Last updated March 15, 2004
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Welcome to the IRL Silly Season information and rumors page. Keep in mind as you read these the definition of the word "rumor": it is quite possible that some info that you see here today may turn out to be false tomorrow. All infomation here concerns the professional and career activities of IRL principals and participants; I do not publish rumors (even if confirmed) about anyone's personal life. I welcome tips and pointers to information, but I reserve the right to withhold any information if I think it is inaccurate or inapprorpiate. When I rely on a published report (which is more often than not the case), I will usually try to cite the source and the date.
How this page is organized: There are four sections for the different rumor subjects: teams, equipment makers, IRL rules areas, and tracks. Within each section, entries are in alphabetical order. Each entry is a single HTML paragraph. Each entry is marked with the last date it was updated (dates are in American month/date format; apologies to our European friends). Do a " find in page" and search for the double asterisk (**) to find the entries that have been updated the most recently.
LEAGUE SPONSORSHIP [2/24]: TAG Heuer, the German timepiece maker, announced on February 23 that they will become the official supplier of timekeeping for the IRL this year. The company's press release states that they will install timekeeping equipment with precision down to 1/10,000 second (0.01 ms if you wish), the first racing series to be timed to this level of precision. Additionally, Menard's assumes title sponsorship of the IPS series this year, alongside Infiniti which remains as the series' official engine supplier.
Each team entry gives the team name in ALL CAPS, and lists at a minimum the driver and primary sponsor. All current and rumored IRL teams are listed even if there have been no changes to that team recently. (Also listed in this section are notable unsigned drivers, under their own names in place of a team name.) The listing now includes Infiniti Pro Series teams and drivers! Since some teams field cars in both series; I have not separated them into separate sections; they are all listed together alphabetically. If you are looking for info on a specific driver and don't know which team he/she drives for, use your browser's Find function to search for the last name. (Note that a driver who has been the subject of rumors may be mentioned in several places; I usually try to cross-reference these but I don't always catch them all.) For teams competing in the Indycar series, each team entry has, at the end of the paragraph, some strong text that lists the team's current equipment choices. (This info does not appear for the IPS teams, since by rule they all use the same equipment, a Dallara with an Infiniti engine and Firestone tires.) Chassis, engines, and tires is in the standard C/E/T format. Also given is the engine shop that the team uses to build up and tune its engines. Note that teams sometimes change engine builders without public notice, and so I cannot guarantee that this information is current.
**ACCESS MOTORSPORTS [3/10]: Greg Ray returns for his second season as an Indycar owner/driver. On March 6, the team accounced that team engineer Jeff Britton has been released from his contract so that he can take a position with Mo Nunn. On March 10 the team announced the hiring of engineer Mike Colliver, formerly of the Kelley team. G/H/F, engine builder: Ilmor
ANDRETTI-GREEN RACING [2/24]: Incredibly, this team will run four full-time entries in 2004. Tony Kanaan, Bryan Herta, and Dan Wheldon all return to the team, as does Dario Franchetti who missed most of last season due to injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident. Sponsors go like this: Kanaan, 7-11; Wheldon, Klein Tools and Jim Beam; Franchetti, Archipelago Exchange (ArcaEx); and strong rumor has it that Herta will be sponsored by XM Radio. D/H/F, engine builder: HPD
BEARDSLEY MOTORSPORTS [ ]: This is the MIPS team of owner/driver Matt Beardsley, returning for his third year of MIPS competition No recent news.
**BECK MOTORSPORTS [3/12]: Working on an Indycar deal, right now concentrating on a deal for the 500. TSO quotes the Indy Star as saying that Beck has a committment from Chevy for engines. ?/C/F, engine builder: Cosworth
BRADLEY MOTORSPORTS [2/24]: This long-time IRL team did not compete in 2003. There are some rumors about them forming a partnership with the Lazier family to field a car for either Buddy or Jaques, but other reports are conflicting with that.
