Johncox willing to pay his dues!

[jetdoc]

As has been debated, debated again and then beaten that dead horse, I think Ronnie Johncox has the right idea. I know this is going to pizz all the "Short Track" fans out there but Robbie's got it right on how to get to the IRL.

Ronnie doesn't for ONE minute believe that he's taking a "...step back in his career..." (ala: JJ Yeley) He's realized that the BEST and soon to be the ONLY path to the IRL's through the IPS. What a humble guy. He's got his plan and he's working it.

People can say that AJ IV, Arie Jr., Cory Witherill, Ed Carpenter, Aaron Fike etc.... aren't going to be in the IRL before ANY of the "Steele's, Kruseman's, YELEY'S, or Darland's, but they'd be wrong and it's wishful thinking. Why you ask? They've realized that in order to move up and be competitive, they FIRST need to run (get REAL experience not just 1-2 races here and there) R/E, winged chassis' and they can't get that in Spridgets.

Many of these guys need to swallow their pride for 1 maybe 2 yrs at the most and they'll end up in the IRL. Quit the whining and DRIVE!!!

In the next 1-2 yrs., it (the IPS) wil emerge as the ONLY way to get to the IRL. It will be a "stepping-stone" if I may. If the above mentioned "spridget" drivers continue along their lines of thinking, they'll be left out in the cold. Sure, you'll say...."...some of them will go to NASCAR if they can't get a shot in the IRL. Well, my position is....Don't let the door hit you on the way out. They'll get a RUDE awakening when they arrive in THAT "ladder series".

Bottom line here is: The future of the IRL and the quality of the "upcoming" drivers will make you forget about the "Spridget" guys in a couple of years. When that happens, you'll look back and say "...ya know, had Yeley, Kruseman, Steele etc... swallowed their pride for a year or so, THEY'D be the ones we're cheering for. Instead, you'll be cheering for the guys that had the FORESIGHT to take the risk and run IPS, while the now popular "short-trackers" are either sitting on the sidelines or racing where ever. I know you're going to say....NASCAR will pay them more money anyway. Well, let's look at this a minute. There's only so many seats available in NASCAR and they DO have the beginning of a "Diminishing Car Count", so if ALL these guys are going to go to NASCAR, who's going to run em? Again, there's only so many rides!

Here's a link to the Johncox article.

Johncox GRATEFUL to be in IPS

[ August 22, 2002: Message edited by: jetdoc ]

[ August 22, 2002: Message edited by: jetdoc ]

[aXe]

Now lets compare Johncox earnings to JJ's?

Silly at best when Johncox has already proven he can drive those RE cars.
And JJ already has a very good finish at the speedway.
Still another snobish way to say circle trackers cant get it done.
Its just to bad they werent born with a silver spoon in their mouths!
aXe :mad:

[ August 22, 2002: Message edited by: aXe ]

[ August 22, 2002: Message edited by: aXe ]

[MichaelP]

Is he related to Ronnie Johcox?

[IndyJim]

I think most guys would take an IPS ride if one was offered. It seems to be the way to go, learn the tracks you will hopefully be running on a year or two down the road.

[jetdoc]

Is it dumb because you disagree with me aXe? If so, give me your reasonings. Yes Johncox HAS proven that, but Kruseman, Steele, Yeley haven't. You can't just "occasionally" drop in and run a R/E chassis and think you've got it down. Doesn't happen that way.

I think you're taking my position wrong. I AM a spridget guy, but I see their mistakes as well. I'm able to call a spade a shovel if need be.

I'm not saying that those "...circle trackers can't get it done." I'm saying that it depends on how bad they want to achieve their dream/goals. There's tradeoff's in EVERY decision you make. They choose to run STRICTILY spridgets and then complain that they're not getting a shot. You know how racing is....."What have you done for me lately?" is the attitude. I stand by the guys that are "short-trackers" but I see them making a mistake.

