2009 Racing Season Opens!

Jan. 24, 2009, 3:00 pm

As I sit here watching the completion of the first hour of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, it's tough to believe that the 2009 season is upon us already! Between testing, talking to over 160 different drivers worldwide, putting together the support sponsorship deals, Thanksgiving, Christmas, prepping race cars, building a website, etc. the "off" season flew by faster than, well ... a Firestone Indy Lights race car at Indy.

 

A little over a week ago, all of the IndyCar officials, teams, drivers, and other support personnel assembled at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (with 2-inches of snow on the ground) for physicals and for the 2009 Annual Meeting. Yesterday, the transport left the shop for our next round of testing. We plan 2 days of road course testing at Palm Beach International Raceway on January 26th and 27th, and we plan 2 days of oval testing at the 1.5 mile Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was 11 degrees Fahrenheit this morning, so I think everyone is looking forward to some warmer weather.

 

So where are we at with our 2009 driver lineup? That's the first question on everyone's lips. Without wanting to jinx anything, we think we're within 2 weeks of announcing both seats (i.e. cars). Historically, there have always been a couple of very desireable and significantly subsidized seats, and the lineups of all teams would be up in the air until those seats are filled. However, with the economy affecting the primary business of many of the team owners, the subsidies have all but dried up for 2009. This has accelerated the signings for the 2009 season. Back in October, we estimated that there were 8 seats (naturally, 2 of which are ours) capable of winning the 2009 championship and 13 to 14 drivers capable of wining the championship. Now, it looks like there may be only 3 seats left for 5 to 6 drivers. Needless to say, the music has stopped, and its time for everyone to find a seat.

 

Speaking of the economy. Wow is it making things tough. There's no getting around the fact that racing is expensive. At the end of the day, it costs what it costs, and the committed racers will find a way to race. Much stress has been put on the driver and sponsor funding, and a small handful of big names may have no choice but to sit out 2009.

 

Well, enough doom and gloom. Expect daily updates from next weeks' testing. Bye for now! Mark.