Silly Season--IRL, 2006

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One bit of news before I go into the seat predictions.....according to multiple sources(autoracing1.com and paddocktalk.com), Toyota Racing Development(TRD), which supplied engines to several IRL IndyCar Series teams this year, may be preparing to pull up anchor and leave altogether. This raises the possibility that Honda's HPD(Honda Performance Division) may end up fielding the entire IRL grid in 2006, especially if the rulesmakers insist on leaving the "asinine" badging rules in place, keeping engine builders like Cosworth, Mecachrome, Ilmor, Judd or AER out of the series.

(NOTE)---Teams with an (*) next to them are the current TRD-supplied teams.

1}Andretti-Green Racing(4):Tony Kanaan, Bryan Herta, Dario Franchitti, Dan Wheldon(?), Marco Andretti(?). There's now talk that the third-generation Andretti racer, Marco Andretti, may drive one of AGR's cars next year. Most likely, though, it could be a one-off ride at Indy this year. The "Wheldon Watch" continues, with the 2005 series champion still quiet on future plans.

2}(*)Marlboro-Team Penske(2):Sam Hornish, Jr., Helio Castroneves. The team recently announced a switch from TRD to HPD for 2006 and beyond.

3}Panther Racing(1-2):Tomas Scheckter, Tomas Enge(?), Vitor Meira(?). The team is in the process of deciding their 2006 plans; Now the rumor mill is circling, and there are rumors that, without Pennzoil sponsorship, the team may either drop to one car(w/Scheckter) or stay at two(w/Scheckter and Meira or Enge).

4}Rahal-Letterman Racing(2-3): Danica Patrick, Buddy Rice, Vitor Meira(?). It's looking less and less likely that Meira, who had the best season of the three in 2005, will be back with the Hilliard, Ohio-based team for 2006. The other two seats appear set for the time being.

5}Aguri-Fernandez Racing(1-2):Scott Sharp, Kosuske Matsurra(?). With the expected loss of Aguri Suzuki and the funding support he gave to Fernandez Racing in 2005, both he, the money and Matsurra are likely gone next year.

6}(*)Vision Racing(2): Ed Carpenter, Jeff Ward(?), Ryan Hunter-Reay(?), P.J. Chesson(?), Jeff Simmons(?). No changes at present.

7}(*)Target-Ganassi Racing(2-3): Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe, Giorgio Pantano(?), Jaques Lazier(?), Vitor Meira(?), Dan Wheldon(?), Wade Cunningham(?). Chip Ganassi's squad is expected to announce their intent to field Dallara/Hondas' in 2006. Meanwhile, Ryan Briscoe has been given the tentative go-ahead to resume racing duties with the team, following his horrific crash at Chicagoland. In addition, both Dan Wheldon and/or Vitor Meira are in the rumor mix, although Meira would have to drop the Menards sponsorship to join TGR.

8}Dreyer & Reinbold(1): Roger Yasukawa(?), Thiago Medieros(?), Jeff Simmons(?). No changes at present.

9}A.J. Foyt Racing(1): Jeff Bucknum(?), Felipe Giaffone(?). No changes at present.

10)(*)Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing(1):Paul Dana. No changes at present.

11}(*)Team Cheever(1-2): Patrick Carpentier, Alex Barron(?). No changes at present.

Prov. 1)Matt Young Mtrspts(1):Thiago Medieros(?), Jeff Simmons(?), Buddy Lazier(?). No changes at present.

Prov. 2)Robby Gordon Racing(1-2): Vitor Meira(?), Dan Wheldon(?). No changes at present.

Prov. 3)Playa del Racing(1):Jaques Lazier(?). The team ran a one-off at Indy this year and disappeared; all assumptions are that they will field a one-car effort for 2006.