CHEEVER INDY RACING [2/24]: This is the team of owner/sometime driver Eddie Cheever, with major sponsorship from the Red Bull energy drink brand. The team competed last year with Buddy Rice, but Rice left at the end of the year. (His current gig is as substitute driver at Rahal.) For 2004, the team returns with two entries and two new drivers: Alex Barron (seen most recently as the injury substitute for Dario Franchetti at Andretti-Green last year) takes over the Rice seat. The second entry will have rookie Ed Carpenter, recently graduated from the IPS series. There are rumors of a third entry at Indy with Cheever himself up. D/C/F, engine builder: Cosworth
CONQUEST RACING [2/24]: This former Indycar team has decided to go to the OWRS series this year.
DREYER & REINBOLD RACING [2/24]: This is the team owned by the Indianapolis duo which owns a chain of car dealerships in the area, with driver Robbie Buhl as a partner. Purex/Dial is entering its fifth year as the team's primary sponsor for driver Robbie Buhl. The team, which has been a G-Force customer since its inception, switches to Dallara this year. The team will apparently not field a second car this year, and driver Sarah Fisher has signed a contingency deal with Kelley. D/C/F, engine builder: Cosworth
DUESENBERG RACING [2/24]: The team returns to the MIPS series this year with a new driver, Phil Giebler (whose background is in European formula racing). Western Union returns as the primary sponsor. No word on the destination of last year's driver, Jeff Simmons.
**FERNANDEZ (SUPER AGURI) RACING [3/11]: This team, owned by former CART driver Adrian Fernandez, is fielding an entry for rookie Kosuke Matsuura, with sponsorship from Panasonic. A surprise announcement: On March 11, the tean announced that, beginning with Phoenix, it will campaign a second car for the remainder of the season, with Fernandez himself as driver. That car will have primary sponsorship from Tecate and Quaker State. G/H/F, engine builder: Ilmor
A. J. FOYT ENTERPRISES [2/24]: The team returns with a one-car entry for Anthony Foyt, entering his second year of Indycar competition. It is unclear who will sponsor. (Noteworthy is that the team's NASCAR Cup team is running unsponsored this year.) D/C/F, engine builder: Cosworth
GANASSI RACING [2/24]: The team will field two cars in 2004, both with long-time team sponsor Target on the sidepods. Defending Indycar champion Scott Dixon returns in one seat, but the team's other 2003 driver, Tomas Scheckter, has been released. Tony Renna was to have filled that seat before his tragic death in a testing crash after the end of the 2003 season. To replace him, the team has signed on former F1 British-American Racing test driver Darren Manning. G/T/F, engine builder: TRD
GENOA RACING [2/24]: The team is set to return to the MIPS series, but the driver is TBD at the moment. Last year's driver Thiago Medeiros has departed for the Sam Schmidt team.
**ROBBY GORDON [3/9]: The versatile Gordon announced his plans for Indy on March 9. He will be running Indy with an entry under his own name, and sponsorship from Meijer. Equipment will be as shown below. Thomas Knapp has signed on as the team engineer. In an interview for the IRL Web site, Gordon stated that he had tried to purchase Team Menard over the winter before that team merged with Panther, and that he has some interest in running a full-time IRL team and might enter the car, with another driver, in races after Indy. D/C/F, engine builder: Cosworth
KENN HARDLEY RACING [2/24]: This MIPS team has hired on for the season driver Brad Pollard, who drove two races for them last year. Pollard is a former SCCA Mazda champion and a second cousin of the late Indycar driver Art Pollard. The team has sponsorship from Microsoft's XBOX, and the organization has the services of many of Dave Conti's associates including chief mechanic Steve Fried and team manager Mark Olson, plus Conti himself.
HEMELGARN JOHNSON RACING [2/24]: According to the MIPS series website, this team will return in 2004 with two MIPS entries. However, apparently both of the drivers that the team has employed for the last two seasons, those being Aaron Fike and Cory Witherill, are out. Former Indy Lights and USF2000 driver (and St. Louis homeboy) Paul Dana takes over one seat. The driver of the second car is TBD at the moment. There are some rumors about the team trying to put together an Indycar deal, but nothing firm. However, it does appear that long-time driver Buddy Lazier has left the team for good. Lazier is said to be working on putting his own deal together.