BTW, Yeley had ONE good finish at the Speedway, but what did he do elsewhere during his short stint in the IRL? If I recall it wasn't much. I'm one of the biggest JJ Yeley fans there is. I watched him grow up and mature on the tracks here in Phoenix, but if he's wrong IMO, I'll say something.

All I'm trying to say is....the present IPS Drivers will have a leg up on the Spridget Drivers because they've SHOWN what they can do in a R/E, Winged Chassis' and they're doing it RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE IRL TEAM OWNERS! What more could you ask for?

I want to see ALL the spridget drivers succeed, but it's not going to happen if they don't take the IPS seriously.

[ August 22, 2002: Message edited by: jetdoc ]

[jetdoc]

Originally posted by IndyJim:
<STRONG>I think most guys would take an IPS ride if one was offered. It seems to be the way to go, learn the tracks you will hopefully be running on a year or two down the road.</STRONG>

That's my point IndyJim! These guys need experience not only on the tracks that they'll be running but the cars and setups as well. If they don't do that, they'll be behind the 8 ball compared to AJ IV, Arie Jr., Fike, Carpenter etc.....

The learning experience is going to have to come at SOMETIME, why not do it NOW and then these owners will snatch you up if you've got talent. Owners don't get into racing to just run around the track (with exception of a few), they go out to win. If I had a choice between a guy that has had a GREAT spridget career and a guy that's had a GOOD IPS year, I'd take the IPS driver EVERYTIME because the "learning curve" isn't going to be so steep and will probably achieve better results quicker. Isn't that what racing's all about....WINNING?

[Racewriter]

Of course it's a step up for Johncox. He spent several years getting his butt handed to him in the USAC Midget ranks, with a career record of one NAMARS win. Comparing him with actual winning short trackers like Yeley, Steele, Darland, and the like is ludicrous. Fortunately, he's a "successful businessman," so he can still buy his way into the IPS.

"Bottom line here is: The future of the IRL and the quality of the "upcoming" drivers will make you forget about the "Spridget" guys in a couple of years."

That's the funniest thing I ever heard. I don't think anyone has forgotten about the last bunch of premier talent who were passed over by Indy car racing, such as Kinser, Swindell, Wolfgang, Stewart, Gordon, and the like. We won't forget about Steele, Yeley, etc. either. That's because they will go on to have long, successful careers in some form of American motorsports, likely NASCAR.

[gofastturnleft]

You're painting with a rather broad brush jetdoc.

First, if you talked to Kruseman or Steele you would know that these guys are very interested in running this series. They are willing to do what it takes to advance.

Second, if you pay attention to what most of us who are fans of these guys say we acknowledge that the IPS is the perfect training ground for them.

Both of those things said, these guys need ot be able to find a balance of making a living and climbing the ladder. This series began the year mid season. These drivers made commitments and plans based on an entire 2002 racing season. They could hardly sit around for the first six months of the year waiting for a series that was less than stable to start up. This is a business to these guys. They plan their work from January on. Not July to the end of the year. I'm interested in seeing how some of these guys approach next year now that a full season is on tap for the IPS. I know of more than one short tracker who is being sought after to run this series. A stable year long deal will be looked at a lot differently.

[BSJracing]

Originally posted by Racewriter:
<STRONG>Of course it's a step up for Johncox. He spent several years getting his butt handed to him in the USAC Midget ranks, with a career record of one NAMARS win. Comparing him with actual winning short trackers like Yeley, Steele, Darland, and the like is ludicrous. Fortunately, he's a "successful businessman," so he can still buy his way into the IPS.

.</STRONG>

Head to Head, IPS Michigan.
Johncox 5th Steele 8th

[jetdoc]

Originally posted by Racewriter:
<STRONG>Of course it's a step up for Johncox. He spent several years getting his butt handed to him in the USAC Midget ranks, with a career record of one NAMARS win. Comparing him with actual winning short trackers like Yeley, Steele, Darland, and the like is ludicrous. Fortunately, he's a "successful businessman," so he can still buy his way into the IPS.