No. of Confirmed Seats:3
No of Open Seats:20-25(likely 17-22)

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While the 2005 IRL IndyCar Series champion won't be headed to F1 after all, he will be wearing different colors in 2006. Sources close to reigning champion Dan Wheldon report that he will sign with Target/Ganassi Racing as early as tomorrow afternoon. The reason the speedtv.com article gave for his signing was that he and his agent, Julian Jakobi, were angry with AGR's decision to offer fellow AGR driver Dario Franchitti a larger "retainer" than they were offering Wheldon.

As a result, there will be some changes to the silly season listings when the next set of listings are posted, probably around the first few days of December. So, to sum it all up, the "Wheldon Watch" is over and the "cheeky little b------"(to quote Robin Miller) is headed to the Chipster's stable. It also means, that barring a return to a three-car rather than a two-car squad, that current TGR driver Ryan Briscoe has, for all intents and purposes, been shown the door.

[Julian Mayo]

Danica will be relieved

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Danica will be relieved

True, but.....I think Danica better tell Katherine to be careful in 2006.

I mean, what if Briscoe gets a ride in '06 and Legge does as well. All I can say is good luck to both of them!

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With all the news surrounding the signing of 2005 series champion Dan Wheldon by Target/Ganassi Racing, here are the current projections for who will be where in 2006.

1}Andretti-Green Racing(4):Tony Kanaan, Bryan Herta, Dario Franchitti, Marco Andretti(?). Wheldon's move not withstanding, the team confirmed to numerous sources that current A1GP Team USA driver Bryan Herta would be back for 2006; the same for Franchitti, who is known for signing yearly 1-yr. contracts since he arrived in CART in the late 1990's.

2}Marlboro-Team Penske(2): Sam Hornish, Jr., Helio Castroneves. No changes at present.

3}Panther Racing(1-2): Tomas Scheckter(?), Tomas Enge(?), Vitor Meira(?). The team recently shuttered its' doors for the time being, and there is rumored to be a major announcement forthcoming. Otherwise, no changes at present.

4}Rahal-Letterman Racing(2-3): Danica Patrick, Buddy Rice, Vitor Meira(?). No changes at present.

5}Aguri-Fernandez Racing(1-2): Scott Sharp, Kosuke Matsuura(?). No changes at present.

6}Vision Racing(2): Ed Carpenter, Jeff Ward(?), Ryan Hunter-Reay(?), P.J. Chesson(?), Jeff Simmons(?). No change at present.

7}Target/Ganassi Racing(2):Scott Dixon, Dan Wheldon. In signing Wheldon, the team also released Ryan Briscoe from his contract, confirming everyone's suspicions that TGR will only run 2 cars for next year. As for Cunningham, Pantano, Meira, and J. Lazier......they're out of luck.

8}Dreyer & Reinbold(1): Roger Yasukawa(?), Thiago Medieros(?), Jeff Simmons(?). No changes at present.

9}A.J. Foyt Racing(1): Jeff Bucknum(?), Felipe Giaffone(?). No changes at present.

10}Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing(1): Paul Dana. No changes at present.

11}Team Cheever(1-2): Patrick Carpentier, Alex Barron(?). No changes at present.

Prov. 1)Matt Young Mtrspts.(1): Thiago Medieros(?), Jeff Simmons(?), Roger Yasukawa(?). Without Chevy backing, the team dropped B. Lazier from consideration.

Prov. 2)Robby Gordon Racing(1): Vitor Meira(?). With Wheldon headed to TGR, the team could sign Meira, yet everything has been quiet on that front. No other changes at present.

Prov. 3)Playa del Racing(1): Jaques Lazier(?). No changes at present.

No. of Confirmed Seats: 6
No. of Open Seats:17-22(likely 14-19)

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Before I begin, I would like to wish everyone on the News On F1 site a very Merry Christmas holiday season, and that includes my fellow moderators(Ed, the 8'n'Pole Admin, the Qualifyer and the Heretic, Julian Mayo, and lemon_martini2) and, of course, the site admin, Tim. And now, the seat predictions......

