| Team |
Driver 1 |
Driver 2 |
Driver 3 |
Driver 4 |
Chassis |
Engine |
Sponsors |
| Access Motorsports? |
Greg Ray |
Arie Luyendyk Jr.
George Mack |
|
|
G Force |
Honda? |
Renovac Systems
TrimSpa |
|---|
 |
July 6: The team failed to compete at Kansas and, according to Honda, is done for the season. Greg Ray begs to differ, but it is hard to run without an engine. |
| May 23: The team finally made an appearance to place Ray's car in the field on Bump Day. |
| May 14: Greg Ray has yet to practice for the Indy 500. A statement on his web site says they are still trying to find a primary sponsor. |
| April 6: IMS has confirmed that Access did file a single entry for the Indy 500. |
| March 15: George Mack tested a NASCAR Truck for Roush in January and may get to drive in that series later in the year as part of its diversity program. He has also been linked to a NASCAR reality TV show. No sign of George returning to IndyCars. |
| February 10: Arie Luyendyk Jr. has signed to Sam Schmidt's Infiniti Pro Series team, having failed to get a full-time IndyCar ride this season. |
| January 4: The team has confirmed that co-owner Greg Ray will be back at the wheel of his G Force in 2004, continuing with Honda power. Renovac has been announced as a new associate sponsor. No word on primary sponsorship or a second car. |
| November 20: AutoWeek says Arie Luyendyk Jr. is trying to find sponsorship to drive a second car. |
| October 23: AutoWeek says Honda plans to cut back on team support. Access could be one of the losers, which could mean they will not be back. |
| July 18: George Mack had hoped to be with the team this year, until Greg Ray bought in and got the drive. If the team expands to two cars, he could get the second seat, but that's unlikely without sponsorship from a company like 310 Motoring. |
| June 30: As part owner of the team, Greg Ray will continue to drive here as long as Honda funds the engine. |
|
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|---|
American Spirit Racing |
Rocky Moran Jr.
Michael Lewis |
|
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|
|
Amerisuites |
|---|
|
March 21: The team competed in the ALMS round at Sebring, but never materialized for the IRL. |
| October 16: We hear a rumor of ALMS team American Spirit Racing (no connection to Stephan Johansson's CART team) running two cars in the IRL. |
|
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|---|
| Andretti Green Racing |
Tony Kanaan |
Dan Wheldon |
Dario Franchitti
Sam Hornish Jr. |
Bryan Herta |
Dallara |
Honda |
7-Eleven
Jim Beam
Klein Tools
Archipelago
Alpine |
|---|
|
March 31: Four Indy 500 entries, as expected. |
| January 7: Archipelago, an electronic stock exchange, has been announced as sponsor for Franchitti's car |
| December 16: Bryan Herta has been confirmed as driver of a fourth car. The team says it is still working on sponsorship for the car, but it is interesting to note that it will carry the number 7. |
| November 27: Michael Andretti says he has not ruled out running a fourth car for Bryan Herta. |
| November 18: Team Green has announced that Dario Franchitti will be back with the team next season. No word on sponsorship yet. |
| November 13: Robin Miller says to expect an announcement from the team next week about Franchitti's return in 2004. |
| November 6: Andretti's option on Bryan Herta has lapsed. This is a good sign that Franchitti will be back... that or only two cars for 2004. |
| October 21: AutoWeek says Franchitti's manager has been shopping him around CART teams, but so far no one has been able to meet the salary requirements. It is likely Dario will be back at AGR, where Honda pays his salary. |
| October 20: AutoWeek reports that Michael Andretti still believes Dario Franchitti will return to the team, despite Paul Gentilozzi claiming to have signed him to his CART team. |
| October 12: 7-Eleven has confirmed its sponsorship of Kanaan for next season. |
