Diz, Diz, Diz.....

[Coach P]

GEEEEZ! I wish someone would give Diz a ride this season. I was a bit surprised when PDM picked Schroeder after Robin Miller didn't mention him on Open Wheel Wednesday and mentioned Mark and Cory. Kelley Racing better give Diz the #28 car at Indy! It's been a stressful off-season and beginning of the season for me because I'm huge Unser Jr. and Dismore fan. Disappointment after disappointment with rides. Mark get that #28 car and win that 500!!!! Prove everyone WRONG!

[aratapuss]

"Mark get that #28 car and win that 500!!!! Prove everyone WRONG!"

That WOULD be a great story, however, I had my yearly Indy Dream, and it appears Salazar will be the "milkman" this year. (that will be a great story)

[Fueler]

Well, here's the deal...
two teams, basically fighting for survival.... PDM and Schmidt.... both needing every possible benefit from their next race.... both with more to lose if they make the wrong decision than most teams.... both with the same spectrum of available drivers from which to choose for Fontana, not exactly a track known to be slow or forgiving.

Neither chooses Diz, neither chooses Ray, neither chooses Kruseman, Drake, Fike(s), Fisher, or any of the other supposed hot shoes touted here on a regular basis.

Coincidence? I think not.

[mattndallas]

Originally posted by Fueler:
<STRONG>Well, here's the deal...
two teams, basically fighting for survival.... PDM and Schmidt.... both needing every possible benefit from their next race.... both with more to lose if they make the wrong decision than most teams.... both with the same spectrum of available drivers from which to choose for Fontana, not exactly a track known to be slow or forgiving.

Neither chooses Diz, neither chooses Ray, neither chooses Kruseman, Drake, Fike(s), Fisher, or any of the other supposed hot shoes touted here on a regular basis.

Coincidence? I think not.</STRONG>

I know Jeret has $$$, but does Hearn bring any??

Or are you referring to the quality of these two drivers?

What's the coincidence?

Not 2nd guessing, just value your opinion, and having trouble "reading between the lines".

Do you think the ride-less drivers are over-rated versus Jeret and Richie?

[CRISTAL FAN]

Hey Aratapuss, I dreaming your dream every night!!

[Fueler]

Do you think the ride-less drivers are over-rated versus Jeret and Richie?

In many cases yes. Plus they have, in many cases, shown what they can do when given a shot.... and not always in a favorable light.

[mnkywrch]

Originally posted by Fueler:
<STRONG>

In many cases yes. Plus they have, in many cases, shown what they can do when given a shot.... and not always in a favorable light.</STRONG>

Thank you for saying it.

I mean, how long did Diz have a Kelley ride?

And how many wins did he have?

Spare me the "he had bad luck" arguments. He had bad luck when he almost got killed at Indy in 1991. But he had one of the better rides in the IRL for a number of years, and he flat out didn't produce.

[JoeBob]

Here's my interpretation of what Fueler is saying, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Both of these teams are relying on the Leader's Circle to make for a lack of funding. If they miss an event and lose the Leader's Circle, they're out of business.

Both teams also had a car torn apart at Phoenix. They're likely using their backup as a primary now, and might not have the money to get the other car fixed for a while.

If their driver crashes, they have no cars to race at Nazareth. No racing at Nazareth means no Leader's Circle. No Leader's Circle means no money to run at Indy. No money to run at Indy means done for the year.

Right now, keeping the car off the wall is more important than winning. I'm guessing they'd like to have insurance for the car, and the driver plays a major role in the cost of insurance.

I'm guessing Hearn and Schroeder are also a lot cheaper to insure than Ray, Fisher or Dismore. (Or in Jeret's case, can bring enough money to pay for the insurance)

[AdamM]

>>>I'm guessing Hearn and Schroeder are also a lot cheaper to insure than Ray, Fisher or Dismore. (Or in Jeret's case, can bring enough money to pay for the insurance)<<<

Well last year Schroeder raced in seven races and guess what? He crashed seven times (twice during practice at Indy.) Hey, at least Ray would give the car and sponsors a chance at some good camera time before wadding it up.

It could just be that these struggling teams are struggling precisely because they keep making decisions like putting Jeret Schroeder in their car.

[Tim_racefan]

Adam has made a pretty good point as well.

[JoeBob]

Originally posted by AdamM:
<STRONG>Well last year Schroeder raced in seven races and guess what? He crashed seven times (twice during practice at Indy.) Hey, at least Ray would give the car and sponsors a chance at some good camera time before wadding it up.

It could just be that these struggling teams are struggling precisely because they keep making decisions like putting Jeret Schroeder in their car.</STRONG>

If Jeret is bringing enough $$ to pay for insurance, they can get the car repaired after he wrecks it. If they put somebody who they can't afford insurance for in the car, and that driver wrecks it, they're done.

Don't get me wrong, I'd like to see every car have the most talented driver available in it. But, we also need to understand the situation they're in.

Of course, if Roger Penske's vision for one series in 2004 comes true, discussions like thise will be a moot point, because teams like Schmidt and PDM will either be out of business, or in a series they can actually afford to run in (IPS, Toyota Atlantics, FF2000)

[MelKSC]

Is the driver pool too lean when teams must pick a driver based upon his/her likelihood of crashing?

[Racemind]

JoeBob, very interesting points. I hadn't thought about the insurance / leader's circle issue.

If that was the case, I'd take Ray over Jaret. Ray wins races, and his "running at finish" percentage is way ahead of Jaret's. Plus, the $250,000 that Ray brings should cover his insurance.

[Racewriter]

Originally posted by MelKSC:
<STRONG>Is the driver pool too lean when teams must pick a driver based upon his/her likelihood of crashing?</STRONG>

No. The money pool is too lean. There are no shortage of accomplished, talented drivers wanting into the IRL right now, but if they don't bring money, they don't run.

[AdamM]

JB, I agree if that were usually the case. Unfortunately the ride buyers’ money is seldom enough to the cover all the expenses incurred in the inevitable crashes and I have seen team, after team in the IRL literally get wreaked right out of business. I think it's obvious that the key for a low budget team is to first get a talented driver that knows how to bring the car home in one piece and work up from there.