1}Andretti-Green Racing(4):Tony Kanaan, Bryan Herta, Marco Andretti, Dario Franchitti. Sources close to AGR report that the team is close to signing IPS driver Marco Andretti to a contract w/the team. While there are still negotiations as to Franchitti's future, he is expected to return in 2006.

2}Marlboro-Team Penske(2):Sam Hornish, Jr., Helio Castroneves. No changes at present.

3}Panther Racing(1-2): Tomas Scheckter(?), Tomas Enge(?), Vitor Meira(?). In another sign that the team is finacially strapped for 2006, they recently placed on eBay a Dallara racecar, #2001-02(chassis #), that was driven by Sam Hornish, Jr. from 2001 to 2002 when he won his two series titles. Bidding is still ongoing, and there's no word on what the current high bid is(the lowest minimum bid is $100,000).

4}Rahal-Letterman Racing(2):Danica Patrick, Buddy Rice. The team made it official this week that, A)the team will be fielding a two-car effort in 2006, and B)that both Patrick and Rice will be back for 2006, the only differnece being that, based on 2005 performance, that Patrick is the team's lead driver. It alos means that Vitor Meira has become a free agent and can now look for a new ride in 2006. The way things are going, good luck, Vitor.

5}Aguri-Fernandez Racing(1-2):Scott Sharp, Kosuke Matsuura(?). No changes at present.

6}Vision Racing(2):Ed Carpenter, Jeff Ward(?), Ryan Hunter-Reay(?), P.J. Chesson(?), Jeff Simmons(?), Vitor Meira(?). No changes at present, except for the addition of Meira to the list of prospective drivers for the second Vision seat.

7}Target-Ganassi Racing(2):Scott Dixon, Dan Wheldon. No changes at present.

8}Dreyer & Reinbold(1): Roger Yasukawa(?), Thiago Medieros(?), Jeff Simmons(?). No changes at present.

9}A.J. Foyt Racing(1):Felipe Giaffone. The team confirmed today that Giaffone, who drove a one-off at Indy in 2005, will be their new driver for the 2006 campaign.

10}Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing(1):Paul Dana. No changes at present.

11}Team Cheever(1-2):Patrick Carpentier, Alex Barron(?). No changes at present.

Prov. 1)Matt Young Mtrspts.(1), Thiago Medieros(?), Jeff Simmons(?), Roger Yasukawa(?). No changes at present.

Prov. 2)Robby Gordon Racing(1): Vitor Meira(?). Although there's been no movement at RG Motorsports(which would run Gordon's proposed IRL team), w/Rahal-Letterman's decision not to bring Meira back, Meira now becomes a top-tier free agent in 2006. If this team becomes a reality, Robby could use a good racer in its' debut season, and Meira could fit right in.

Prov. 3)Playa del Racing(1): Jaques Lazier(?). No changes at present.

No. of Confirmed Seats:11
No. of Open Seats:12-17(likely 9-14)

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With the new year rapidly coming upon us, here are the latest seat projections on who will be where in the 2006 IRL IndyCar Series season....

1}Andretti-Green Racing(4):Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti, Bryan Herta, Marco Andretti. The team confirmed its' seats for the 2006 campaign, with the additional news that team co-owner Michael Andretti will field a fifth AGR-run car for a one-off ride at the Brickyard in May. Considering how short the numbers currently are for the Indy 500 at the moment, everyone's glad to see ole' Mikey back.

2}Marlboro-Team Penske(2):Sam Hornish, Jr., Helio Castroneves. As with AGR, Penske team president Tim Cindric also confirmed the team's 2006 lineup. With the switch to Honda power now, expect these two at the front all year long now.

3}Panther Racing(1-2): Tomas Scheckter(?), Tomas Enge(?), Vitor Meira(?). The team's last best hope for survival fell by the wayside last week, as U.E. "Pat" Patrick confirmed to multiple sources that he will not be buying part of the team for 2006. At the moment, I'd say Panther got less than a 50% shot at being on the IRL grid at Homestead come March 2006.