| September 21: Dario will know in November if he is clear to drive next year. Andretti has him under contract, but so are Tony, Dan and Bryan, and Michael has said he is definitely running only three cars. When we spoke to Bryan Herta at Fontana, he was still under the impression that Dario would be back, but appeared to have a promising alternative in the works for himself. |
| August 17: SportsTicker reports team co-owner Kevin Savoree has said Hornish probably will not join the team. |
| June 30: Kanaan and Wheldon both have contracts to be back. Michael says Franchitti has a seat if he wants it. If not, and if Herta keeps driving as well as he has so far, Bryan will be an easy decision. That is, unless Honda gets into the bidding for Hornish! |
|
|
|
|---|
Bradley Motorsports |
Buzz Calkins
Jeff Ward |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|
|
April 6: The team has not filed an Indy 500 entry. |
| July 18: If they are able to put together anything next season it will be a single car for the Indy 500. |
|
|
|
|---|
Conquest Racing |
Laurent Redon |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|
|
February 4: The team is back testing its Champ Cars at Sebring this week. No switch for Conquest. |
| December 23: There are persistent rumors on the Internet that Conquest will step back to IndyCar from Champ Car, despite statements to the contrary from owner Eric Bachelart. |
|
|
|
|---|
| CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports |
P.J. Jones
Buddy Lazier
Jaques Lazier
John Andretti
Jeff Simmons
Shinji Nakano |
|
|
|
Dallara |
Chevrolet
Honda |
CURB Records |
|---|
|
May 16: Greg Beck announced today that P.J. Jones will drive his car, fielded in partnership with Mike Curb and Cary Agajanian. |
| May 13: Both Robin Miller and the Indy Star are reporting that Buddy Lazier is in line for the Indy 500 seat. Greg Beck says he is waiting for confirmation from Buddy. |
| May 3: With Chevrolet engines, Beck's Indy 500 driver will not be Japanese, but will need to bring significant sponsorship dollars. With Rookie Orientation behind us, it will not be a rookie, either. |
| April 1: Beck has filed a single entry for the Indy 500, but no driver has been named. |
| March 12: The Indy Star reports that Beck has secured a Chevy engine deal for the Indy 500, but still needs to put together a sponsorship package. |
| December 22: Greg Beck says the team is still working on sponsorship deals to run as many 2004 races as possible. |
| June 30: Ran Shinji Nakano for a few races, including the Indy 500 this year. Could possibly do the same in 2004. |
|
|
|
|---|
| Dreyer & Reinbold Racing |
Felipe Giaffone
Robbie Buhl |
Buddy Lazier
Robby Gordon
Sarah Fisher |
|
|
Dallara |
Chevrolet |
Purex
Aventis
Lifefitness
GMAC
AOL |
|---|
|
May 20: The team announced today that it will run a second Indy 500 car for Buddy Lazier in conjunction with Hemelgarn Racing. |
| April 26: Giaffone has been confirmed as replacement for Buhl. |
| April 25: Robin Miller reports that Felipe Giaffone is likely to replace Robbie Buhl. |
| April 23: Robbie Buhl has announced his decision to retire before the Indy 500. |
| March 31: The team has filed a second Indy 500 entry, but with no word on the driver. |
| March 30: Only one entry for the Indy 500. |
| December 31: The team confirms it will be back with Purex sponsorship for Buhl's #24 Dallara/Chevrolet. |
| October 21: The Indianapolis Star reports the team has reduced its staff to run a single car in 2004. Sarah is working with GM and the IRL to find a ride elsewhere. |
| August 25: AutoWeek reports Sarah Fisher has been shopping her services this summer. How will her injury affect this? |
| June 30: They need the engine power situation sorted out, but both drivers are fitting well and should stay. |
|
|
|
|---|
| A. J. Foyt Enterprises |
Anthony Foyt IV |
Larry Foyt
Ed Carpenter |
Tony Stewart
Tyce Carlson
Jaques Lazier
Shigeaki Hattori
Airton Daré
Jeff Simmons |
|
Dallara
G Force |
Toyota |
Conseco |
|---|
|