**KELLEY RACING [3/10]: After running as a two-car team for a number of years, this team has apparently cut back to one full-time entry for 2004. Scott Sharp, who has been with the team since 1998, returns for his seventh year. Sponsor Delphi will also be back on Sharp's sidepods. On February 15, the team announced that it has signed Sarah Fisher (recently of D&R) to run a second car at Indy, with Bryant sponsorship, and a contingency deal is in place to enter Fisher at other races after Indy if enough sponsorship can be arranged. TAG Heuer stated in a February 23 press release that they will continue to back Fisher this year, but it's not known what that actually amounts to. One person who won't be working with Fisher is engineer Mike Colliver, who worked with the Al Unser car last year; on March 10 Colliver was announced as the new engineer at Access. D/T/F, engine builder: TRD
TEAM MENARD [2/24]: This was the team owned by long-time Indy enthusiast John Menard, who also owns the chain of Menard's stores in the Midwest. The team shut down at the end of the 2003 season. The assets were sold to Panther Racing, which will use them to field a second car in 2004. Driver Vitor Meira remains unsigned.
MO NUNN RACING [3/6]: The team starts the year with a one-car entry. Tora Tagaki returns along with primary sponsor Pioneer. The team has lost the Hollywood sponsorship and with that went driver Felipe Giaffone. There are rumors that the team has been talking with Jaques Lazier about a possible second entry at Indy and possible other races later in the season. Although the Nunn team has not confirmed it yet, according to a press release from the Access team as of March 6, their former engineer Jeff Britton has left that team and will be joining the Nunn team. D/T/F, engine builder: TRD
**PANTHER RACING [3/12]: This is the team formed of John Barnes, Terry Lingner, and several other partners. Sam Hornish, the team's championship-winning driver, has signed with Penske. The team will start anew in 2004 and for the first time will field two full-time entries. IRL bad boy Tomas Scheckter comes over from the Ganassi team to fill Hornish's seat, and 2003 MIPS series champion driver Mark Taylor will pilot the second entry. Pennzoil remains with the team on Scheckter's sidepods, and Taylor's entry will have Menard's and Johns-Manville as primary sponsors. According to a TSO story of March 12, currently-unemployed IRL driver Robby McGehee has been hired to act as spotter and driver coach for Taylor. McGehee is quoted as saying that he is still pursuing a ride for himself. D/C/F, engine builder: Speedway
PATRICK RACING [2/27]: We've been here before, but there are once again rumors of Pat Patrick's team joining the IRL. The team is, according to Rev, definitely out of OWRS this year. Rumor had it that the team would field an entry for Al Unser Jr. (recently departed from Kelley), but several media reports as of February 27 stated that the deal had fell through.
PDM RACING [2/24]: They are trying to put together a deal to run former F3000 driver Ben Collins. No concrete news yet.
PENSKE MOTORSPORTS [2/24]: The team returns with a two-car entry for 2004, and Helio Castroneves retains his seat in one of the entries. In the other, Sam Hornish comes over from the Panther team to replace Indy 500 winner Gil de Ferran, who retired at the end of the 2003 season. Marlboro's colors remain on the sidepods and in the team's official name. D/T/F, engine builder: in house
**GARY PETERSON [3/9]: This MIPS team owner was not at the Miami race, but he announced March 9 that he plans to file a MIPS entry with himself as the driver for Phoenix. Presumably sponsorship will be from American Fire Systems, the company that Peterson owns. He stated in the March 9 teleconference that he is near to landing sponsorship for a second car; no hints as to who the driver might be.