4}Rahal-Letterman Racing(2):Danica Patrick, Buddy Rice. No changes at present.

5}Aguri-Fernandez Racing(1-2):Scott Sharp, Kosuke Matsuura(?). No changes at present.

6}Vision Racing(2):Ed Carpenter, Jeff Simmons(?), P.J. Chesson(?), Ryan Hunter-Reay(?), Vitor Meira(?), Jeff Ward(?). No changes at present.

7}Target-Ganassi Racing(2):Scott Dixon, Dan Wheldon. No changes at present.

8}Dreyer & Reinbold(1): Roger Yasukawa(?), Thaigo Medieros(?), Jeff Simmons(?). No changes at present.

9}A.J. Foyt Racing(1): Felipe Giaffone. No changes at present.

10}Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing(1):Paul Dana. No changes at present.

11}Team Cheever(1-2):Patrick Carpentier, Alex Barron(?). No changes at present.

Prov. 1)Matt Young Mtrspts.(1): Thaigo Medieros(?), Jeff Simmons(?), Roger Yasukawa(?). No changes at present.

Prov. 2)Robby Gordon Racing(1): Vitor Meira(?), Robby Gordon(Indy only?). No changes at present, with one exception.....Gordon, who verbally shot himself in the rear w/boneheaded comments over the IRL's car weight rules[which everyone took as a insult towards Danica Patrick], may end up "eating" his words and returning to Indy for a one-off at the Brickyard....maybe. If it happens, I'd love to see the reaction in the paddock when he and Patrick run into each other........

Prov. 3)Playa del Racing(1): Jaques Lazier(?). No changes at present.


No. of Confirmed Seats:14
No. of Open Seats:9-14(likely 6-11)

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According to sources close to both Rahal-Letterman Racing and Hemelgarn Racing, currently "confirmed" Hemelgarn driver Paul Dana may be headed to the Hilliard, Ohio-based along with Ethanol Racing, which sponsors his car w/Hemelgarn. While terms of the deal have yet to be finalized, sources close to both sides are confident that, by this time next week, Dana will be the third driver on the RLR team, joining current drivers Danica Patrick and Buddy Rice. When asked by the Indianapolis Star's Curt Cavin about it, Dana replied,

I cannot comment on it at this time, but if you want to reference the fact that changing teams is highly likely, you wouldn't be wrong.

As they say, the silly season train just keeps on a-rollin.'

[mlittle]

Here's the seat projections for the 2006 IRL IndyCar Series as of 10 Jan. 2006. Note the addition of one team(Panther) to the "provisional list", which puts added pressure on the series to field 33 cars for the 500 and a 20-car grid for the other 13 races.


1}Andretti-Green Racing(4):Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, Bryan Herta, Marco Andretti. No changes at present.

2}Marlboro-Team Penske(2):Sam Hornish, Jr., Helio Castroneves. No changes at present.

3}Rahal-Letterman Racing(2-3):Danica Patrick, Buddy Rice, Paul Dana(?). If the Indianapolis Star's Curt Cavin is correct, then the team will return to three cars for 2006, w/Dana joining Patrick and Rice. An announcement to this effect is forthcoming; until then, Dana's name will have a question mark next to it.

4}Aguri-Fernandez Racing(2):Scott Sharp, Kosuke Matsurra(?). When asked about 2006 plans at Daytona during testing for the Rolex 24, team principle Adrian Fernandez confirmed the team will run two Panoz/Honda cars for the upcoming season.

5}Vision Racing(2):Ed Carpenter, Tomas Scheckter(?), Jeff Simmons(?), P.J. Chesson(?), Ryan Hunter-Reay(?), Vitor Meira(?), Jeff Ward(?). No changes at present.

6}Target/Ganassi Racing(2):Scott Dixon, Dan Wheldon. No changes at present.

7}Dreyer & Reinbold(1):Thiago Medieros(?), Jeff Simmons(?). No changes at present.