May 23: Bump Day weather changed to rain before contract negotiations could be completed to run Tony Stewart in a third car. Or was this just a publicity stunt? |
| May 10: Larry Foyt has been confirmed as his father's second driver but did not run yesterday on opening day at the Speedway. |
| May 3: Robin Miller reports that Tyce Carlson is in discussions with A. J. to drive a third car at Indy. |
| April 26: Larry Foyt completed a successful test for his father's team and looks set to run at Indy. |
| April 23: The Indy Star suggests A. J. could run his son Larry alongside his grandson in the Indy 500. |
| March 31: A second car has been entered for the Indy 500. No word on the driver. |
| January 20: The team has announced it will participate in all the IndyCar open tests, running A. J. Foyt IV in a Toyota-powered Dallara. Conseco is back as sponsor. |
| September 4: Foyt's Pro Series driver, Ed Carpenter, will get the chance to show what he is made of at Chicago for PDM Racing. |
| August 18: Curt Cavin at the Indy Star thinks Tony George's stepson will be in an IndyCar next year. He currently drives for A. J. in the Infiniti Pro Series. Did Silly Season just get even sillier? |
| July 19: The team did not run a second car at Kansas and there is none scheduled for Michigan. That does not bode well for Lazier's future with the team. |
| June 30: Expect the team to persevere with A. J.'s grandson, adding further drivers as funds allow. A. J. has a soft spot for Daré, so he should be back once his injuries have healed - unless Lazier performs very well in the meantime. |
|
|
|
|---|
| Fernández Racing |
Adrián Fernández |
|
|
|
G Force |
Honda |
Quaker State
Telmex
Tecate |
|---|
| March 11: Adrián Fernández today shocked the racing world by announcing that his team will be moving from the Champ Car World Series to the IndyCar Series, starting at the next race, in Phoenix. |
|
|---|
| Robby Gordon Motorsports |
Robby Gordon |
|
|
|
Dallara |
Chevrolet |
Meijer
Coca-Cola |
|---|
| March 8: Robby Gordon announced today that he will field his own team in the Indy 500 so he can drive the Indy 500 and a NASCAR race in North Carolina on the same day. This will be his fourth attempt to compete in both races and his first as an IndyCar owner/driver. |
|
|---|
Hemelgarn Racing |
Aaron Fike
Richie Hearn
Memo Gidley
Robby Gordon
Sarah Fisher
Buddy Lazier |
|
|
|
Dallara |
Chevrolet |
Delta Faucet
Life Fitness |
|---|
|
May 20: Hemelgarn will contribute to the running of Buddy Lazier by Dreyer and Reinbold in the Indy 500. Was this all just a ploy to blackmail Tony George into giving them some money? |
| May 5: In an interview with the Indy Star, team manager Lee Kunzman confirms that Hemelgarn will not run in the Indy 500 this year. |
| May 3: Robin Miller says Hemelgarn is concentrating on its entry into the Champ Car series at Milwaukee and will not run a car in the Indy 500. |
| March 31: Hemelgarn has filed a single entry for the Indy 500. No word on who will drive. |
| December 18: Gidley's management tells us Memo did some testing with GM a few weeks back, but not for the Corvette program. |
| December 17: Memo Gidley will probably drive a Corvette for Chevy at Le Mans and in 2004 ALMS events. |
| December 4: AutoWeek suggests Sarah Fisher could end up at Hemelgarn. |
| September 19: Buddy Lazier has been replaced by Richie Hearn for Fontana. This time the split with Buddy sounds terminal. |
| August 18: Curt Cavin of the Indy Star suggests the team will bring its Infiniti Pro Series driver, Aaron Fike, to play with the big boys. |
| July 16: Not so fast - we hear Buddy has been given another chance and will run at Nashville. Poor jilted Memo - perhaps Buddy and Hemelgarn are inseparable? |
| July 15: The team announced today that they would be fielding Gidley in place of Lazier at the Nashville race. They are evaluating their poor performance this year, which is compounding their attempts to find funding. This does not bode well for Lazier to continue with the team in 2004. |
|
|
|
|---|
| Kelley Racing |
Scott Sharp |
Sarah Fisher
Al Unser Jr.