TEAM RAHAL [2/24]: Returns with one full time entry for 2004. The team retains the services of driver Kenny Brack, but he is still recovering from the injuries that he received at the season-ending race at Texas last year. Until he is ready (they appear to be targeting Indy) the seat will be filled by Buddy Rice, who has left the Cheever team. There is a possibility of the team fielding a second entry at Indy and Motegi for Roger Yasakawa. Pioneer and Argent Mortgage are the sponsors listed on the Miami entry form. G/H/F, engine builder: Ilmor
**ROTH RACING [3/15]: Roth has purchased the MIPS assets of Panther Racing, and he will be competing in the MIPS series as an owner/driver in 2004. In a quite surprising move, the team announced March 15 that it has filed an entry for the Indy 500, with Roth himself driving and Butch Winkle as the chief mechanic. Equipment filed with the entry is as shown below; it is unknown if the team has actually acquired this equipment yet. Roth has not yet competed in an Indycar-level event and so is subject to the ROP. If he succeeds in making the field, Roth will become the first driver to compete in both the 500 and the MIPS Indy 100 at IMS in the same year. D/T/F, engine builder: TRD
SAM SCHMIDT RACING [2/24]: This is the team of former IRL driver Sam Schmidt. The team is fielding two entries in the MIPS series this year, with Thiago Medeiros (most recently of Genoa Racing) and Arie Luyendyk Jr. up. Sponsorship isn't known yet. The team has not announced any plans to participate in the Indycar series, although they still have equipment and may turn up with some one-race deals.
BRIAN STEWART RACING [2/24]: This MIPS team returns with a two-car entry this year. One entry is piloted by former British Formula 3 driver Jesse Mason, with sponsorship from Segway. The team had originally announced former Indycar driver Jon Herb as the driver of the second car, but at Homestead the team made a last-minute change back to last year's driver, Tony Turco. The team's other driver from last year, Marty Roth, has started his own team.
WALKER RACING [ ]: Rumors about owner Derrick Walker returning to Indycar racing, but no news.
OTHER RUMORED TEAMS [ ]: No recent news.
OTHER DRIVERS SEEKING IRL RIDES [2/24]: Mike King reported on February 20 that Robby McGehee is in the process of getting some backing lined up; he may have a ride starting at Indy for the remainder of the season. It's not known for which team McGehee might be driving.
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DALLARA [2/24]: The team is offering an alternate nose which is somewhat more wedged-shaped and less pointy; this apparently is designed to work with the new reduced-downforce rules. Penske tried it at Phoenix, but were said to not be very happy with the results.
FALCON [ ]: This builder announced a new Indycar chassis design with much fanfare in 2003. However, they received no orders, and they are not currently offering a 2004-spec car. The organization is still in business, and they do seem to be keeping track of what is happening in the IRL.
G-FORCE [2/24]: They are rumored to be working on an alternate airscoop design for a bit less drag. This is mainly a concern for Motegi; however, the Panoz designers may be thinking about what happens if the IRL decides to retain the modified airscoops for the entire season. The "bat wing" front wing end plates that Ganassi had at Test in the West are available to teams now, but they are smaller and somewhat from what was seen in Phoenix. The story reported by ESPN during the Homestead broadcast was that G-Force and the IRL had had a disagreement on interpretation of the rules governing the wing end plates, and that the pieces available now are the result of a compromise.
CHEVROLET [ ]: No recent news.
HONDA [ ]: No recent news.
TOYOTA [ ]: No recent news.
FIRESTONE [ ]: No recent news.
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CHASSIS [2/24]: As everyone knows, new rules are in place for 2004 to reduce speeds, in the wake of the airborne-car incidents from last year (including Tony Renna's fatal crash in a test at Indy last fall). The rules are trying to do two things: reduce cornering speeds by reducing downforce, and reduce engine power by allowing less air to the engine. As a result, the chassis builders have been required to develop new nose and front wing assemblies which produce less downforce at the front, and airboxes with outlets at the rear to let some of the air escape. In addition, at all tracks classified by the IRL as superspeedways (greater than one mile in length), a mandatory Gurney (wickerbill) with a vertical piece for increased drag will be required on the rear wing; changing this Gurney out during the race will be prohibited. Also, fuel cell capacity has been decreased from 35 gallons (about 130 liters) to 30 gallons (about 110 liters). The modified airscoops are, officially, going to be retired before Indy (when new engine rules go into effect), but The Underground speculates that if the predictions of little to no decrease in speeds from the new engine rules come true, the leaky airscoops may remain in place for the year.
