Wade Cunningham runs a midget racecar:

[Turn13]

Per Twitter:

http://twitter.com/#!/Wade_Cunningham

Wade_Cunningham
Nice to arrive at Patetonga Speedway and the boys are already set up http://plixi.com/p/80298920


Wade_Cunningham
Had so much fun today, will definitely be getting in a midget again. Got very stompy on the loud pedal, ended up burning off the right rear!
8 hours ago


Unfortunately the angle doesn't give a good view of the track but here is my midget debut... http://twitvid.com/ZY56S

[Jamski]

Very cool!

[grogg]

"Got very stompy on the loud pedal, ended up burning off the right rear!."

I wonder how many young midget drivers was heard to say something similar to that.

Good for him. Glad he enjoyed it.

[9rows]

like

[R22]

like..

[cheeseczar]

Every IndyCar/Lights driver should run some laps in one.

[Paddy]

What do you think a serious pro Indycar driver would learn from a midget? I have lots of seat time in formula cars and midgets and they are totally different. In fact I think midget/sprint car driving style is completely wrong for driving an Indycar. RACING in heavy traffic is benificial, but just doing single car laps, while fun is kind of a worthless experience for a real Indycar driver, IMO

[9rows]

yeah, it's just awful to see racing driver try new things

....simply terrible

[cheeseczar]

What do you think a serious pro Indycar driver would learn from a midget?

Oh...I don't know. A different kind of fun perhaps?

[voice_of_reason]

What do you think a serious pro Indycar driver would learn from a midget? I have lots of seat time in formula cars and midgets and they are totally different. In fact I think midget/sprint car driving style is completely wrong for driving an Indycar. RACING in heavy traffic is benificial, but just doing single car laps, while fun is kind of a worthless experience for a real Indycar driver, IMO

Thanks for the buzz kill Buzz Killington.

How about from a simple marketing point of view. Having drivers from IICS at these events would perhaps get a few fans to maybe just tune in and watch the next race. Yes that is exactly what the series doesn't need right now, MORE FANS!

[Todd Gack]

What do you think a serious pro Indycar driver would learn from a midget?

You are right.

It would be better for a race driver to sit on his ass and tweet all day instead.

Versatility used to be a good thing for race drivers and especially Indy Car drivers. Maybe if we had racers who strapped in on more then 17 times a year, they'd learn how to actually pass cars and not make so many bonehead mistakes.

[JMFVET]

Isn't there an axiom that "loose is fast." Seems to me the fastest formula car setups would be on the edge of oversteer and many drivers aren't particularly proficient at handling oversteer at speed. First step in handling it is not having an Oh Sh-t moment, after that controlling the car comes into play. The car, the surface, the engine location and the style may be different but Sprint cars live in a loose is fast condition every minute of every race. If formula car drivers jumped in Sprint cars now and then it would help them get comfortable with that condition, avoiding oh sh-t moments in their formula car. That makes them better drivers.

And I agree, getting FIL and IICS drivers to spend time at USAC events can't be anything but good for IndyCar fan development.

[grogg]

What good does this do Wade Cunningham? For one thing a few of us has gained a new respect for him. How is this bad?

Having never driven a midget (under power) or a formula car, maybe I'm wrong but it's hard to believe that a driver with Indycar aspirations gets absolutely zilch out of driving a midget.

[bikermick]

What do you think a serious pro Indycar driver would learn from a midget? I have lots of seat time in formula cars and midgets and they are totally different. In fact I think midget/sprint car driving style is completely wrong for driving an Indycar. RACING in heavy traffic is benificial, but just doing single car laps, while fun is kind of a worthless experience for a real Indycar driver, IMO

You could learn how to race for one thing.Maybe Castro-Neves could conduct a decent start when he's on the pole at Indy if he had some short track experience.

[Novi-]

Isn't there an axiom that "loose is fast." Seems to me the fastest formula car setups would be on the edge of oversteer and many drivers aren't particularly proficient at handling oversteer at speed. First step in handling it is not having an Oh Sh-t moment, after that controlling the car comes into play. The car, the surface, the engine location and the style may be different but Sprint cars live in a loose is fast condition every minute of every race. If formula car drivers jumped in Sprint cars now and then it would help them get comfortable with that condition, avoiding oh sh-t moments in their formula car. That makes them better drivers.

And I agree, getting FIL and IICS drivers to spend time at USAC events can't be anything but good for IndyCar fan development.

At least someone gets it

The only time you get something out of what you do is if you want to.

It's not about what can I take from this car and use in this car as far as setup goes, it's more like what can I do with what I'm feeling in this car and take it to a different type of car.

People that say you drive an OW car by your rear end and you drive a FC by your hands are full of it and they are the ones that can only drive one or another.

Take a driver that uses both and even more and they are more likely to have success in a wider variety of cars.