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Tag: Andretti-Herta Autosport

  • 2018 a Winning Season For Both Rossi and IndyCar

    2018 a Winning Season For Both Rossi and IndyCar

    2018 continues to prove to the rest of the racing world that the Verizon IndyCar Series cannot stop winning. The new aero package has put competitors on a level playing field considering that there isn’t a discrepancy among manufacturers. The quality of the competitors in the field is top notch, and to boot the racing this season has been phenomenal.

    According to 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi, the sport has even been generating some much wanted (and needed) mainstream attraction.

    “I really think there has been a lot of extra buzz at the races this year,” said Rossi, who appeared on the most recent season of CBS’s The Amazing Race with fellow IndyCar driver Conor Daly. “It seems like there’s more fans in the stands and definitely more people who come and ask about the show.”

    Rossi also co-hosts the podcast Off Track with fellow IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe, where they tackle topics both racing-related and mainstream. But when it comes to IndyCar’s mainstream media presence, he is optimistic where the sport stands in comparison to NASCAR and Formula One.

    “We’re not on their level, but we hope to get there soon and we have momentum,” said Rossi. “We have a lot of young talented drivers who can perform on the track, but also do things off-track to showcase their personalities.”

    The Andretti-Herta Autosport driver currently sits second in points following the Indianapolis Grand Prix, where his NAPA Racing Honda finished fifth behind winning Team Penske driver Will Power. Rossi has already gone to Victory Lane this season, winning at Long Beach in the third race of the season.

    According to Rossi, the credit for the excellent racing product this season goes to both the drivers and the cars this season, placing emphasis on the onslaught of rookies this year, pointing out that their level of talent just makes the talent level of the field even deeper and more competitive, which in turn brings the best out of each driver.

    Rossi is quick to credit his team for his growth and success, stating that great cars and great teammates can go a long way in the IndyCar garage.

    “Having a good car underneath you, and great veteran racers like [Ryan] Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti, makes it easy to learn,” said Rossi. “The team has made a step forward each year on all types of courses. We are ready to compete against anyone on all types of tracks.”

    With the Indianapolis 500 less than two weeks from now, Rossi’s chances of success are high. Along with his 2016 victory in the event as a rookie, he placed seventh there a year ago after leading 23 laps. His average finish of fourth in the event should give him the confidence needed to contend for the victory if the last two Indy 500s are any indicator of his performance.

     

     

  • Diversity In IndyCar Manufacturers Could Widen Sport’s Appeal

    Diversity In IndyCar Manufacturers Could Widen Sport’s Appeal

    One of the great things about motorsports is the competition. The regular, race-to-race battle for the win is something that draws the fans in, be it a battle between drivers, sponsors, or manufacturers.

    However, in the Verizon IndyCar Series, the best competition is between the drivers and sponsors. Manufacturers, not so much considering that at the moment, the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) in the sport are Chevrolet and Honda – hardly the basis of a legendary rivalry like Chevy and Ford or Foyt and Andretti.

    One of the perks of bringing in another manufacturer has to do with the new universal aero-kit. It will be cost-effective in the sense that manufacturers can solely focus on the equipment and powertrains without worrying about aerodynamics. As a result, prospective manufacturers can consider entry into the sport without worrying about any extra growing pains. They can enter and expect to be on par with the rest of the competition.

    This would bring much-needed parity to a sport that needs it. At the moment, Team Penske and Andretti-Herta Autosport are the two organizations that currently dominate IndyCar; with Penske’s Chevrolets competing with AHA’s Hondas. Those are the organizations that are always at the front every race; they’re what the prospective new fans see on a weekly basis.

    They don’t see teams like Ed Carpenter Racing, A.J. Foyt Racing, or Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports, teams that have to fight harder to compete with those groups. They succeed every so often, although it’s usually more of an uphill battle as they don’t have as much focus or funds at their disposal. Adding more manufacturers would even out the sport’s playing field, and as a result, we’d see guys like Spencer Pigot and James Hinchcliffe contending for wins more often.

    In 2017 10 races (out of 17) were won by Chevrolet; all Penske machines. The only other teams to score more than one win were Rahal-Letterman Racing (Graham Rahal’s Belle Isle sweep) and AHA (Takuma Sato won Indy, Alexander Rossi won Watkins Glen). Ganassi Racing earned just one win, a far cry from their Franchitti years of glory, while SPM and Dale Coyne Racing also earned singular wins. Those aren’t favorable, competitive numbers, and it’s no wonder why other manufacturers said, “no way,” when courted by IndyCar.

    In American motorsports, brand loyalty is huge. In NASCAR, there’s the Chevy/Ford/Toyota debate that draws in a substantial portion of fans. During the entirety of his NASCAR career, Dale Earnhardt Jr. voiced his unending loyalty to Chevrolet, and the fans ate that up. When NASCAR first brought Toyota into the national fold in 2004, cries of outrage came from the older contingent of fans given Toyota’s birth as a foreign car company.

    Point being? The manufacturer debate has always been full-speed in NASCAR. Why not IndyCar? Bring back Ford. Bring in Dodge. Bring in Toyota. Diversify the OEMs in IndyCar, and there could be a chance it could legitimately rival NASCAR’s mainstream status. Parity is key to the growth of a sport. Hopefully, with the universal aero kit cutting down team costs, we could see plenty of that in the near future.