Where will these teams end up, engine-wise?

[mnkywrch]

Blair is an "official" Chevy team.

[mattndallas]

Where will these teams end up, engine-wise?

1) D&R
2) Curb/Boat/Agj
3) Cheever
4) Blair
5) Conquest
6) Bradley
7) Schmidt

I hesitate to even add Treadway or 310 to this list.

Also, what's the latest on the TWR badging. Getting that thing badged will go far in keeping many of these teams around for next year.

Is Robin Miller and the CART (anti-IRL) protagonists the only ones that feel many of these teams won't be around next year? Am I wrong by assuming a TWR badge will all but ensure they'll all be back?

[richie]

I thought Blair was one of the five Chevrolet teams for next year.

[mattndallas]

Originally posted by mnkywrch:
<STRONG>Blair is an "official" Chevy team.</STRONG>

Then why do I see all these assertations that they are hurting for money, and may be CART bound? I know they need Rayovac to step up, but if they've got an engine situation taken care of, they're not in half as much of a hole as the others. Is their demise just wishful thinking by Miller and the CART gang?

[step33T]

Originally posted by mattndallas:
<STRONG>

Then why do I see all these assertations that they are hurting for money, and may be CART bound? I know they need Rayovac to step up, but if they've got an engine situation taken care of, they're not in half as much of a hole as the others. Is their demise just wishful thinking by Miller and the CART gang?</STRONG>

There are CART fans that think Blair will go back.

That isn't likely to happen UNLESS CART is willing to pay Blair. He might if that were the case. But, if the money is coming from his pocket, he'll be in the IRL.

[mnkywrch]

Does Chevy supply anything outside of "special" motors?

I doubt they're paying large sums of cash.

[Gregor Foitek]

There simply isn't enough money to go around for everyone. If the additions are going to happen as rumored, the team listed with the exception of D&R, Cheever, and Blair, will either not have enough to run or won't have enough to be competitive against the Penskes and Ganassi cars.

[Tim_racefan]

If D&R gets Sarah in ink, I'd have to think they will have a good offer, or several.

[nm]

Robbie Buhl had said yesterday was D&R's self-imposed deadline for picking an engine, and that they had been talking to Toyota and Honda. FWIW, Sarah is quoted in the IRL Texas II pre-race quotes that she wants to be back with this engineer and team intact for 2003.

[Mackie]

They will end up with the engine behind the driver, which engine is too early to tell! We will still be sorting this out in January.

[Mackie]

ok, here goes, Robin Wrong has to cast doubts on the future of the IRL because CART is the only paying job possibility he has after rpm shuts down. Forget his gloom and doom, no sooner then he posted it then JoeBob brought the good news here for discussion, he does that a lot.

Next year won't be all that different cost-wise then this year, with the exception of buying new cars.

With the engines, nothing has changed either, except there will be more choices. This season, Chevy teams had to buy/lease new engines, the only Chevy team using the old stuff is Penske. I have seen nowhere that the IRL has allowed an increase in the price cap for the engines. They have also said that leasing is allowed, but they will make sure that the costs will be equal to purchases. Toyota has pledged that there will be engines for everyone that wants them. Chevy too, why wouldn't Honda do the same? Who knows when an apparently weak combination might click, like Blair/Barron did, or Schmidt/Hearn, even if they didn't win, you knew they were there.

Lets look at a team using Chevy, going into this season. They had to make arrangements for engines for 15 races, plus practice and testing. Lets say a team contracted for eight new engines @ $120K each, I don't think anyone will dispute that number. They would also need ten rebuilds at an average of $ 75K, that was a Speedway Engine Development number, quoted on a radio show around Indy time. That is $1.71 million for the season. As of 9/15, those engines become bases for coffee tables, boat anchors or testing mules, that probably won't even fit the new cars.

Now, same team, same manufacturer, 2003. The only difference is that there is one more race, one more rebuild. The costs remain the same and the engine budget becomes $1.786 million. If the teams can't afford that and they are indeed gone.

The sad thing is, that for some of the chosen few, their engines may become free. The teams in question above, with the exception of Teem Cheever, who has already said that Red Ball will return, and Blair, who won once, plus Schmidt, who have contended, have not shown they deserve to be considered on someone's "A" list. For them, a badge for the TWR may be the only way to continue. But they did manage to see their way through 2002, why not 2003?

Back to the chassis situation. The last time there was a change, in 2000, some lesser teams tried to run the first generation cars, something that won't be allowed next year. When they got to Indy, those cars, with the smaller engine, in it's first season too, wouldn't provide enough speed to make the field. All of a sudden, teams with little or no money had brand new 2000 cars, where did they come from? My point, there will be help available in getting the chassis, just like in 1997 and 2002. Even before Honda and Toyota came on board, chassis issues were going to be a problem anyway in 2003, there were too many teams running used, damaged and repaired, hand-me-down stuff anyway. Now for Blair Racing and chassis issues. I was told at the Test in the West that Blair bought two new Dallaras, if they did that in 2002, why should it be a problem in 2003? No sponsor, they didn't have one in early 2002 either, they didn't get one until Indy!

[Jim Wilke]

FWIW, Bond reported a couple of days ago that Chip released all 3 of his CART drivers and that Brack is now shopping around the IRL with a supply of Honda engines under his arm. Am I the only guy that thinks he would be a GREAT fit at Blair?

[Mackie]

Originally posted by Jim Wilke:
<STRONG>FWIW, Bond reported a couple of days ago that Chip released all 3 of his CART drivers and that Brack is now shopping around the IRL with a supply of Honda engines under his arm. Am I the only guy that thinks he would be a GREAT fit at Blair?</STRONG>

And what of Barron, he has done nothing but exceed expectations. Let Kenny take his engines to Sam!

[IndyIRLman]

Originally posted by Jim Wilke:
<STRONG> Am I the only guy that thinks he would be a GREAT fit at Blair?</STRONG>

As long as Barron is also in a Blair car. I do want Brack in the IRL if he isn't going to be in CART. But I don't want him taking Barron's place.

[gofastturnleft]

Most of the teams that make it are going to be two car efforts. I believe that was where Jim was going with his comment - Alex + Kenny.