2022 Indycar silly season

[MonteCristo]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Meanwhile, Seabass looks like he'll only be part-time next year because of IMSA... Shame.

https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/bo ... 4RmcDpJbUI

Bourdais to race IMSA full-time, IndyCar part-time in ’22

Sebastien Bourdais is expected to be confirmed as a full-time IMSA Prototype driver for 2022, and is now seeking to fill his non-sportscar weekends racing an IndyCar for A.J. Foyt Racing-Chevrolet.

The 42-year-old Frenchman has pledged his support for Foyt’s team in 2022 – what he intends to be his final season of open-wheel racing – but it will be on a part-time basis.

The four-time Indy car [Champ Car World Series] champion is expected to be announced as a full-timer in one of the Cadillac DPi-V.Rs run by Chip Ganassi Racing, as the legendary team expands to two Prototype entries in the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, ahead of its campaigning Cadillac’s new LMDh Prototype in 2023.

[Ruslan]

If stars align, it could go up to 28-29 full time cars, plus one or two part timers at most races. Some tracks will struggle to run that many with pit boxes.

That would be nice. Would be good to see Indy Car with a healthy growing series.

[MonteCristo]

If stars align, it could go up to 28-29 full time cars, plus one or two part timers at most races. Some tracks will struggle to run that many with pit boxes.

That would be nice. Would be good to see Indy Car with a healthy growing series.

Says Pruett:

Chevy anticipates a full-season car count in the 11 to 12 range, Honda is bracing for 15 entries to power next year, and assuming those numbers hold and 26-plus cars are present at every round, the NTT IndyCar Series will have a fine problem to solve.

In 2021, IndyCar had 24 entries committed to every race, with the number swelling to 27-28 at a few rounds outside the Indy 500. If the growth trend continues as expected, some venues could have the better part of 30 cars to pack pit lane.

https://racer.com/2021/10/05/expanded-i ... g-rethink/

[Ruslan]

So 26-27 cars at every single race. That would be good. Also some of these older drivers (Hunter-Reay, Sato) are being replaced or dropped by the top teams. It is starting to turn back into a real racing series.

I mean it was getting weird for a while, with nothing but relatives, older drivers and unheard of people racing. Looking at the 2022 line up, right now according to Wikipedia we have only one relative racing (Graham Rahal and Colin Herta, who have kind of proved themselves) and the top teams are now manned with drivers who belong:

Andretti: Herta, Rossi, Grosjean
McLaren: O'Ward (don't know about Rosenqvist)
Ganassi: Dixon, Palou, Kanaan (getting pretty old), Johnson (so far very questionable)
Rahal: Rahal and two TBA spots
Penske: Newgarden, Power (don't know about McLauglin)

Five winning teams and potentially 15 winning drivers. Could be a good season.


Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Indy ... ate%202019.

[DoubleFart]

Doesn't Herta have a famous relative

[MonteCristo]

Doesn't Herta have a famous relative

Yes. His name is Conor Daly .

[Ruslan]

Doesn't Herta have a famous relative

Corrected. Still, a lot less than it used to be.

[John]

So 26-27 cars at every single race. That would be good. Also some of these older drivers (Hunter-Reay, Sato) are being replaced or dropped by the top teams. It is starting to turn back into a real racing series.

I mean it was getting weird for a while, with nothing but relatives, older drivers and unheard of people racing. Looking at the 2022 line up, right now according to Wikipedia we have only one relative racing (Graham Rahal and Colin Herta, who have kind of proved themselves) and the top teams are now manned with drivers who belong:

Andretti: Herta, Rossi, Grosjean
McLaren: O'Ward (don't know about Rosenqvist)
Ganassi: Dixon, Palou, Kanaan (getting pretty old), Johnson (so far very questionable)
Rahal: Rahal and two TBA spots
Penske: Newgarden, Power (don't know about McLauglin)

Five winning teams and potentially 15 winning drivers. Could be a good season.


Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Indy ... ate%202019.

Felix is confirmed for ASPM in 2022. I hope he finds his feet again, he showed some positive signs in the final few races. Could-a-would-a-should-a won Detroit (bar for his stuck throttle and following crash) and Texas (bar bad luck). He's better than 2021 showed but 2022 is make or break.

[MonteCristo]

Carlin's Indycar program may or may not survive to see 2022, may or may not be one or two cars: https://racer.com/2021/10/07/insight-wh ... r-program/

Meanwhile, latest on the grapevine: https://racer.com/2021/10/07/indycar-si ... october-7/

That article also mentions Carlin selling their cars, or partnering with another team. (HMD? See below)

Sato news for @Everso Biggyballies:

I’ve read elsewhere and confirmed on my own that Takuma Sato is tipped to replace Grosjean at Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing, and based on the latest intel, it sounds like a confirmation could be imminent. If it doesn’t come together at this stage, it will be a surprise.

And HMD Motorsports from Indy Lights is sniffing around for a way to get David Malukas into the series.

Meanwhile, "Lundgaard is an inevitability at RLL" in the third car.

And here's today's lulz:

Here’s a fun one to close: The first outing for Stefan Wilson and Cusick Motorsports went so well in May at the Indy 500 with the No. 25 Andretti Autosport Honda entry, Wilson and Don Cusick have been actively exploring how they might return with either a part- or full-time program for the Briton. Finding the right team with an available entry is said to be the main obstacle to overcome, and if an existing team fails to welcome Wilson and Cusick into the family, could the duo turn Cusick Motorsports into a standalone team in the next year or two? Watch this space.

[Vassago]

Carlin was basically funded by Chilton's money for a while already anyway? It seems like old man Trevor is basically renting his name for ride buyers and Malukas could be the next one to step in?

[MonteCristo]

Carlin was basically funded by Chilton's money for a while already anyway? It seems like old man Trevor is basically renting his name for ride buyers and Malukas could be the next one to step in?

Would be great if Malukas could offer a couple years of stability with funding for a second car.

A month or two ago Chilton seemed to suggest he'd be happy to stay with Carlin if there was a second car to help with setups. As it was with reduced track time and one car, they were pretty screwed if they didn't have it perfect straight away, so I can understand where he's coming from.

Bourdais was complaining about the reduced track time and lack of options to test setups once the weekend was underway, and that was in a two car team (albeit with Kellett as a teammate).

[MonteCristo]

Stop the presses!

Harvey to Rahal.

Wait, that's not news?

https://racer.com/2021/10/11/rll-confir ... -campaign/

[Everso Biggyballies]

Stop the presses!

Harvey to Rahal.

Wait, that's not news?

https://racer.com/2021/10/11/rll-confir ... -campaign/

Im feeling pedantic.... the confirmation by the team of same is news. The world knew it was happening, just the team forgot to (officially) tell us until now

[MonteCristo]

Hulk to test for McLaren at Barber:

https://www.speedcafe.com/2021/10/20/hu ... claren-sp/

[Vassago]

Christian Lundgaard will be Sato's replacement in the #30 RLL.

https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news ... t/6692961/

[MonteCristo]

Bourdais doing IMSA full time but still hopes to do some Indycar next year:

https://racer.com/2021/10/20/no-goodbye ... imsa-deal/

There are five date conflicts between IMSA and IndyCar in 2022, with Sebring/Texas in March, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca/Barber and Mid-Ohio/Indy Grand Prix in May, Canadian Tire Motorsports Park/Mid-Ohio in June, and Road America/Nashville in August.

If Bourdais is able to return, he’d be available for 12 of the 17 IndyCar rounds. After finishing on a high by driving from 22nd to eighth at the IndyCar season finale in Long Beach, there’s a strong desire to keep the momentum going with the No. 14 Chevy.