Now, here at Scoring Indy, I like to do things a little differently. So, instead of looking at the 2013 Silly Season, this week I'll be projecting the 2018 IndyCar field; we'll call it Super-Silly Season.
A couple of notes, before we dive into this:
1) Yeah, I get it, some of this is probably wishful thinking. (But, I want to contend that what I'm making are reasonable suggestions.)
2) I'm totally guessing on car count. (Also what numbers those cars will run.)
3) I've limited myself to (mostly) the Road to Indy ladder system. This is due two two factors. First, I believe in Dan Andersen and his vision of the ladder. Second, I'm just not that familiar with the European feeder series. Besides, the Road to Indy has seen most of the new entries into the IndyCar Series recently. Ok. Onward!
IndyCar 2018
A.J. Foyt Enterprises
14 -- Connor Daly
41 -- Sage Karam
-- First team, first reach on car count. But, you tell me that this isn't the sort of team the Foyt would like to run. He's already run Connor Daly in the 500, and Karam is in the same mold: young, American, fast (especially on ovals.)
-- Now, if Foyt is only a one-car team in 2018, which it well may be, my money's on Karam for the spot, just because I'm not convinced that Daly won't still be running road courses in Europe.
Andretti Autosport
25 -- Marco Andretti
26 -- Carlos Munoz
27 -- Matthew Brabham
28 -- Ryan Hunter-Reay
-- This might be (by 2018) Andretti's best team since Franchitti, Wheldon, Herta, and Kanaan in 2005. I wouldn't be surprised if there are two series champions (RHR and Marco) and two rookies of the year (Munoz and Brabham) in this foursome when they line them up in five years.
-- This lineup is a testament to Andretti's involvement in all levels of the ladder system. This allows Michael Andretti and company to nurture young talents like Munoz and Brabham, knowing that they'll have a home when they're ready to drive the big cars. I'd like to see more teams do this. Hopefully Dan Andersen makes the case to them effectively.
Barracuda Racing
98 -- Luca Filippi
-- I like what Filippi has shown me this year. Barracuda (especially Bryan Herta) has shown a willingness to stick by drivers, and I think they've got their guy of the future in Filippi. I believe this car (with the right driver/team chemistry) can be a podium contender. And, with The Gallant Fox out of the series by 2018, I need another ridiculously Italian name to cheer for (apart from the Andrettis).
Chip Ganassi Racing
8 -- Simon Pagenaud
9 -- Scott Dixon
10 -- James Hinchcliffe
83 -- Charlie Kimball
-- I'm bundling the two Ganassi teams together into one four-car monstrosity here. I think that's the direction that the program is going.
-- Now this is an interesting lineup. I'm going to take them one by one:
-- Pagenaud: I struggled with where to put Simon. I think in drafts 1-7 of this list he was driving Penske's #2 car. So why now is he in Ganassi's #8? Simple, his association with Honda. Simon Pagenaud, more than any other Honda driver in the IndyCar series right now, seems to be a company guy. He drove a Honda mini-van at Pikes Peak for goodness sake! I think that Pagenaud is in line for a top tier ride in the near future, and this is the only one in a Honda.
-- Dixon: Dixon is Ganassi's guy. I fully expect him to be a two-time series champion by 2018. He's not going anywhere. I would, however, have said similar things about Juan Montoya not too long ago.
-- Hinchcliffe: I think the Mayor of Hinchtown is likely to be in one of Ganassi's cars as soon as 2014. And, if I'm right about that, I think that he'll also step right into the #10 vacated when Dario Franchitti rides off into the sunset.
-- Kimball: I think Charlie sticks around. Ganassi seems suitably impressed with his progress. In fact, as I've said before, I believe that Kimball's success this year is the reason that Ganassi's fourth (as of yet hypothetical car) is an attractive option for such drivers as James Hinchcliffe for 2014.
Dale Coyne Racing
18 -- Zach Veach
19 -- Pippa Mann
-- Coyne's rides (especially the second one) tend to go to whatever driver can show up with a check. There's nothing wrong with this. It gets drivers into the series, and (if we recall from the "Team RSWC" post that I did a while pack) it's worked out just fine for Dale this year.
-- With that said, I've rolled the dice and given these two seats to a couple masters of self-promotion. Zach Veach has basically privateered his way to an Indy Lights ride, and I expect him to be able to do the same in an Indy Car. Pippa Mann is magnetic to fans, and seems to be similarly so to her primary sponsor: Cyclops Gear. It might be wishful thinking, but for now, we'll pencil these two in.
-- With that said, I've rolled the dice and given these two seats to a couple masters of self-promotion. Zach Veach has basically privateered his way to an Indy Lights ride, and I expect him to be able to do the same in an Indy Car. Pippa Mann is magnetic to fans, and seems to be similarly so to her primary sponsor: Cyclops Gear. It might be wishful thinking, but for now, we'll pencil these two in.
Dragon Racing
6 -- Gaby Chaves
7 -- Diego Ferreira
-- I won't lie. Chaves and Ferreira are basically placeholders here. Jay Penske's team could certainly do worse than these two. Chaves has been overshadowed a little in Lights this year by fellow Columbian Carlos Munoz, but he does have a win at Mid-Ohio. Ferreira, also, has gotten a little lost in the shuffle with Matthew Brabham dominating Pro Mazda, but he has talent and to spare.
