Friday, September 10, 2021

West Coast IndyCar Nuggets’

Even if Thar a Wee bitamyte’ Stale. McNuggets, Tastes like Chicken, Get It? Oh Never Mind!

 

Arse-sumin’ Y’all know of this weekend’s Portland IndyCar lineup changes, albeit one’s just the continuation of his partial season outing. That being Hulio’ The Dancing Fool (Castroneves) running the final three IndyCar races aboard the second Meyer Shank Racing #06 Dallara/Honda.

 

But the Newcomer I’m most intrigued over is the return of Riccardo Juncos with new co-Owner Brad Hollinger and the revamped Juncos Hollinger Racing (JHR) #77 Dallara/Chevy that will make it’s debut at Portland, as the team contests the final three IndyCar races as a tune-up for Thar 2022 Full Season campaign as a one car entry.

 

Much has already been reported about their surprising choice of driver. As current Scuderia Ferrari Protégé Callum Ilott, last year’s FIA Formula 2 Championship Runner-up to current Haas F1 Rookie Mick Schumacher will try his hand in an IndyCar a la fellow Formula 2 compatriot Christian Lundgaard did earlier this season.

 

As the 22yr old Briton is currently slated to just contest Portland due to other commitments, albeit Riccardo Juncos is holding out Hope that they can secure Ilott for the entire West Coast swing.


With JHR having confirmed Ilott will run All three remaining West coast IndyCar races Friday morning, while speculation suggests this could be an audition to become the team’s Fulltime driver for 2022…


And while I like this Bold choice, presumably partially aided by the fact that Messer Hollinger was a major Williams F1 Shareholder and hence knows other Formula 1 luminaries? I’d actually expected JHR to have tabbed another Young Gun instead.

 

As I thought that Oliver Askew would have been the team’s preferred choice? Especially to build a team around for the future. But perhaps they already knew that Askew had been selected to run out the string aboard Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s third IndyCar entry, where Oliver will be behind the keyboard of the team’s #45 thru the season finale at Long Beach.

 

Lastly, and I’m a Wee Bitamyte’ Cornfused over this, but A.J. Foyt Enterprises has confirmed that ‘Ol Narly Pinball’, aka Charlie Kimball will pilot the #11 at Long Beach, when the team enters a third Dallara/Chevy for the Californian. As I wonder if this is a trial outing for Kimbal’s return next season? Since I really Don’t know which driver, i.e.; Kimball or Dalton K-Tel’ Kellett’s better, Ouch!