Tony Stewart call the League a failure!

[CCFanatic]

http://www.thatsracin.com/other_series/story/10944.html



DON'T LOOK BACK: Although the Indianapolis 500 remains Stewart's first love, he certainly doesn't miss the politics of open-wheel racing.

With Champ Car and the Indy Racing League once again talking about reunification to solve their financial struggles, Stewart said he was lucky to race in the IRL before it got to the point where drivers needed to bring sponsors to a team to get a ride.

Stewart wants to see the two series get back together, but only if it results in something that looks like what the IRL was intended to be: A series that gives up-and-coming open-wheel drivers a chance instead of forcing them to buy rides.

"It sounds like the IRL is kind of getting to that stage anyway, and if that's the case, that's not what the IRL even was designed for to begin with," Stewart said. "It makes the project a failure, almost, to a certain degree.

"And what it does is it makes somebody like me lucky - like hitting the lottery lucky - because if it weren't for that timing of being there when it started, guys who win USAC championships haven't got an opportunity to go racing at Indy for a long time now. And I don't know if that's ever going to happen again."

[Canada Cornrow]

Maybe USAC isn't the way to get to Indy anymore. Atlantics and especially IPS at least race at the same tracks as CC and Indycar respectively. If USAC really was the path to Indy then why the need for the IPS? It's interesting to note that John Menard never even heard of Tony Stewart until King Tony clued him in.

As for sponsorship woes it's easy for him to say these things now that he's racing in NASCAR. Apparently he never looked at the dwindling crowds and pathetic TV ratings while he was racing in Indycar. Hopefully when the dust settles and there's only one series left the sponsors will start to come around. It's going to take a lot of work for sure but it should improve over time if King Tony can put good people in place and get out of the way.

[geek49203]

Of course TS is right.

NASCAR is full of stars who should've been in Indy cars if 1) the seats were there, and 2) if sprint car racing prepared them for Indy cars. I spent a whole day in the press room of a NASCAR race talking about which NASCAR driver was the best sprint car race driver (Kahne, Stewart, Gordon, Gordon, Blaney, Newman, Edwards, Yeley, to name a few). Kahne told me that he though he was the best, but also admitted he didn't run with the "older" guys (Stewart, Gordon, Gordon, et al).

I don't know how a front-engined mechanical grip car running on ovals can prepare people to drive a rear-engined, aero grip car on road courses.

Oh yeah, I hear the "if they're a good racer then they can race anything" BS, but the truth is that Michael Jordon couldn't play pro baseball, and F1 champions (and Indy 500 winners) struggle in NASCAR.

If young American drivers start driving karts instead of midgets and street stocks then they might have a chance at Indy cars. I'm glad that the IPS seems to be picking up steam (hopefully the Atlantics kids can come over too) because it will start to train Americans for those seats. However, until Mark Dismore has more karting tracks, until American kids all want a go-kart, until Comet Kart has a branch office in every major city, we will lose Indy seats to kids who grow up in places where F1 is the big thing.

[Chaparral66]

Of course TS is right.



Oh yeah, I hear the "if they're a good racer then they can race anything" BS, but the truth is that Michael Jordon couldn't play pro baseball, and F1 champions (and Indy 500 winners) struggle in NASCAR.


Wait a minute, that's not BS. Racing is still racing, and comparing what Michael Jordan did to what racers are doing now, and used to do regularly is crazy. Tony Stewart is proof that talented driver can indeed drive in almost any disipline. Same for Jeff Gordon. Legends AJ Foyt's and Mario Andretti's careers are a model for this type of thing. Robby Gordon is fast in anything he straps into. Juan Pablo Montoya is still finding his legs a bit but with two NASCAR wins last year (roadcourses, so what, a win is a win), he doesn't have to apologize to anyone. Anyone trying a new type of racing, if heor she has the credentials, just needs plenty of seat time and some patience. These guys will come around.

[Ruben Barrios]

Tony Stewart has alwways been a hack... He is no team player and everything out of his mouth is self-serving...