Tony Renna |
|
|
Dallara |
Toyota |
Delphi
Bryant
Cure Autism Now
Checkers
Corteco |
|---|
|
February 12: Sarah Fisher has signed to drive for the team. We are waiting for the official announcement to see if there are more races planned, other than just the Indy 500. (Sarah in a Toyota? What was Chevrolet thinking?) |
| February 6: The Indy Star says Kelley is close to announcing Sarah Fisher for an Indy 500 ride, with hopes of expanding to other races. |
| November 12: Scott Sharp tested for the team at Phoenix yesterday. We will take that as confirmation of his drive for 2004. |
| October 21: The Indianapolis Star reports that the team has reduced staff to one car for 2004. |
| October 20: Al Unser Jr. broke his pelvis in an all-terrain vehicle accident near his family home ion New Mexico today. This has to throw new doubts on whether he will be racing next year. |
| October 12: Robin Miller suggests Kelley may drop to one car next season, concentrating on Scott Sharp. |
| October 1: With Tony Renna signing to Ganassi, it seems more likely the team will continue to run Al Unser Jr. in its second car. |
| September 28: Robin Miller suggests Al Unser Jr. has been talking to CART teams (specifically Patrick) about a ride there next year. |
| September 7: Team owner Tom Kelley says Al Unser Jr. wants a farewell season before retiring, but his two-year contract (funded by Tony George to the tune of $4 million per year, according to Robin Miller) is up and it is hard to find a sponsor for a single year. Unser may need a new team for that farewell tour. |
| June 30: The team intends to add a car for Renna next year. That means, unless either Sharp or Unser retires, there's no room for Hornish from one of the few teams that can afford him. |
|
|
|
|---|
Logan Racing |
Robby McGehee |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|
|
October 6: Dr. Jim Logan is attempting to resurrect his race team, but there is nothing definite to announce just yet. With Robby McGehee also being from St. Louis, he would be a natural choice for driver. (What a shame there is no St. Louis race in 2004.) |
| October 2: We will look into the rumor that Logan Racing from St. Louis will return for the first time since 2000. Seems a long shot to us... |
|
|
|
|---|
| Mo Nunn Racing |
Tora Takagi |
Jeff Simmons
Jaques Lazier
Buddy Lazier
Jimmy Vasser
Felipe Giaffone |
|
|
Dallara
G Force |
Toyota |
Pioneer (Japan)
Denso
Hollywood |
|---|
|
May 23: A second Indy 500 car has been fielded for Jeff Simmons. |
| March 31: The team has filed a second Indy 500 entry, but with no driver specified. |
| March 30: Only one entry for the Indy 500. |
| March 8: Jimmy Vasser is now a co-owner of the PKV Racing Champ Car team. |
| December 26: We hear a rumor that Vasser may drive for Mo Nunn in Champ Cars, with a side deal to run the Indy 500. But this is a quiet week for news and some people have too much time on their hands! |
| November 20: Robin Miller reports that Hollywood is reducing its IRL sponsorship after all and that Felipe Giaffone is out of the team. |
| October 11: The IRL has announced a five-year contract to show its races on Brazilian network television. This should secure Hollywood's continuation as sponsor and Giaffone's seat with the team. |
| September 5: The Indianapolis Star reports that Brazilian cigarette brand Hollywood plans to cut its sponsorship next year because IRL races are shown only on cable in Brazil. Perhaps that is behind Mo Nunn's interest in returning to CART, whose races are shown on Brazilian network TV? |
| August 27: The team has been alternating between a G Force and a Dallara chassis for Takagi's recent races. At Nazareth he qualified in the Dallara, but started in the G Force backup car! |
| July 28: Curt Cavin, writing in the Indy Star, says Mo Nunn risks losing Hollywood sponsorship due to poor TV coverage of IndyCar in Brazil. Would Champ Car be any better? |
| July 13: Mo Nunn was at the Toronto Champ Car race amid rumors that he is planning his return to CART next season. Is Giaffone's accident a factor on this, perhaps bringing Hollywood to CART for another Brazilian driver, or would he run teams in both series? |
| June 30: Hollywood sponsorship is dependent on a Brazilian driver, like Giaffone. If he returns from his injuries that ensures two cars for the team. Tora's performance this year should guarantee the supply of Toyota engines. |
|
|
|
|---|
| Newman/Haas Racing |
Bruno Junqueira |
Sébastien Bourdais |
|
|
G Force
Dallara |
Honda
Toyota |
PacifiCare
Lilly |
|---|
|