-- I won't lie. Chaves and Ferreira are basically placeholders here. Jay Penske's team could certainly do worse than these two. Chaves has been overshadowed a little in Lights this year by fellow Columbian Carlos Munoz, but he does have a win at Mid-Ohio. Ferreira, also, has gotten a little lost in the shuffle with Matthew Brabham dominating Pro Mazda, but he has talent and to spare.
Ed Carpenter Racing
20 -- Ed Carpenter / Mike Conway
40 -- Peter Dempsey
-- I'm excited for Ed Carpenter's inevitable transition from driver/owner to full time owner. I realize that sounds a little anti-Ed, which I'm not (by a long road). What I'm shooting at here, is to say that Carpenter strikes me as the right kind of team owner. Anyway, as Carpenter transitions, I foresee a time where he does the often-suggested twisty/oval split. And, who better to split that time with than Mike Conway: Destroyer of Worlds? I can also foresee Ed adding a second car, when he has time to do more business-related things, rather than race prep. I think Dempsey is an excellent choice for that spot, as by 2018 he may well be a seasoned IndyCar vet...
KV Racing Technology
78 -- Simona de Silvestro
-- I'm not sure that KV is the right team here. But, I fully expect for the Swiss Missile to still be driving Indy Cars in 2018, and I guess that it will be on a one-car team.
Panther Racing
4 -- Ryan Briscoe
-- I think Panther has got their man in Briscoe. I think he'll win races there. I think he'll retire there. I think 2018 will be a competitive year for the Panther/Briscoe combination: maybe even with them making a run at the 500.
Dryer & Reinbold Racing
22 -- JR Hildebrand
-- This is hopeful on a couple of counts. First, I'm hopeful that we see DRR back in the series in the near future. Second, I'm hopeful that JR Hildebrand gets himself back behind the wheel of an Indy Car. However, I could only conceive of this combo as being competitive at best...
Rahal Letterman Lannigan Racing
15 -- Graham Rahal
16 -- James Jakes
-- I would like to see the Rahal/Jakes combo stick together. I've seen flashes of good from both drivers this year, and I think they could really build something if they stuck it out together. I'm not sure how likely this scenario is going forward. Maybe, we'd see Jakes coming BACK to RLL by 2018, but someone like Hawksworth or Dempsey might be more likely.
-- Side note, I don't think you'll keep Graham Rahal down. He's not had a good year at places that aren't Iowa or Long Beach. I think continuity will do wonders for him, and there's no one more invested in Graham's success than his father, Bobby Rahal.
Sarah
Fisher Hartman Racing
67 -- Shelby Blackstock
-- Blackstock has been a little outshone by his Andretti Autosport teammate in Pro Mazda: Matthew Brabham, this year. In fairness to Blackstock, however, so has the entire Pro Mazda field. I think that after Brabham gets promoted out of the way, we'll see Blackstock's ability shine. And, Sarah Fisher has never been shy about taking a talented young American. It's worked out well so far with Newgarden.
Schmidt/Peterson/Hamilton Motorsports
55 -- Tristan Vautier
77 -- Jack Hawksworth
-- I think Schmidt is a good long-term home for Vautier. I've seen impressive moments from him this year, but nothing earth-shattering. He could really grow into his seat at this team (especially if Pagenaud gets a bigger, better offer). Pairing him with British road course ace, Jack Hawksworth seems like a no-brainer. The timing, however, might not be there for it. Hawksworth just tested with Rahal Letterman Lannigan, and if he gets a foot in elsewhere, it might be difficult to lure him back to the Schmidt team.
Team Penske
2 -- Josef Newgarden
3 -- James Davison
12 -- Will Power-- Our final team is also deserving of a driver-by-driver breakdown. So, here goes:
-- Newgarden: I think Newgarden deserves a top-tier ride, and this is the only one that I see opening up. Andretti has too much talent in it's ladder system. Ganassi (hypothetically) has Pagenaud. I think that the Captain can recognize talent, and I think Newgarden has it. The issue with this is (as it always is with Penske's third car) that of funding. I'm not sure that Newgarden has a lot of funding attached to him, but I think Roger Penske could sell Josef as a sponsor-target if he needed to.
-- Davison: Now, this may be controversial, but hear me out. I fully expect Davison to be driving Indy Cars full time soon. I imagine that Davison's rise to respectability will coincide with Helio Castroneves' retirement. This opens up the seat in Penske's #3 car. Davison and Will Power already have a good working relationship and I think that they would make excellent teammates.
-- Power: Penske's rock stays right were he is. I expect that Will will have won a series championship by 2018 (reversing his interminably run of close-but-no-cigar as well as plain horrible luck), and might just be chasing down Dixon, who will (by then) be the active leader in race wins.
Stay Tuned
Take a look at that field. Tell me that you wouldn't tune in week after week to see those drivers race. Tell me that you wouldn't be able to sell that series. I look into the future, and it looks like this: that's why I'm optimistic about IndyCar.
Not sure what next week will bring yet, maybe there will be some schedule news to digest!
Later!
-- Guido
No comments:
Post a Comment