Are we really Going Racing in February?
Otay Folks!, what am I gnna Complain about now,
Eh? Since our typically, Insufferable Miserably L-O-N-G 43 weeks Off-season since
our last G-Damn IndyCar race Done Shrunk, Say What!
Instead, following the unusual April Long Beach
IndyCar race being last year’s Season Finale, in another Strange, Covid 19
Pandemic affected season being held on September 26th. It’s only been Five months
or 154 Sedate Days Off this winter before this Sunday’s regular St Pete Season
Opener on February 27th, Hurrah!
2022 Chevrolet Team line-ups
This is just intended to be a hopefully
somewhat Brief rundown upon the 10 Fulltime Bowtie’ runners in this year’s NTT
IndyCar Series Championship.
A.J. Foyt Enterprises
(3)
(Team/Car
No/Drivers)
#4 Dalton
Kellett, Canada
#11 (R) Tatiana
Calderon, Columbia (Twisties’ Only)
#11 TBA
(Ovals Only)
#14 (R)
Kyle Kirkwood, USA
So with just three weeks remaining until St
Pete, it was pretty Funny that “Publically” Dalton K-Tel’ Kellett is the “Veteran”
Driver of A.J. foyt Enterprises three car armada! Since we still Didn’t know
the Identity of who’d be driving the No. 11 Oval tracks programme, albeit I’d
Arse-sume it’s between ‘Ol Narly Pinball’ or Captain America, i.e.; Charlie
Kimball or Ryan Hunter-Reay respectively…
Naturally, after I
finished Scribblin’ this riveting No Fenders prose. Racer’s Marshall Pruett suggested
that the No. 11’s Ovalmeister’ will be J.R. Hildebrand, although I still don’t
know where the No. 11 Team/Car will be Based out of, i.e.; Houston or
Indianapolis?
RokiT has stepped up financially and will sponsor
two thirds of Foyt’s entries with two diversely different drivers, including
the first Female IndyCar Driver to run in the regular season since Simona de
Silvestro’s 2013 campaign for KVRT.
And I’ll freely admit I’d never heard of RokiT
until it first briefly was the Williams F1 Racing Team’s Title Sponsor and then
became one of Alexis Dejoria’s main sponsors in her return to “Floppers,” aka NHRA
Nitro Funny Cars.
http://www.nofenders.net/2020/06/what-does-drag-racing-and-james-bond.html
As 28yr old Columbian Tatiana Calderon will pilot
the #11 entry whilst reigning Indy Lights Champion Kyle Kirkwood will be behind
the keyboard of the team’s storied No. 14 entry. As both drivers will be
contesting Thar Rookie IndyCar season’s, albeit as noted, Calderon’s not racing
on any Ovals this season.
Arrow McLaren SP
#5 Patricio
O'Ward, Mexico
#7 Felix
Rosenqvist, Sweden
While I highly Doubt I’ll ever be a Fan of Sam
Schmidt’s, regarding the way he’s Jettisoned Drivers Willy Nily over the years!
Nonetheless, this is one of the team’s I’m most interested in, especially since
my current Numero Uno IndyCar Driver Pato O’Ward drives for them, not to
mention I’d liked to See Felix rosenqvist rebound this year.
Patricio started off the year nicely by
Co-Driving the winning DragonSpeed LMP2 entry at the Rolex 24, and He seems set
to spend another season challenging for the title.
But I’m more interested in how the Engineering
Shakeup Pans out for Rosenqvist, having noted previously on No Fenders how
veteran Engineer Craig Hansen takes over
for Felix this season fulltime, which Hopefully will get the Swede to the pointy
end of the Grid., Period
Whilst like Always, as my late Awntie’ Harriet
would say, Can Arrow McLaren SP legitimately run with Thee Big boys this
season?
Ed Carpenter Racing (2)
#20 Conor Daly, USA
#21 Rinus
VeeKay, Netherlands
conor Daly went to Sin City, also known as Lost
Wages or formally Las Vegas, rolled the Dice and came up Sevens! As Conor left
the Desert with funding to go racing for ECR Fulltime this season, his first
full Season with a single team since 2017. As ECR Boss Fast Eddie’, aka Ed
Carpenter is just slated to run the Indianapolis 500 in a third car so far this
season.
Rinus
VeeKay, who’s second IndyCar season got off to such a great start, including
his series maiden win on Mother Speedway’s Infield Road course during May’s
Indy GP. Saw his season go Pear Shaped after falling off his mountain bike
during a training ride and breaking his Collar bone just before the Road
America IndyCar race. As look for the promising Dutchman to presumably come
back strong this season and at least give ECR one car Up Front, albeit Hopefully
Daly will be knocking on the door for Top 10’s this year.
Juncos Hollinger Racing (1)
#77 (R)
Callum Ilott, UK
This is one of the few Bowtie teams I’ll actively
be Rootin’ for, since Thar definitely the Minnowesqe Chevrolet Squad on the
Grid this year. And for Mwah there’s more questions than Answers about them,
although I’ve Always pulled for Ricardo Juncos, since His story impresses me…
Juncos Hollinger Racing, or simply JHR has
entered a Technical Alliance with the now Defunct Carlin IndyCar entity, having
procured much equipment and the bulk of their Staff in this transaction. And it’s
rumoured that it’s Engineers will fill the roles of Technical Director and Race
Engineer this year for Callum Ilott, whom despite having run the last three
IndyCar races as a Tune-up for both the 23yr old Englishman, who finished
Runner-up in the 2020 FIA Formula 2 championship, and JHR, I believe He’ll
still be a rookie this year.
Yet, whilst I wish nothing but success for JHR
and Ilott, I have to wonder where Ricardo Juncos previous IndyCar Staff and
Indy Lights Staff Members have gone?
Team Penske (3)
#2 Joseph
Newgarden, USA
#3 Scott
McLaughlin, New Zealand
#12 Will
Power, Australia
The Big News at Team Penske is the Departure of
Simon Pagenaud to rival Honda team Meyer shank Racing after seven season
driving for El Capitano, along with the Shakeup of Race Engineers for Josef
Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin.
And with with Team Penske’s contraction back to
just a three car squad, and No intents of running an extra car for the Indy
500. Along with Newgarden and Power’s somewhat “Meager” win tally last season,
I must say it feels like a bit of a Retooling year to Mwah for Penske.
Although you can never count Newgarden out of
the Championship fight, and McLaughlin will be aiming to score his first
IndyCar W’. Whilst Obviously DJ willyP’, (Power) won’t want to be outdone by
the second year Kiwi’, not to mention trying to tie Mario Andretti’s Career
Pole positions record, which I now seriously Doubt He’ll be able to match or
exceed.
Hence, for the moment it feels like the Spark
has left Team Penske, albeit this is before the first major IndyCar test or the
season commencing…
(R = Rookie)