April 26: NHR confirmed its single car entry for the Indy 500 today when Bruno Junqueira turned up with a Honda-powered G Force for testing. |
| April 6: IMS has confirmed that NHR has filed an entry for a single car (plus backup car). |
| April 5: Newman-Haas announced today that it has filed an entry for the Indy 500. No word on how many cars yet. |
| March 29: The latest from Robin Miller is that NHR could be back up to two cars again for Indy. |
| March 15: And now Robin Miller says the engine will be a Honda. |
| March 1: Robin Miller says the chances of a single car at Indy for Bruno Junqueira are looking more likely again. |
| February 12: With the departure of pro-IndyCar senior engineer Peter Gibbons to Andretti Green, an Indy 500 run by the team is looking less likely. |
| January 30: The Indy Star reports Tony George saying he puts the odds of Champ Car team owner Carl Haas fielding a car in this year's Indy 500 at 30 percent, and does not expect Bruno Junqueira to be the driver if it happens. Bruno has been spotted at this week's Homestead test, but then he lives in Miami. |
| January 2: Autosport quotes Sébastien Bourdais as saying he could join Bruno Junqueira in driving for the team in the Indy 500. If a Champ Car race conflicts with qualifying, other drivers could step in to qualify the cars for Junqueira and Bourdais. |
| November 18: Bruno Junqueira tested a G-Force at Phoenix International Raceway on Monday, along with several other IRL teams. This could be an insurance measure, in case the Champ Car series goes under, or preparation for a run in the Indy 500, or Carl Haas getting ready to run an IRL team next year. |
| September 19: Needless to say, the team did not run at Fontana. We do not give much credence to continuing rumors that Haas will split from Newman and take Bruno to the IRL full-time. |
| August 26: Newman/Haas (notably still including the "Newman" part) announces it will test Junqueira in an IndyCar at California Speedway (date yet to be decided) with a view to running in the 2004 Indy 500. Junqueira was pole sitter for the 2002 Indy 500. The Indy Star suggests the team may also compete in the September 21 race at the track. Could this be preparation in case CART fails to run in 2004? |
| August 10: Carl Haas tells Racer magazine's David Phillips he will run in either CART or IRL, but not both. "If CART goes forward, we will race there," Haas said. |
| July 31: Rumors persist that Carl Haas will enter IndyCar racing, without Paul Newman. AutoWeek reports Roger Penske as suggesting this may be a new home for Sam Hornish Jr! |
| June 30: Persistent rumors, especially with Carl Haas stepping down from the CART board, but he's the importer for the Lola chassis. And Paul Newman is a road racer. |
|
|
|
|---|
| Panther Racing |
Tomas Scheckter
Sam Hornish Jr. |
Townsend Bell
Mark Taylor
Al Unser Jr.
Ed Carpenter
Sarah Fisher
Alex Barron
Vitor Meira
Buddy Rice
J. J. Yeley |
John Andretti
Robby Gordon |
|
Dallara |
Chevrolet |
Pennzoil
Menards
Johns Manville
GMAC
Pedigo |
|---|
|
July 1: Townsend Bell has been named to drive for the team at Kansas. |
| June 30: Mark Taylor has lost his seat after another unsuccessful race at Richmond, his fifth DNF of the year. Townsend Bell is expected to be announced as replacement later in the week. |
| April 5: "The Truth" on ESPN-950 in Indianapolis suggests John Andretti's Panther and Pennzoil connections could bring him a ride in the team's third car at the Indy 500. |
| October 31: British driver Mark Taylor, who won the Infiniti Pro Series championship this year, has been confirmed to partner Scheckter at Panther/Menard. |
| October 12: Robin Miller suggests the team may run three cars. They are trying to put together a deal for Al Unser Jr., while a group in Atlanta is trying to persuade Burger King and Coca-Cola to sponsor Sarah Fisher with the team. |
| October 11: Scheckter has been confirmed as Hornish's replacement. |
| October 1: Mark Taylor's test for the Panther team today went very well, with the British driver getting up to speed quickly. Mark drives for the team in the Infiniti Pro Series, where he won the championship. Based on his performance, he is hoping to be selected as the team's second IndyCar driver. |
| September 30: A rumor has John Barnes saying he was stood up by J. J. Yeley. The chances of him returning to IndyCars are fading. |
| September 21: Effectively a free agent, Tomas Scheckter comes into the picture at Panther. He has talent and the team, particularly Andy Brown and Pancho Carter, are good at micro-managing their drivers. John Barnes admits he is still talking to Al Unser Jr. and confirms they will be a two car team. They expect to announce their 2004 driver line-up at Texas. |