ENGINES [3/3]: After Tony Renna's fatal accident, the IRL decided to decrease engine displacement from the current 3.5 liters to 3 liters beginning with Indy. The engine suppliers are all scrambling to catch up, and there are rumors that shortages will occur at Indy (a race where, historically, teams go through a lot of engines and parts). However, the three engine makes all deny that there will be a problem with supplies. Some insiders are predicting that the reduced displacement will not make a lot of difference, as engine makers will up compression to try to make up the difference. This could, however, result in a lot of engine failures at Indy while the bugs are worked out. To clarify a point of confusion, there will not be a rev limit increase to offset the displacement decrease; the rev limit will remain at 10,300 for the rest of the year at least. On February 23, Tony George, while appearing on Dave Despain's "Wind Tunnel" program, made some remarks implying that the IRL is unhappy with the current engine availability situation, and that they feel that the engine suppliers are not obeying the spirit of the rule that requires all engines to be available for purchase by teams. Look for some (very quietly taken) possible action in this area after Indy.
TIRES [ ]: No recent news.
QUALIFICATION AND RACE RULES [2/24]: Some tweaking has taken place with the points system. Starting in 2004, the 19th through 24th finishers will all receive 12 points (previously, points for these positions ramped down from 11 to 6), and all finishers 25th and below will receive 10 points (previously, 25th was worth 5 points, ramping down to 1 point for 29th and below). The stated objective is to discourage teams from repairing crashed cars and sending them back out, many laps down, to run for points; the Underground thinks another aim is to encourage participation by awarding more points for starting the race, in effect. Also, the most-laps-led bonus will increase from one point to 3 points.
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Those marked with an at-sign ('@') are definitely on the IRL schedule for 2001. For other tracks, the tag at the end gives the probability of that track being scheduled in 2002 (the 2001 schedule is set). New feature: Tracks marked with a '+' sign will host an IRIPS race. Abbreviations for the most common track owning companies:
BIRMINGHAM {Skip Barber / Don Naman} [2/24]: Could this newly-built Alabama road course be in line for one of the IRL's road course dates in 2005? Some knowledgeable observers claim the track would need safety upgrades; yet, it is already in use in its current form for AMLS events. Working against this venue is the fact that it is only 3-1/2 hours from Nashville, an existing IRL venue, and races would have to be scheduled to avoid conflict with NASCAR events at nearby Talledega. 2004 race: no, 2005 race: possible.
CHICAGOLAND{RA}@ [ ]: On the schedule since 2001. No recent news. 2004 race: yes.
CONNETICUT {Arganese Properties} [2/24]: Here we go again... A developer named Gene Arganese in Trumbull, CT is proposing to build an indoor race track. Arganese wants to go even farther than the previous unsuccessful proposal by Brant Motorsports, by building a retractable-roof dome and a track with seating for 140,000. The developer has purchased over 400 acres in Connecticut for the site, but according to Jayski, the local opposition is substantial. 2004 race: no, 2005 race: doubtful
DAYTONA{ISC} [ ]: NASCAR has, for reasons unknown, been postponing the re-paving of of Daytona (and Talledega) which is going to become an urgent matter in the next few years. Special equipment will have to be designed and built to accomplish this, the original paving equipment having long ago been scrapped. Until then, an Indycar race is not feasible due to the track's roughness. 2004 race: no.
ELKHART LAKE {} [2/24]: This purpose-built road course could be in line for one of the IRL's road course dates in 2004. The track has long been a fixture on the CART circuit, although parts of it are narrow by today's standards. 2004 race: no, 2005 race: possible.
**FONTANA{ISC}@ [3/12]: For 2004, this race slides back a bit further in the schedule, to the first weekned of October. Toyota returns as the title sponsor. As of March 2, the track is preparing to installl SAFER barriers; it will be complete by the time of the IRL race. The SAFER will be installed on the outside wall in all four corners, and on the inside wall exiting turn 2 (the place where Greg Moore had his fatal crash several years ago). The week of March 13, the track is serving as the testing and preparation site for a completely different kind of race: the DARPA Grand Challenge race for unmanned autonomous vehicles. Several of the Underground's acquaintances are participating in this event, which is why it merits a mention (hi, Bob R.!). 2004 race: yes.
