Indy 500

mattdavis11 · 05-12-2007, 12:38 PM

I'm amazed the fever still hits. What a waste of time. Throw some clues as to why it really matters, please.

pwd72s · 05-12-2007, 01:08 PM

tradition

LakeCleElum · 05-12-2007, 01:39 PM

I kinda lot interest during the big IRL/Cart split.....You never used to see empty seats in the old days. Before, it was all the top names in auto racing. Today it's "ole what's his name", yawn

mattdavis11 · 05-12-2007, 02:11 PM

I've tried to be an open wheel fan. It just won't happen. This is supposedly the biggest race out side the Daytona 500. I want to know what gives.? How do you succumb? Dareo Frankitty? Who's that?

pwd72s · 05-12-2007, 03:10 PM

That's the guy on the pole...for the Indy 500. I'll be watching the race.

Zeke · 05-12-2007, 03:17 PM

What's the Indy 500? When does this take place? Is this the girls' race?

DUK · 05-12-2007, 03:22 PM

Sqwat to pee racing.

sand_man · 05-12-2007, 03:25 PM

...Fonzorello and/or and Pinky have jumped the shark tank as far as I'm concerned! What's the "Indy 500"?

many944s · 05-12-2007, 08:00 PM

Ummmm, the GREATEST spectacle in racing... Of course!
Learn it
Live it
Love it!!!

Of course, I'm a little partial being an owner of a historical Indy car. Once Indy is in your blood, you never get rid of it.

-Nick

pwd72s · 05-12-2007, 08:10 PM

So, non Indy fans...ask yourselves this. How many pro drivers do you personally know who would turn down the Pensky ride that the guy on the pole, now holds? It's Indy...it's tradition. The worth may be less than in previous years, because of racing politics, but the worth is still there.

Kind of like the F-1 championship...in my mind, that title's worth was greatly reduced after Bernie took over the show...but it still holds worth.

many944s · 05-12-2007, 08:21 PM

As a side note for Indy fans... PJ Jones, the son of Parnelli Jones will be driving a Honda powered Dallara with the #40 and bright flourescent orange color scheme to match the famed Pratt and Whitney Turbine car driven by his father in 1967.

pwd72s · 05-12-2007, 08:26 PM

Like I said...tradition. I'm no fan of the track's owner, I'm unhappy about the open wheel split...but I still watch...

BertBeagle · 05-12-2007, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by many944s
As a side note for Indy fans... PJ Jones, the son of Parnelli Jones will be driving a Honda powered Dallara with the #40 and bright flourescent orange color scheme to match the famed Pratt and Whitney Turbine car driven by his father in 1967.

And after all these years of hanging onto his dad's coat tail he still can't drive a nail. A never was been if there ever was one.

VINMAN · 05-13-2007, 05:04 AM

I guess if it doesn't involve some kind of Euro car, you guys dont like that genre of racing??

mattdavis11 · 05-13-2007, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by VINMAN
I guess if it doesn't involve some kind of Euro car, you guys dont like that genre of racing??

No, F1 blows goats too. I will admit that Micheal Shoemaker had some talent, but all the others couldn't out race a snail. There is no talent in any of the open wheeled series. I do admire Whan Pablo Montoya for trying to race. He isn't worth a damn, but at least he's trying.

I asked of my parents neighbor who took the family to the race back in the seventies, "Why did it matter"?

I guess I don't understand why racing a big arse go cart matters.

Zeke · 05-13-2007, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BertBeagle
And after all these years of hanging onto his dad's coat tail he still can't drive a nail. A never was been if there ever was one.

Re: PJ, he can drive a bit. I've seen him and he didn't do too badly with the Toyota back in the GTP days with IMSA.

Here's a little snippet I lifted off the Net:

(The last race of the IMSA series at Phoenix)

"The fans stood and they cheered as Toyota teammates P.J. Jones and Juan Manuel Fangio II put on a spectacular fender–rubbing, sparks–flying, side–by–side, dive–into–the–corners, dual–lightning bolt fireworks display to determine who would win the final GTP drivers championship and who would win the final GTP race.

The crowd and the competitors loved it! Jones and Fangio banged in turn nine. In turn six, Fangio and Wollek made contact. Fangio banged Jones back in turn nine and took the lead, but Jones took it right back. With Fangio breathing down his turbocharger, Jones banged Wollek, harder. The last Prototype race was a fender–banging sprint!"

And Gianpiero Moretti, Derek Bell, James Weaver and Wayne Taylor, plus some more were right behind all of this. Tough crowd.

To know PJ is to know a whiner, but he is a driver. His run at Indy will be lackluster as will Al Jr's, if he qualifies (I thought I saw his name as entered).

Paul, just jivin' ya, man. I watch it all.

strupgolf · 05-13-2007, 04:20 PM

I'm no fan of Tony George; could'nt find his way out of a room if it was full of doors. But there were more people out this weekend. With the drivers coming back year after year, the series is looking better. People dont know any of the drivers, just the names like NASCAR. ChampCar wont be around in a year or two, so them getting together is nill. The place has tradition, thats all. Just like the Kentucky Derby, a bunch of horses running around. For what? Tradition.

911pcars · 05-13-2007, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mattdavis11
No, F1 blows goats too. I will admit that Micheal Shoemaker had some talent, but all the others couldn't out race a snail. There is no talent in any of the open wheeled series. I do admire Whan Pablo Montoya for trying to race. He isn't worth a damn, but at least he's trying.

I asked of my parents neighbor who took the family to the race back in the seventies, "Why did it matter"?

I guess I don't understand why racing a big arse go cart matters.

Tough crowd. Maybe you're not a racing fan or prefer other forms of racing?

Nix on Indy Cars AND F1? No talent in open-wheeled series? If that includes the past too, I guess that eliminates Fangio, Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Clark, Hill, Gurney, Lauda, Brabham, Mclaren, etc.

You must be into the NASCAR, spec-racing series, thus the greatest driver of all time must be Dale Earnhardt or Jeff Gordon.

Zeke · 05-13-2007, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mattdavis11
No, F1 blows goats too. I will admit that Micheal Shoemaker had some talent, but all the others couldn't out race a snail. There is no talent in any of the open wheeled series. I do admire Whan Pablo Montoya for trying to race. He isn't worth a damn, but at least he's trying.

I asked of my parents neighbor who took the family to the race back in the seventies, "Why did it matter"?

I guess I don't understand why racing a big arse go cart matters.

Sherwood, indeed, you answered this?

Whan Pablo?? Kimi can't out race a snail?

Let's take another approach: In recent history (not talking Gurney or Hill here) a couple of drivers with success in American racing went over to Europe to race the snails and got their head handed to them, thank you. Could I be mentioning this same Whan feller?

But wait, there's more: I'm thinking real hard here to find another driver of any American experience to have much success in Europe. Well, there was Shelby, whose career was cut short, Andretti, who returned to Europe to race with success, and of course the aforementioned characters named Gurney and Hill. Oh, throw in Foyt for the heck of it since he did Le mans.

Only one of them that cut his teeth on the oval was Foyt, and to the best of my knowledge, he never piloted an open wheel car in Europe in competition. (He might have come close if he were still racing when CART went to Germany.)

Well, in conclusion, I too, think Shoemaker had some talent..................on horses.

Zeke · 05-13-2007, 06:46 PM

I just read this whole thing again. I think ol' matt-man has taken us "to school."

You pulled it off, matty.