| September 7: Team owner John Barnes has Al Unser Jr. on his list, reports Robin Miller. He may be out at Kelley if Tony George is no longer funding him. |
| September 4: Ed Carpenter gets to audition for the job with a ride for PDM Racing, starting at Chicago. |
| September 4: Buddy Rice is now available for the seat, but after being fired by Cheever, would Panther be interested (maybe... remember Tomas Scheckter got scooped up by Ganassi). |
| August 25: The team expects to run two cars in 2004 and will soon test Alex Barron, J. J. Yeley, Ed Carpenter, Mark Taylor, A. J. Foyt IV and others. AutoWeek suggests some currently contracted drivers may join the list, such as Paul Tracy (depending on his situation in CART) and Buddy Rice (falling out of favor with Cheever). Add Bryan Herta to the list, if Dario Franchitti really returns to Andretti Green. |
| August 23: Who will replace Hornish? "Right now, Alex Barron is the best available," says Joe Negri, IRL program manager for General Motors. "But there are other drivers who may or may not be available depending on if their options are picked up." |
| August 18: Sam Hornish Jr. announced today, after meeting with Panther Racing, that he would be leaving the team at the end of the season. He did not say where he was going, only that "The opportunities I have been given are too good". Speculation is that his new team will give him the ability to drive in both IRL and NASCAR. Team owner John Barnes says he was not permitted to make Hornish an offer, even though he expects to have Richard Childress as a partner in 2004. |
| August 11: Could Richard Childress be helping GM put together a package to keep Hornish at Panther? See below. |
| July 18: According to the Indy Star, Panther plans to test several drivers for the second seat in September. They quote John Barnes as saying the list includes Dave Steele, Ed Carpenter, Mark Taylor, Tomas Enge and "a couple of drivers in CART," in addition to IRL veteran Billy Boat. |
| June 30: Sam's contract is up at year end. He's tempted by the money is NASCAR, but not its grueling schedule. He probably has some loyalty to Panther, but he needs a teammate to share data and an engine with more power. Expect a handful of teams to compete for his services, bankrolled by the engine manufacturers. He says he will make his decision during August. |
| March 31: A third car has been entered for the Indy 500. No word on the driver. |
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|
|
|---|
| Patrick Racing |
Jaques Lazier
Jeff Simmons
Al Unser Jr.
Jimmy Kite
Felipe Giaffone
Bryan Herta
Darren Manning |
Robby Gordon |
|
|
Dallara |
Chevrolet |
|
|---|
|
July 9: Jaques Lazier will drive for the team at Nashville. It is good to see Patrick Racing getting into the IRL revolving door tradition. |
| July 2: Jeff Simmons has been confirmed to take the drive at Kansas. |
| June 30: Al Unser Jr. has announced his immediate retirement. A replacement driver will be announced soon. Robin Miller expects this to be Jeff Simmons, the rookie from the Infiniti Pro Series who ran so well in the Indy 500. |
| March 21: Pat Patrick confirmed his new team at Phoenix. They will run a single car for Al Unser Jr. starting at Indianapolis and continuing for the rest of the season. |
| March 14: Off again... on again! Now Robin Miller says Pat Patrick is working with Derrick Walker to run a car at the Indy 500 for Al Unser Jr. with Chevy power. |
| March 1: Al Unser Jr. says he is looking at other teams with whom to run the Indy 500, but no longer Patrick Racing. |
| February 27: The Indy Star reveals that Pat Patrick has abandoned his plans to field a car for Al Unser Jr. this year. Robby Gordon is looking elsewhere for his Indy 500 ride. |
| February 19: AutoWeek reports that the team is close to finalizing its plans to run Al Unser Jr. with Chevrolet power starting at the Phoenix race. Steve Newey, former VP of Racing Operations at Kelley, is coordinating the efforts. |
| February 13: The Indy Star says Pat Patrick was at the Phoenix test yesterday to meet with Tony George and Chevrolet. Chevrolet? We thought Patrick still had strong links with Toyota from running with them in CART. Seems not. |
| February 4: The Indy Star says Patrick came close to signing Felipe Giaffone in December, until he lost his Hollywood sponsorship. Patrick continues to look for ways to run Al Unser Jr. while Giaffone is hoping to run stock cars back in his native Brazil. |
