As its longtime stars age, IndyCar touts Millennials
No one needs a spotter to see this coming.
With former Indianapolis 500 champions Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan in the twilight of their racing careers and possibly driving their final IndyCar season, the open-wheel series is on the verge of a fairly significant shift.
Even IndyCar officials are braced for the change, having created a “What’s Next” advertising campaign that puts several younger drivers in the spotlight.
Americans Josef Newgarden and defending Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi of Grass Valley (Nevada County) as well as popular Canadian James Hinchcliffe are part of the push. So are Graham Rahal and Ryan Hunter-Reay. Throw in Conor Daly and there is no shortage of candidates to become the face and future of IndyCar.
Then again, there’s no guarantee any of them can fill the leading roles so long held by Castroneves and Kanaan. The pair have nearly 50 CART and IndyCar victories between them, including four Indianapolis 500 wins.
“You can see from their marketing who they are pushing,” four-time series champion Scott Dixon said. “They definitely have some good young talent. I don’t know how that will play out. But if you look at Newgarden, and I know they are pushing Conor quite hard. But I think in the racing community, the results are still a big deal.”
Winning is everything, or at least mostly everything. Auto racing is unique in sports because it often requires a blend of talent and money. Some drivers have the talent and struggle to find the financial backing. Others bring all-important sponsors but can’t get to the winner’s circle.
“You see a lot of guys can maybe get one break in IndyCar, do a few races, but it’s very hard to stay here and work your way all the way up to being a consistent driver,” said Spencer Pigot, the 2015 Indy Lights champion who made his IndyCar debut last year. “It’s a very big challenge, but it is very rewarding if it pays off.”
It’s unlikely that a youngster or rookie would win “the Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” but it happened last year when Andretti Autosport’s Rossi drank the traditional victor’s milk after winning on fuel mileage.
“Every time you’re in the car, you have a lot to prove,” said rookie Zach Veach, who is making his second IndyCar start. “You’re only as good as your last race.” NASCAR Xfinity Series: Ryan Blaney passed Kevin Harvick on a restart with three laps to go to win the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Blaney went from last to first to earn his fifth career Xfinity race win.
Series points leader Elliott Sadler finished 35th after crashing into the inside wall with 19 laps remaining. Formula One: Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen took pole position for Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix, and title contender Lewis Hamilton failed to make the top 10 in a significant blow for Mercedes. Ferrari has been quick all weekend, and championship leader Sebastian Vettel starts on the front row alongside teammate Raikkonen.