USAC / Indy Lights connection

[Turn13]

http://blogs.indystar.com/racingexpert/2010/10/20/oct-20-on-indycar-usac-and-levi-jones/

Randy Bernard is offering a $300,000 bonus to apply to the oval-track events, which begin with the Freedom 100 at the Speedway. That should be enough money to land the driver a good ride...

Cavin says they'll be talking about this Thursday night on 1070 The Fan's Tracksoide program: http://www.1070thefan.com/trackside/...tryID=10153560

Is this a sponsored award, or just IndyCar discretionary / promotional funds, or coming out of Randy's bonus, or what?

Announcement this morning...

[9rows]

i suspect smoke is helping fund it.

[225_at_Indy]

i suspect smoke is helping fund it.

Sell the league to Tony and let him do whatever he wants with it. Should be fun.

[Gomer Simpson]

If the goal is to get these guys into full time IndyCar rides, shouldn't Randy be focused on getting them road course experience?

How does signing them up only for the ovals better prepare them for IndyCar?

edit -

I just saw The Stickman's post in the other thread:

USAC sponsorship will be for the oval races only in FIL with an established team. He doesn't want to set those guys up to fair. The owners can run them on road courses if they want but he doesn't want the pressure on them to succeeed at something they haven't done.

That makes sense. Still though, if we're ever going to get USAC drivers back into Indy cars, they're going to have to learn the road racing craft at some point. The sooner that process begins, the more likely they are to succeed.

[Big Mo]

I guess my sense is, if they're successful racing the ovals and see Indycars as their future, they'll take on road course racing as a challenge and a goal. Much as Parnelli, Mario, A.J., the Unsers - especially Al and Al Jr., Gurney, and so many others did.

[IndyCarter]

If the goal is to get these guys into full time IndyCar rides, shouldn't Randy be focused on getting them road course experience?

How does signing them up only for the ovals better prepare them for IndyCar?

edit -

I just saw The Stickman's post in the other thread:



That makes sense. Still though, if we're ever going to get USAC drivers back into Indy cars, they're going to have to learn the road racing craft at some point. The sooner that process begins, the more likely they are to succeed.

What ever happened to the proposed USAC Gold Crown Series? The one that was supposed to run on ovals and road courses. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

[FTHurley]

If a top USAC driver can get into a rear-engine formula car and run well on the ovals in short order, I think the idea is that they would get to run at least a few of the road courses that season. Will it actually work out that way? Who knows. But if Levi Jones can win the Freedom 100 his first time out, you'd be hard-pressed to not at least test him on a road course.

Personally, this sounds like a ton of fun. It'll be great to watch these guys make the switch and learn a different take on their craft.

I'm still an advocate of trying to get some of these guys a few races in Grand-Am. Yes, I know it's a different beast altogether, but at least you're running lots of laps on road courses.

EDIT: I think the concept of fun is too easily discarded, by the way. Will the USAC guys make a smooth and easy adjustment to rear-engined cars? Who knows? Maybe not. Maybe they'll all look foolish. But sport is, in the end, about human endeavor, and that drama is a big part of why we watch. I can't wait to watch Levi or Bryan try to master a new way of racing. This just made the Freedom 100 a heck of a lot more compelling for me.

[225_at_Indy]

I guess my sense is, if they're successful racing the ovals and see Indycars as their future, they'll take on road course racing as a challenge and a goal. Much as Parnelli, Mario, A.J., the Unsers - especially Al and Al Jr., Gurney, and so many others did.

Agree. Could it be that for ovals we get drivers and teams who race only for Foyt trophy and Indy 500? Theoretically you can become a champion without competing on road courses if only you could dominate ovals and noone dominates on road courses.

The first champion won the championship by winning Foyt trophy and Indy 500. Winning Mario trophy didn't help.
Ovals won

[BuddyCarSeries]

Now Curt says it's the Sprint Car Champion, but before I heard it was the USAC National Champion. USAC started that this year. It's your best 22 (I think 22) races in any of the top national divisions, Midget, Sprint Car, Silver Crown. Clauson is leading that right now with Jones behind.

[Gomer Simpson]

Agree. Could it be that for ovals we get drivers and teams who race only for Foyt trophy and Indy 500. Theoretically you can become a champion without competing on road courses if only you could dominate ovals and noone dominates on road courses.

True, but for several years now only 2 teams have really been competitive on ovals, and they aren't going to be hiring part-timers anytime soon. If that ever changes, it would open up a whole lot of possibilities.

[225_at_Indy]

Will the USAC guys make a smooth and easy adjustment to rear-engined cars? Who knows? Maybe not. Maybe they'll all look foolish. But sport is, in the end, about human endeavor, and that drama is a big part of why we watch. I can't wait to watch Levi or Bryan try to master a new way of racing. This just made the Freedom 100 a heck of a lot more compelling for me.

The best example is Tony Stewart. One year he won all USAC main divisions, next year he almost won Indy 500. Year after IndyCar championship. And today he is considered one of the best roadracers in NASCAR.

Still if a really good driver shows up in USAC, there is little chance that he is not heading South very soon.

[grogg]

I've seen Bryan Clauson race since he was 14 year old. This kid is the real deal. He seemed to pick up stock cars faily well but he only seemed to have the ride when they didn't put Dario in it or when Kyle Krisiloff didn't buy some rides in the Nationwise Series. That is a tough way to learn anything.

If Clauson can make his way into IndyCar my interest in the series will be on the way back. BTW being a native Californian he will bring a fan base from the Mid-west as well as the West coast.

[Turn13]

Having some more interesting drivers in the FIL would seem to help the overall IndyCar race weekends offer more of a multi-event program.

[RV]

If a top USAC driver can get into a rear-engine formula car and run well on the ovals in short order, I think the idea is that they would get to run at least a few of the road courses that season. Will it actually work out that way? Who knows. But if Levi Jones can win the Freedom 100 his first time out, you'd be hard-pressed to not at least test him on a road course.

Personally, this sounds like a ton of fun. It'll be great to watch these guys make the switch and learn a different take on their craft.

I'm still an advocate of trying to get some of these guys a few races in Grand-Am. Yes, I know it's a different beast altogether, but at least you're running lots of laps on road courses.

EDIT: I think the concept of fun is too easily discarded, by the way. Will the USAC guys make a smooth and easy adjustment to rear-engined cars? Who knows? Maybe not. Maybe they'll all look foolish. But sport is, in the end, about human endeavor, and that drama is a big part of why we watch. I can't wait to watch Levi or Bryan try to master a new way of racing. This just made the Freedom 100 a heck of a lot more compelling for me.

Brandon Wagner isn't an "if".
And he was driving for that highly funded Hamilton Racing.

[TUBORG-fan]

Sounds like an idea worth watching next year

Would be cool to see a USAC driver do well in IndyCar racing.

Wagner and Carpenter have both done well this year