[nigelred5]

I wouldn't say that about TS. Christ few racing drivers are TEAM PLAYERS. There is a whole series of drivers called F1 that don't know the concept of being a team player.
TS does spew about his emotions a lot, but what he said about the change in the IRL is right on base. Sam Hornish has essentially said and experienced the same thing. There was no future for an American with no wallet in CART/Champcar. Keeping Atlantics and IPS around as a real training ground, and at an affordable cost is key to keeping a path for drivers to learn rear engined cars and prove their talent is good enough to get to Indycars. Indy lights failed at doing that and Atlantics was never a part of aimed at the dirt track guys, even for the few years Atlantics did compete on the smaller paved ovals under CART.

If nothing else, the last 13 years has given both sides proof of what ideas don't work, but it has also proven a few things that do.

[Rogelio]

So according to Stewart, only in OWR do you need sponsorship. Yea, like it does not happen in NASCAR. Stewart is a good driver but he is only as good as his team. He used to be a favorite driver of mine in NASCAR until I realized how selfish and how much of a jerk he was.

[garyshell]

So according to Stewart, only in OWR do you need sponsorship. Yea, like it does not happen in NASCAR. Stewart is a good driver but he is only as good as his team. He used to be a favorite driver of mine in NASCAR until I realized how selfish and how much of a jerk he was.


He didn't say you only needed sponsorship in OWR, he said the driver had to find it in OWR. Two very different things.

Gary

[geek49203]

Here's the differences between OWR and NASCAR from a young driver's point of view --

In NASCAR, there are around 100 rides that pay well enough to make a good living, with another 100 or so where you at least don't have to bring a wad of cash to run (regional series).

In OWR, there are maybe 25 rides in the "main" series, and another 25 or so in whatever feeder series you're looking at. Already you're looking at a target that is 1/4 the size of NASCAR, so yeah, seats would be pretty rare at the top level.

Most of the rides in CCWS were rental car deals (pay the money and you can race). In the IRL, one can win the Indy 500 and the points championship and make less money than a mid-pack guy over in 'Cup.

Worse yet, virtually every young driver can find a small oval track, and find a couple thousand to get into a "bomber class" car to get started. Not everyone lives near a kart track. To expect American kids to go down the road racing course instead of the stock car oval is akin to expecting Indiana kids to start playing lacrosse instead of basketball.

So, would a young Tony Stewart or Jeff Gordon get into the IRL today? Well, with the notable exception of TS, no one has made the transition between open-wheeled cars and NASCAR and done well. We need to see if a stock car guy can make the trip to the IRL, but based on the testing of IRL teams, it seems as though they have a disadvantage when they get a test. Why should a Chip Ganassi chose a sprint car guy when he can get an Alex Lloyd, who has shown promise by dominating IPS?

Finally.... money always talks in auto racing. Michael Waltrip races 'cause he has a sponsor, and Mike Wallace doesn't race in spite of doing well when he gets a chance. Milka's got a sponsor, Hideki Mutoh has a sponsor, and Alex Lloyd doesn't, so guess who's running this year?

[Chaparral66]

Here's the differences between OWR and NASCAR from a young driver's point of view --

In NASCAR, there are around 100 rides that pay well enough to make a good living, with another 100 or so where you at least don't have to bring a wad of cash to run (regional series).

In OWR, there are maybe 25 rides in the "main" series, and another 25 or so in whatever feeder series you're looking at. Already you're looking at a target that is 1/4 the size of NASCAR, so yeah, seats would be pretty rare at the top level.

Most of the rides in CCWS were rental car deals (pay the money and you can race). In the IRL, one can win the Indy 500 and the points championship and make less money than a mid-pack guy over in 'Cup.

Worse yet, virtually every young driver can find a small oval track, and find a couple thousand to get into a "bomber class" car to get started. Not everyone lives near a kart track. To expect American kids to go down the road racing course instead of the stock car oval is akin to expecting Indiana kids to start playing lacrosse instead of basketball.

So, would a young Tony Stewart or Jeff Gordon get into the IRL today? Well, with the notable exception of TS, no one has made the transition between open-wheeled cars and NASCAR and done well. We need to see if a stock car guy can make the trip to the IRL, but based on the testing of IRL teams, it seems as though they have a disadvantage when they get a test. Why should a Chip Ganassi chose a sprint car guy when he can get an Alex Lloyd, who has shown promise by dominating IPS?