"Bottom line here is: The future of the IRL and the quality of the "upcoming" drivers will make you forget about the "Spridget" guys in a couple of years."

That's the funniest thing I ever heard. I don't think anyone has forgotten about the last bunch of premier talent who were passed over by Indy car racing, such as Kinser, Swindell, Wolfgang, Stewart, Gordon, and the like. We won't forget about Steele, Yeley, etc. either. That's because they will go on to have long, successful careers in some form of American motorsports, likely NASCAR.</STRONG>

You're comparing Apples to Oranges RW. When ALL of those people were starting their careers the IPS was NOT around. There was virtually NO oval based R/E winged chassis series out there. It's a different story now!

Also, do you think that Kinser or Swindell (add in their ages) have aspirations to move up and really leave the WoO the way they clean house in that series? I don't and that's the analogy that I'm trying to make here.

These kids/men that are running these IPS cars are going to be FAR and ABOVE the other drivers as far as R/E winged chassis' learning curve is concerened.

Please don't get me wrong here! I'm not trying to say that ANY of the guys in the IPS currently are better than the afforementioned drivers. I'm saying that they've got a "leg up" on them in these types of cars.

[jetdoc]

Originally posted by gofastturnleft:
<STRONG>You're painting with a rather broad brush jetdoc.

First, if you talked to Kruseman or Steele you would know that these guys are very interested in running this series. They are willing to do what it takes to advance.

Second, if you pay attention to what most of us who are fans of these guys say we acknowledge that the IPS is the perfect training ground for them.

Both of those things said, these guys need ot be able to find a balance of making a living and climbing the ladder. This series began the year mid season. These drivers made commitments and plans based on an entire 2002 racing season. They could hardly sit around for the first six months of the year waiting for a series that was less than stable to start up. This is a business to these guys. They plan their work from January on. Not July to the end of the year. I'm interested in seeing how some of these guys approach next year now that a full season is on tap for the IPS. I know of more than one short tracker who is being sought after to run this series. A stable year long deal will be looked at a lot differently.</STRONG>

Thanks Dan, I appreciate that. You said what I was trying to get across but just wasn't able to do it. I truly believe that within the next 2 years you're going to see that the IPS is the MAJOR feeder series into the IRL. THAT'S what I was trying to say.

Thanks Dan!

BTW: Give me a break, it's my Birthday today!!!

[Professor Joe]

What Racewriter said, but not as politely!

[jl]

Originally posted by BSJracing:
<STRONG>Head to Head, IPS Michigan.
Johncox 5th Steele 8th</STRONG>

Umm. Helllloooo.

The race was called at half distance. **** Foyt had just passed Little Arie (IIRC) before the yellow came out. The top 5 could have been covered with one blanket with a second pack catching the first.

If you really believe that Johncox is better than Steele after one shorted race, I got a bridge to sell ya.

[jl]

Originally posted by jetdoc:
<STRONG>These kids/men that are running these IPS cars are going to be FAR and ABOVE the other drivers as far as R/E winged chassis' learning curve is concerened.</STRONG>

And connection curve as well. Teams and potential team owners will get to see them race in person and talk to them before and after. They will become familiar and friendly with them. This will open a couple of doors.

It's not what you know but who you know.

[BSJracing]

Originally posted by jl:
<STRONG>

Umm. Helllloooo.

The race was called at half distance. **** Foyt had just passed Little Arie (IIRC) before the yellow came out. The top 5 could have been covered with one blanket with a second pack catching the first.

If you really believe that Johncox is better than Steele after one shorted race, I got a bridge to sell ya.</STRONG>

No, I don't care who's better, as both have reached the IRL with little or no success. However The only way I have of comparing the 2 is their head to head results. Why wasn't Steele up in the lead draft if he knew rain was coming? Sorry but head to head, this year, Johncox looks better in the IPS.