INDIANAPOLIS{IMS}@ [ ]: On the Indycar schedule since 1996. No recent news. 2004 race: yes.
INDIANAPOLIS RACEWAY PARK [2/24]:
IOWA {U.S. Motorsports} [3/3]: This is a short track being built near Newton, Iowa. The track is planned to be a 7/8-mile (about 1.4 km) oval with 16-degree banking, and is being designed by NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace. It isn't clear what races the track wants to attract. Recent history is that most new tracks are built expecting to get a NASCAR Cup date, and often the financing is predicated on that. However, the backers of this track must know that realistically they have little chance of landing a Cup date. Presumably they will go after NASCAR Busch, truck, or ASA dates; no word on whether an IRL date might be on their wish list.
KANSAS CITY{ISC}@ [2/24]: This track gets a July 4 date this year. No recent news. 2004 race: yes.
KENTUCKY{Jerry Carroll}@ [2/24]: This track in northern Kentucky near Cincinnati, hosted its first Indycar event in 2000. The track announced last December that Belterra Resorts has signed a contract extension to continue sponsoring this race through 2006. 2004 race: yes.
LAGUNA SECA {} [2/24]: This road course, long a fixture on the CART schedule, could be in line for an IRL road race in 2005. 2004 race: no, 2005 race: possible.
LONG BEACH {DDE} [2/25]: This venerable street-circuit venue apparently is not going to renew its long-time agreement with OWRS (former CART) after this year. There has been talk of an IRL race here, although there is much resistance both in the garage area and among the fans (and the Underground) to street circuits. 2004 race: no, 2005 race: possible.
MEXICO CITY {} [2/25]: This street circuit could be in line for an IRL road course date starting in 2005, as the IRL wouldn't mind having a race in Mexico. An oval would be preferred, but currently no suitable oval exists in Mexico. 2004 race: no, 2005 race: possible.
MIAMI/HOMESTEAD{ISC}@ [2/24]: This track, previously the flattest track that the IRL raced on, was rebuilt over the winter. The turns have been rebuilt with higher banking, and the entire track re-paved. This will become the first track the IRL has raced on with a radiused surface in the turns; the banking varies from 18 degrees at the apron edge to 20 degrees at the wall. SAFER barriers have been installed also. During the Miami open test, top speeds in the 218 range were recorded; the previous track record was 203.560 MPH, set by Tony Kanaan last year. 2004 race: yes.
MICHIGAN{ISC}@ [ ]: This historic track remains on the schedule as a 400-mile race this year. No recent rumors on if or when this might become a 500-miler. 2004 race: yes.
MILWAUKEE {Wisconsin State Fair Board}@ [2/24]: With the Carl Haas lease finally having expired, the Milwaukee Mile joins the IRL schedule for the 2004 season. The race will be a 225-lap race on this one-mile, low-banked oval. The date is the week after Nashville, placing it in the middle of a three-week sequence ending with the Michigan event. Info on sponsorship and detailed schedules are still TBD; the race will be a day race. 2004 race : yes.
MOTEGI TWIN RING{Honda}@ [2/24]: This track, currently the IRL's only venue outside the United States, hosts its second IRL event this year. Note that the given date of April 17 is local to the Japan time zone, and that the live broadcast will actually be Friday night in the USA. As was the case last year, the MIPS series will be off this weekend, making Motegi the only venue other than IMS which will not be hosting both series this year. The title sponsor is once again Bridgestone, although for some reason the IRL Web site doesn't say so. 2004 race: yes (Indycar only).