Finally.... money always talks in auto racing. Michael Waltrip races 'cause he has a sponsor, and Mike Wallace doesn't race in spite of doing well when he gets a chance. Milka's got a sponsor, Hideki Mutoh has a sponsor, and Alex Lloyd doesn't, so guess who's running this year?

Well, actually geek, that comment about open wheelers not doing well in NASCAR is not quite accurate. We all know about Tony Stewart; but Jeff Gordon came up in open wheel before getting a shot at NASCAR and being picked up by Hendrick. The winner of this year's Daytona 500, Ryan Newman, drove open wheel cars before his intro to NASCAR, and he's also one of the best qualifiers. Juan Pablo Montoya's resume in F1, CART, and his Indy 500 in an IRL car are well known, and he won a race in both the (now) Nationwide series and (now) Sprint Cup last year as a rookie.

[geek49203]

Well, actually geek, that comment about open wheelers not doing well in NASCAR is not quite accurate. We all know about Tony Stewart; but Jeff Gordon came up in open wheel before getting a shot at NASCAR and being picked up by Hendrick. The winner of this year's Daytona 500, Ryan Newman, drove open wheel cars before his intro to NASCAR, and he's also one of the best qualifiers. Juan Pablo Montoya's resume in F1, CART, and his Indy 500 in an IRL car are well known, and he won a race in both the (now) Nationwide series and (now) Sprint Cup last year as a rookie.

Okay, let's clarify... jeez...

Jeff Gordon was a SPRINT car driver... as in SPRINTS and MIDGETS. Front engine, rear drive, mechanical grip. Ditto with Ryan, et al. Not exactly making the transition from CART or IRL or F1 or A1GP, right?

Juan Pablo won on a road course... which also accounts for most of Robbie Gordon's better finishes. In fact, both of these guys -- gifted drivers -- prove my point that you can't just jump from "Indy" cars (better?) and go to NASCAR and win. Robbie has said on many occasions that he needed to spend his CART years in NASCAR instead in order to have a shot at being a top NASCAR driver.

If the transition from Indy or F1 cars to NASCAR provids an advantage, why is Scott Speed doing laps in the back of the ARCA field, or on the empty oval at Toledo? Did JV win his truck race? Patrick do anything?

[Chaparral66]

Okay, let's clarify... jeez...

Jeff Gordon was a SPRINT car driver... as in SPRINTS and MIDGETS. Front engine, rear drive, mechanical grip. Ditto with Ryan, et al. Not exactly making the transition from CART or IRL or F1 or A1GP, right?

Juan Pablo won on a road course... which also accounts for most of Robbie Gordon's better finishes. In fact, both of these guys -- gifted drivers -- prove my point that you can't just jump from "Indy" cars (better?) and go to NASCAR and win. Robbie has said on many occasions that he needed to spend his CART years in NASCAR instead in order to have a shot at being a top NASCAR driver.

If the transition from Indy or F1 cars to NASCAR provids an advantage, why is Scott Speed doing laps in the back of the ARCA field, or on the empty oval at Toledo? Did JV win his truck race? Patrick do anything?

You didn't say in your original post, Sprints, midgets, etc. You said open wheelers. Now, yes, those aren't the contemporary open wheeled cars we see in Champ Car and IRL machines, but you didn't specify. The whole point about Rick Hendrick recruiting Jeff Gordon from sprints was that he saw an undeniable talent and took a risk he might be able to adapt to stock cars. Same thinking went into Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Dave Blaney, with varying degrees of success. And I wasn't saying that coming to stock cars from F1 or Indy Cars was an advantage, I was suggesting that the transition from those far lighter open wheel cars might be easier to the heavier stock cars than the other way round. My thinking was that it might be easier for a former formula driver to adapt quicker to finessing a heavier stock car around a oval racetrack than for a stock car driver to get in a very light formula car and avoid wrecking because you're not used to the power to weight ratio on a roadcourse. And yet, as Patrick Carpentier proved last year in Montreal, drivers like him seem to get it better in a stock car on a roadcourse, but take a bit longer on ovals in the bigger havier cars.