8}A.J. Foyt Racing(1):Felipe Giaffone. No changes at present.

9}Hemelgarn Racing(1):Jimmy Kite(?), Buddy Lazier(?). With Paul Dana's near-imminent departure over to Rahal-Letterman, the team also will lose its' Ethanol sponsorship, putting the team on uneven footing. There is an upside, though....if Dana goes, then the team may opt for veteran Lazier rather than journeyman Kite.

10}Team Cheever(1-2):Patrick Carpentier, Alex Barron(?). No changes at present.

Prov. 1)Panther Racing(1-2): Tomas Scheckter(?), Tomas Enge(?). If the team folds, look for Scheckter to either sign w/Vision or challenge for a ChampCar seat at Forsythe. As for Enge.....he could be on the outside looking in.

Prov. 2)Matt Young Mtrspts.(1):Thiago Medieros(?), Roger Yasukawa(?), Jeff Simmons(?). No changes at present.

Prov. 3)Robby Gordon Racing(1):Vitor Meira(?), Robby Gordon(Indy only?). No changes at present.

Prov. 4)Playa del Racing(1):Jaques Lazier(?). No changes at present.


No. of confirmed seats:13
No. of open seats:8-12 seats(likely 7 seats)

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2 bits of silly season news for readers to scan over....

1}Is it official?.....According to multiple sources, Rahal-Letterman Racing is set to go back to being a three-car team in 2006, with the driver lineup consisting of Danica Patrick, Buddy Rice, and Paul Dana. The team hasn't officially confirmed this, but all sources indicated that an announcement was imminent. As for former RLR driver Vitor Meira.....

2}Meira to Panther?.....While Panther has been on a slow boat to nowehre for 2006, there may be a glimmer of hope for them; the same sources as for item #1 indicated that Meira, along with sponsors Johns Manville & Menards, may pilot a one-car effort for the team w/former IRL team owner(and former Panther Racing principle) John Menard. I hope this one's correct; Meira's too good a racer to be left off the grid for 2006.

[mlittle]

According to sources close to both Rahal-Letterman Racing and Hemelgarn Racing, currently "confirmed" Hemelgarn driver Paul Dana may be headed to the Hilliard, Ohio-based along with Ethanol Racing, which sponsors his car w/Hemelgarn. While terms of the deal have yet to be finalized, sources close to both sides are confident that, by this time next week, Dana will be the third driver on the RLR team, joining current drivers Danica Patrick and Buddy Rice. When asked by the Indianapolis Star's Curt Cavin about it, Dana replied,

I cannot comment on it at this time, but if you want to reference the fact that changing teams is highly likely, you wouldn't be wrong.

As they say, the silly season train just keeps on a-rollin.'

Here is an update on the above info....The team is set to announce that Dana will indeed drive a third RLR car w/the Ethanol-backed sponsorship; a press conference is set for Monday, Jan. 23rd.

[mlittle]

2 bits of silly season news......

1}At a press teleconfrence today, Rahal-Letterman Racing confirmed that former Hemelgarn Racing driver Paul Dana will drive for the Hilliard, Ohio-based team in 2006, replacing Vitor Meira in the #17. The 2006 driver lineup for the team will go as follows......

#15 Buddy Rice(Argent/Pioneer Panoz/Honda)
#16 Danica Patrick(Argent/Pioneer Panoz/Honda)
#17 Paul Dana(R)(Ethanol Panoz/Honda)

2}It was also announcement day for Aguri-Fernandez Racing, as the team confirmed that veteran driver Kosuke Matsurra will return for a third season w/the team, partnering w/1996 series co-champion Scott Sharp. The driver lineup there goes as follows......

#8 Scott Sharp(Delphi Panoz/Honda)
#55 Kosuke Matsurra(Panasonic/ARTA Panoz/Honda)


Accordingly, the silly season projections will be updated later this evening.

[mlittle]

With the most recent silly season news, here are the current seat projections for 2006.....

