Kelley is running a three-car entry for the first time in their history, and so far the results have been iffy. We know Renna has the talent, but it's also a given that Sharp and Unser are going to stay for a while. On the other hand, it's the likes of Renna that are the future, and you want to get that future signed, sealed, and delivered now. So if you're Tom Kelley, what do you do?
(1) Let Renna go and stick with the two-car entry. Not very advantageous future-wise.
(2) Expand the team to a proper three-car operation. Probably means moving the shop to a large facility, hiring more employees, etc. Keeps everything under control, but economically and managerially risky.
(3) Subcontract out one of the cars to another team, like what Cheever has been doing with Greg Beck for Scheckter's entry. There are a lot of people around the IRL who have the talent to set up and run a competitive car, but aren't so good (or lucky, depending on how you see it) at the business/financial end of the deal, who are available. Beck himself might be available; there's Paul Diatlovich, Dave Conti, Chuck Buckman, etc.
My suggestion, as you might have guessed, is #3. Kelley's got the business end of down cold; turn over the technical end to someone else, minimize the risk, and keep a good young driver on board.
(1) Let Renna go and stick with the two-car entry. Not very advantageous future-wise.
(2) Expand the team to a proper three-car operation. Probably means moving the shop to a large facility, hiring more employees, etc. Keeps everything under control, but economically and managerially risky.
(3) Subcontract out one of the cars to another team, like what Cheever has been doing with Greg Beck for Scheckter's entry. There are a lot of people around the IRL who have the talent to set up and run a competitive car, but aren't so good (or lucky, depending on how you see it) at the business/financial end of the deal, who are available. Beck himself might be available; there's Paul Diatlovich, Dave Conti, Chuck Buckman, etc.
My suggestion, as you might have guessed, is #3. Kelley's got the business end of down cold; turn over the technical end to someone else, minimize the risk, and keep a good young driver on board.
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