And how their lives were affected…
Yeah, I know Y’all are frothing over today’s
riveting qualifying at Mother Speedway, which doesn’t determine anything
significant…
Having re-examined The Split, what led me down
this Wabbit’ Hole was a question that’s long weighed upon my mind. Which like
Arlo Guthrie’s magnificent Alice’s Restaurant Massacree; “We’re just waiting
for it to come Around”. Each May I wonder over which drivers were denied racing
in the Indianapolis 500, due to this travesty!
Along with to lesser extent, which drivers
gained entrance upon thoust Holy Grail? Although only pondering that this year
when researching my answer…
For “ease” of comparison, I chose to begin with
the Indy 500 vs. U.S. 500, since the latter somewhat became CART’s marquee
event. Although run at Michigan International Speedway. Reverting to Michigan
500 in 2000, and Harrah’s 500 the following year. Before jumping to the “Dar
Side”, ergo IRL in 2002 as a 400-mile event until 2007.
From the Inaugural U.S. 500 Presented by Toyota
race, the following names stood out to Mwah: Mark Blundell, Juan Manuel Fangio
II, Jeff Krosnoff, Eddie Lawson, Greg Moore and Alex Zanardi.
Between 1997-2003, in no particular order: JJ
Letho, Memo Gidley, Christiano da Matta, Jan Magnussen and Mika Salo.
Other names that tripped my No. 4 wire
included: Arnd Meier, Gualter Salles, Luiz Garcia Jr, Tarso Marques, Mario
Dominguez, Tiago Monteiro, Mario Haberfeld, Roberto Gonzalez, Rodolfo Lavin and
Luis Diaz.
Whilst the list of Champ Car World Series
(CCWS) drivers between 2004-07 who never got a chance is far greater. Noting
just some of the names that jumped out to Mwah.
Nelson Philippe, Gaston Mazzacane, Michael
Valiante, Guy Smith, Ronnie Bremmer, Andrew Ranger, Timo Glock, Dan “speedy
Dry” Clarke, Jan “Van Hagar” Heylen, Nicki Pastorelli, Antonio Pizzonia, Bad Bobby
D’, aka Robert Doornbos, Ryan “Razzle-Dazzle” Dalziel, David Martinez and Neal
Jani.
With no disrespect towards whomever else I left
out? Since it behooves Mwah to decide who’s names are worthy of mention or not?
Meanwhile, showing off my lack of Short Track
driver knowledge, I jotted down the following names when perusing my database
of Indianapolis 500 races between 1996-2003, albeit probably gave up after
2001-02.
Having noted the following drivers: J. J. Yeley,
Jack Hewitt, Steve Kinser, Stan Wattle, Davey Hamilton, Jason Leffler, Jeret
Schroeder and Tony Stewart.
Although I was wrong about Messer’s Wattle and Schroeder,
who both hailed from the Northeast. With Schroeder being the 1995 U.S. f2000
National Championship champion, before graduating to Toyota Atlantic and the
IRL.
Wattle has the distinction of racing the long
forgotten Riley & Scott MkV chassis in the 1998 Indianapolis 500, when the
factory Riley & Scott entry of Eliseo Salazar failed to qualify.
Mario “Boom-Boom” Dominguez is an outlier to
this riveting trivia. Having the distinction of attempting to enter the Indy
500 but failing to qualify in 2008.
On a sidenote, Steve Kinser, The Goat! Failed
to qualify on His first attempt in Gory 1981! Before successfully racing in
1997 driving for Sinden Racing Services. Qualifying 20th and finishing 14th
after an accident on lap 189, upon touching wheels with Buzz Calkins.
Obviously the four biggest names that stand out
are Alex Zanardi, Greg Moore, Cristiano da Matta and Jeff Krosnoff.
For Mwah, the biggest disappointment is over
whom during His heyday, I took to calling El Zorro! And I’d Arse-sume when
racing fans hear the name Alex Zanardi two things instantly come to mind…
First would have to be “The Pass!” When Zanardi
audaciously passed Bryan Herta on the final lap at the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca
and claimed an improbable victory at the 1996 season finale!
Then sadly, there’s that life altering accident
at the Lausitzring in Germany on September 15, 2001. Where Zanardi lost both of
His legs, and nearly His life!
Zanardi, as most know, was the 1996 CART Rookie
Of the Year. And followed that by winning the CART Fed Ex IndyCar Championship
two years on-the-trot, i.e.; 1997-98. Before making the mistake of returning to
Formula 1 to drive the recalcitrant Team Willie’ (Williams) entry in 1999.
Alex currently ranks 31st overall, timed with
Simon Pagenaud with 15 IndyCar wins. With Juan Pablo Montoya 33rd with 14 wins.
Scoring His maiden oval track win at the 1997 U.S. 500 Presented by Toyota at
Michigan International Speedway. And then claimed a second oval win that season
at Gateway.
Although arguably, Zanardi had nothing left to
prove in IndyCar. Yet if He’d stayed at Ganassi instead of essentially swapping
seats with Juan Pablo Montoya. Might Zanardi’s face be on the Borg Warner
trophy instead of Montoya’s?
Secondly would have to be Greg Moore, who sadly
died at the season finale at California Speedway in 1999. Just months before He
was set to become a Team Penske driver.
Somebody on the great Marshall Pruett video
remembering Greg twenty years later with Dario Franchitti, Paul Tracy and Max
Papis brilliantly says the stats don’t tell the whole picture about Greg.
As Moore only won five races in His short
IndyCar career. Yet three of these were on ovals, including a masterful win at
Michigan International Speedway at the 1998 U.S. 500. With an exhilarating duel
with Ganassi’s Jimmy Vasser and Alex Zanardi over the final five laps!
And without Greg’s untimely death, would there
have been a Spiderman climbing Mother Speedway’s fence? And would Helio
Castroneves be a four-times Indianapolis 500 winner?
Third has to be Cristiano da Matta, who never
got a shot at the Indy 500. Driving for Toyota powered CART teams and claiming
the title in 2002 with Newman/Haas Racing. Da Matta then went to Formula 1 to
drive for Toyota before retuning to Champ Car in 2005. Before a deer jumped an
eight-foot fence and collided with da Matta’s RuSport IndyCar during testing at
Road America…
Lastly, Jeff Krosnoff never got a chance to
show His true potential, dying at Toronto in 1996 after only eleven IndyCar
starts. Yet had been Mike Hull’s choice as Jimmy Vasser’s teammate that year.
Wit cheep’ (Ganassi) having already decided on Zanardi…
Obviously the biggest name of the Short
Trackers would be Smoke’, aka Tony Stewart, who went on to become a three-times
NASCAR champion. Having bested Davey Hamilton for the 1996-97 Indy Racing League
(IRL) Championship title.
Although I’d have to say my two favourite Short
Track Boyz’ are the aforementioned Hamilton, who chauffeured Mwah in the Indy
2X Seater a long, long time ago!
And then although post Split. The late Brian Clauson, who’s effervescent “spirit” quickly made me a fan of His. Having even gone so far as to purchase a Clauson T-shirt which I proudly wore at Mother Speedway during the 2016 race, driving for Jonathan Byrd’s Racing; run by Dale Coyne Racing. The best of His three finishes, P23.
