Because Oreo says they're still talking.
"Is it too late? Don't know, don't care. I raced there many years ago. Is it going to bring open-wheel back to greatness in America? I really doubt it. People in America are a lot more interested in NASCAR than they are with open wheel.He's almost as excited about unification as Tony Stewart is.
"It's good for the general sport, and maybe for teams to find sponsors for that series. But all the good teams right now are in IndyCar, apart from Newman/Haas, so it isn't going to change that much." - Juan Pablo Montoya
Am I alone in thinking this point of view that the IRL is screwing USAC drivers needs to go away. Tony Stewart was whining about it, and all I've got to say is QUIT going to Napcar if you want USAC drivers in open wheel.
Well, there's some element of truth to it. Didn't Jeff Gordon try to get a ride in CART with Ganassi back when he was starting out, only to be rebuffed, or is that just a rumor? Also, the lack of rear-engine sprint cars makes it a rather big leap. Tube-frame front-engine sprint cars aren't all that different from tube-frame, front-engine stock cars, except for extra sheet metal over the wheels. I don't think that having a unified series with a solid feeder series (IPS) will make it suddenly realistic for a USAC driver to naturally go to the IRL over NASCAR. Loosening restrictions on sprint car design might help. So would bringing the Atlantic series in as a formula-style feeder, and buying or starting a sprint series that features rear-engined cars. A feeder chain with Atlantics and IRL Pro Sprint (for lack of a cooler theoretical name) at the bottom, followed by the IPS as Tiple-A (to jump to a baseball metaphor), followed by a jump to IndyCars, makes sense. You'd go from about 300hp, to 450hp, to 650hp. Even better would be if the Atlantic cars didn't have wings, a la formula fords. Then you'd have a feeder series for both sprint car folks and formula folks, neither of which had many driver aids. Then, you'd step up to a much more powerful car, with wings, that are much more like real IndyCars, and then, you'd be able to step up to an Indy ride. This is a long-winded way of saying the problem isn't drivers choosing NASCAR for money or fame. It's that the cars are more alike. Of course, if you make the 2010 or 2011 IndyCar chassis a wingless formula car ... nah, nevermind.
Once again Whine Pablum shows what a 100% genuine pr*ck he is.
Hey Juan, how much less is Ganassi paying you than Williams or McLaren? Never forget that you're an N-word driver because nobody in F1 will put up with your crap any longer, buddy. And from the looks of how everyone else left you out to dry in the 500 yesterday, it looks like the N-word regulars are pretty tired of you too.
Tabernus,
I actually forgot to bring up your points about the cars, but that doesn't necessarily negate my point. For Tony Stewart to specifically say that without USAC drivers going to the IRL it'll never be what it was intended to be, is negated by the fact that the few who do come into the IRL end up leaving...even if for legitimate reasons. I agree with his point about ride buying to an extent, BUT, it's a sad necessity for the time being. That being said--GO MUTOH!
With the state that USAC is in at this point, I find it hard to believe people can still be making this specific complaint, and even harder to believe people are still racing with USAC at all.
Curt Cavin has address this point quite well in the past months since the departure of Sam and Dario. USAC-style racing involves driver skills best matched to NASCAR than to IndyCar. The best training ground for an IndyCar ride is in the Karting circuits leading up the ladder of the various open-wheel club races and the IPS or Atlantics. Sprint Car races are fun to watch, but just because they have no fenders doesn't mean that they're similar in driving style to IndyCars.
Okay settle down for Juan Montoya to say oh I love open wheel right now is like him bending over so to speak.
He can't praise open wheel being in Nascar! With that said he wont go back to the IRL that would in some way be like failure to him! You also have to look at like this who cares? He never really gave a crap about these races that mean so much to us. He's from freakin Colombia he's not even excited about winning Monaco. Jpms my driver but I think he took the quick way out of that conversation. Tony Stewart on the other hand needs his mouth washed out with soap! That fools from Indiana, just when I start liking him a bit he open that mouth again. Prozac!
The thing with Jeff Gordon someone dropped the ball on that one. He would have been great in open wheel he loved Indy that's for sure still does. He covets his Brickyard win over his Daytona 500 win, now that's loyal :)