NASHVILLE{DDE}@ [3/3]: Back for its fourth year on the IRL schedule, and Firestone returns as the title sponsor. The Underground is a bit late getting this in, but the track has made a unique deal with racing artist Sam Bass and the Gibson guitar company to award a Bass-customized Gibson Les Paul guitar as a trophy for all of the track's major races, presumably including the IRL race. The Underground is working diligently to ascertain which IRL drivers can play guitar; so far, only Kenny Brack has been identified as a virtuoso. (The Underground's proprietor generously offers his services as a bass player to any driver looking for a jam session.) 2004 race: yes.
NAZARETH{ISC}@ [2/24]: The schedule shuffle that was speculated on last year finally occurs this year; Nazareth escapes the April cold and moves to a much more hospitable date in late August, the date formerly occupied by Gateway. 2004 race: yes.
PHOENIX{ISC}@ [2/24]: On the IRL schedule since 1996. The IRL race is, once again this year, the capper event for the Copper World Classic. The track installed SAFER barriers on the outside walls in all of the corners over the winter, becoming the fourth IRL venue to have the SAFER system; the system was in place for Test in the West in February. 2004 race: yes.
PIKES PEAK{PPIR Inc.}@ [2/24]: Returns to the schedule for its eighth year as an IRL venue. Honda will again be the title sponsor this year. 2004 race: yes.
RICHMOND{ISC}@ [3/3]: The IRL's shortest track confirmed on March 2 that SunTrust will remain as title sponsor. SunTrust has sponsored every IRL event at Richmond since the track joined the circuit in 2001. 2004 race: yes.
ST. LOUIS/GATEWAY{DDE} [2/24]: After three years of hosting an IRL event, this track has been dropped from the 2004 schedule. No one really seems to know why, but the Underground's take is that it was the result of deferred maintenance, aggravated by the fact that the track's original construction was shoddy. (Current management has done a pretty good job of overcoming this, but the track's maintenance problems are unusually severe for a venue of such recent vintage.) Brinkmanship contract negotiations may also have been a factor. 2004 race: no.
TEXAS{SMI}@ [9/13]: Once again, TMS has the race after Indy and the season's capper, the latter of which has been moved a few weeks later into mid-October to accommodate other schedule shuffling. Bombardier will be the title sponsor for the June race; Chevy remains as the title sponsor for the October race. On February 19, longtime general manager and IRL supporter Eddie Gossage was promoted to president of the TMS organization. The track is looking at when it can install SAFER barriers; they are committed to doing it sometime in 2004, but no decision has been made as to when. The Underground's best guess is that it will be between the June and October IRL dates. 2004 race: yes (2).
WATKINS GLEN [ ]: I'm only ptting this up because there have been so many rumors concerning it. The short answer: It ain't gonna happen, at least not in the next few years. Even putting the philosophical issues aside, the track would need significant safety upgrades for an IRL race, plus it conflicts geographically and in time with Nazareth and with any potential NY/NJ site. Maybe someday, but no time soon. 2004 race: no, 2005 race: possible.
SCHEDULE GENERAL [ ]: Only one significant change, the addition of Milwaukee, appears in the 2004 schedule. The big rumors surround 2005; Tony George has acknowledged that the IRL intends to add 4-5 road course events to the schedule beginning next year.
SUPPORT SERIES [ ]: No recent news.
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Media
TELEVISION [2/25]: The ABC/ESPN networks will once again broadcast all IRL events live this year. The ESPN broadcast team was announced February 25. There will only be two announcers on ESPN broadcasts this year, with Paul Page returning In the booth and being joined by retired IRL driver Scott Goodyear. Jack Arute returns as one of the pit reporters; he will be joined by Jamie Little, who has been working X-Games and motocross broadcasts for ESPN2. The team for the ABC broadcasts has not been announced yet, but it appears that Page and Goodyear will also work these, possibly joined by a third announcer. Possibly the ABC pit crew will consist of some combination of Arute, Jerry Punch, and Vince Welch.
RADIO [2/28]: TSO reports that Jaques Lazier will be working as an announcer for the Indy Racing Radio Network, while he pursues a ride. Lazier worked the Miami race.
INTERNET [2/26]: Trackforum rumor has it that a major redesign of the IRL Web site is forthcoming.
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