1}Andretti-Green Racing(4):Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, Bryan Herta, Marco Andretti(R). No changes at present.

2}Marlboro-Team Penske(2):Sam Hornish, Jr., Helio Castroneves. No changes at present.

3}Rahal-Letterman Racing(3):Danica Patrick, Buddy Rice, Paul Dana(R). The team confirmed yesterday that Dana will drive for them in 2006, with Ethanol as the primary sponsor.

4}Aguri-Fernandez Racing(2):Scott Sharp, Kosuke Matsurra. The team confirmed that Matsurra will return for a third IndyCar season alongside Sharp.

5}Vision Racing(2):Ed Carpenter, Tomas Scheckter(?), Vitor Meira(?), Jeff Simmons(?), P.J. Chesson(?), Ryan Hunter-Reay(?), Jeff Ward(?). No changes at present.

6}Target/Ganassi Racing(2):Scott Dixon, Dan Wheldon. No changes at present.

7}Dreyer & Reinbold(1):Thiago Medieros(?), Jeff Simmons(?). No changes at present.

8}A.J. Foyt Racing(1):Felipe Giaffone. No changes at present.

9}Hemelgarn Racing(1):Jimmy Kite(?), Buddy Lazier(?). The team suffered a "double-whammy" in that they not only lost Dana but the Ethanol sponsorship as well. If they're smart(and Ron Hemelgarn hasn't made it this far being a dummy!) they'll sign Lazier for the year and at least find an Indy-only one-off for Kite. With the work Kite did in 2005, he deserves at least that much.

10}Team Cheever(1-2):Patrick Carpentier, Alex Barron(?). Although Carpentier has been talking about the team possibly shuttering its' doors for 2006, no word has been mentioned otherwise, and they still have a core group of engineers/mechanics around Carpentier, so I expect this team to have at least a one-car effort in 2006.

Prov. 1)Panther Racing(1):Vitor Meira(?), Tomas Scheckter(?), Tomas Enge(?). No changes at present.

Prov. 2)Matt Young Mtrspts.(1):Thiago Medieros(?), Jeff Simmons(?), Roger Yasukawa(?). No changes at present.

Prov. 3)Robby Gordon Racing(1):Robby Gordon(Indy-only ?), Vitor Meira(?). No changes at present.

Prov. 4)Playa del Racing(1):Jaques Lazier(?). No changes at present.


No. of confirmed seats:15
No. of open seats:6-10(likely 5)

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Although there has been no official announcement, officials w/Vision Racing are set to announce that Tomas Scheckter, formerly of Panther Racing, will sign with Vision Racing, partnering fellow IndyCar Series driver Ed Carpenter, giving the team's co-owners, IRL founder Tony George and actor/sports-car driver Patrick Dempsey, a 2-car team for the 2006 campaign.

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This one gets slotted into the "it came out of left field" newsbin, but here goes....IndyCar Series officials are supposedly in talks with a new team, to be known as Yellow Ribbon Racing, that will take the grid in Homestead in March 2006. The team, described as "the only fully functioning non-profit professional racing team in history", will have two cars liveried in the colors of the four branches of the United States military(the U.S. Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Marines). Due to federal laws prohibiting the services from directly supporting the team, the IRL is currently seeking corporate sponsorships to assist the team in 2006. Said IRL founder Tony George,

The IRL is assisting Yellow Ribbon Racing with the essentials of developing a team by providing them with the guidance and support necessary to be prepared for the 2006 season. We are excited about Yellow Ribbon Racing's involvement in the sport and anticipate great things from their effort.

Yellow Ribbon's team manager, James Occhipinti, added to that, saying that,

We are very pleased and proud to received the noted endorsements from the OSD-PA and The America Supports You foundation. It paves the way for the team to begin its' quest to do something we believe has never been seen in porfessional sports, a team solely dedicated to keeping America connected with our troops here and abroad, during peace time as well as during times of war.

Accordingly, the silly season seat projections will be updated at the next available listing.