything but snickers amongst the easily amused. To many Tracy has been just unlikeable, I'm one of them, and I'm talking back to the 90's when he got started. He was on teams with the big names, in the front line equipment and didn't deliver the results but acted like he was better than everyone who beat him. When the Daytona 24 hour race came up every year for being a driver from a road racing based series he never got the call from a front line team to try to win it with them.

That aside here's no benefit to be had from having the 'black hat' if the rivalry or feud doesn't get attention outside the sport. Eddie Gossage can print up posters to 'Come see the them battle on and off the track' but if people don't know the battlers it doesn't draw them in and Paul Tracy isn't as famous as baseball manager Jim Tracy. They show Tracy wearing the wrestler outfit on Wind Tunnel all the time, if the NASCAR fans watching even know it's him they think, 'the guy who washed out with Childress right?' not 'boy I want to see who that guy is mixing it up let's watch the whatever race he drives in'.

I think people greatly overestimate Tracy's 'star power' beyond the CC fans and many do so because they want to give CC credit for having a big star. He was the there a long time and was always near the top of the list in CC but in reality there weren't that many people paying attention to that CC list.

[TUBORG-fan]

I think the IRL should stop doing this "public statements" , it looks bad if 9 cars don't show up at Homestead..


But I hope Barnhart is right, he should be he's the boss so...

[debris on the track]

No link, but Barnhart was quoted this afternoon on local Indy radio, as saying 9 cars are "for sure" from CC teams for Homestead, with a possibility of a 10th.


He says that the IRL teams will have 17-18 cars at Homestead.

He says the IRL would like to have Tracy in series, but his salary demands are a huge detriment to that ever happening (editorial comment- that and the fact that he is under contract to someone who doesn't want to race in the IRL).

He thinks, right now, there should be 38-40 cars at Indy this year (which seems to be a pretty pathetic number, to be honest). Hopefully, he is just being conservative.

I give up ... What's pathetic about 38-40 cars?

[Indy Red]

I think people greatly overestimate Tracy's 'star power' beyond the CC fans and many do so because they want to give CC credit for having a big star. He was the there a long time and was always near the top of the list in CC but in reality there weren't that many people paying attention to that CC list.

I bet you could put Buddy Lazier in the same car and get better results and you can promote him as a former winner of The Indy 500.

ps.
I bet his retainer and his head are smaller than Paul's