| December 6: Robin Miller reports on ESPN.com that Pat Patrick is in the process of selling his CART team to Emerson Fittipaldi with the aim of starting a new IRL team to run Al Unser Jr., possibly in conjunction with Kelley Racing. |
| November 6: Manning has signed with Target. |
| November 5: Darren Manning is expected to sign with Target, but reports also link him with Patrick. In a Champ Car or an IndyCar? |
| November 2: Robin Miller reports that Tony George is offering to pay Al Unser Jr's salary for another year, Could this tempt Patrick to the IRL? |
| October 31: Al Unser Jr. has confirmed that he has had discussions with Patrick about driving an IndyCar for the team. However, he conceded that no deal is imminent. We expect Patrick to continue in CART, but add a single car operated in the IRL. |
| August 25: We are hearing rumors that Patrick has bought a Dallara chassis and is considering a switch to the IRL for 2004. |
|
|
|
|---|
| PDM Racing |
Robby McGehee
Jimmy Kite
Ben Collins
Felipe Giaffone
Ed Carpenter |
|
|
|
Dallara |
Chevrolet |
Go Britain |
|---|
|
May 20: The team has put together a last minute deal to run Robby McGehee in the Indy 500, using Robby Gordon's spare car. |
| May 13: The Indy Star maintains there is still a chance that PDM will reemerge to run Jimmy Kite in the Indy 500. |
| May 5: In an interview with the Indy Star, owner Paul Diatlovich confirms that the team has shut down and will not run in the Indy 500 this year. |
| May 2: Paul Diatlovich has told Robin Miller that he closed shop last Friday. |
| March 31: Ben Collins' sponsorship package has fallen through, so the team s back to looking for a driver and sponsor for the Indy 500. However, the team has filed its sole Indy 500 entry. |
| March 3: The team says it is now targeting the Indy 500 for its debut with Ben Collins. |
| February 25: Autosport reports that Collins might not get to race until the Indy 500. Also, PDM say they may be able to run a second car in the Indy 500 for Jimmy Kite. |
| February 20: PDM has confirmed Ben Collins as driver for 2004 starting at Phoenix. |
| February 11: Ben Collins, who last competed on ovals in Indy Lights in 1999, is hoping to become the fifth British driver in the series. The team is working to put together a test prior to Motegi that could lead to him running in the Japanese race. |
| January 30: We have seen Giaffone's name linked to PDM, but the Indy Star says he no longer has Hollywood sponsorship, which might have been sufficient to make this happen. |
| January 6: Ed Carpenter has signed to Cheever. |
| October 31: The team continues to test with Carpenter while looking for sponsorship for 2004. |
| September 4: Just when we thought they would never return, PDM pops up fielding Ed Carpenter at Chicago, with sponsorship from Metabolife (the second quack medicine in the series). Any coincidence this comes as IndyCar's field dropped to 19 cars? (Carpenter is Tony George's stepson.) Anyway, a good opportunity for Pro Series stand-out Carpenter to learn the ropes. If he does well, he could be snapped up by a bigger team. |
| July 9: The team is still working on securing funding to run Jimmy Kite later this season and next year. Will they be successful? They do own a sole Dallara. |
|
|
|
|---|
| Red Bull Cheever Racing |
Alex Barron |
Ed Carpenter
Narain Karthikeyan
Ricardo Mauricio
Buddy Rice
Sarah Fisher
Heinz-Harald Frentzen |
Eddie Cheever
Robby Gordon
Sarah Fisher |
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Dallara |
Chevrolet |
Red Bull |
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March 31: Only two Indy 500 entries, so it looks like Eddie will not be driving. |
| February 6: The team will run a third car in the Indy 500, but has not revealed the driver. Eddie is playing down suggestions that he could drive it himself. |
| January 6: Red Bull Cheever Racing has confirmed Ed Cheever as its second driver alongside Alex Barron, plus the sponsorship and technical package. We believe there is a small chance we will still see Eddie Cheever in a third car at Indy. |
| December 31: AutoWeek expects Ed Carpenter to be signed soon for the second car. |
| December 3: The team has confirmed it will be back in the IRL with two cars next year. Alex Barron has been signed for one, while the team is testing Ed Carpenter and Narain Karthikeyan for the second. |
| November 11: We hear an interesting rumor that Red Bull will move the team to CART next season, with Eddie Cheever back in the driving seat of one of the two cars. |
| October 30: Autosport reports that German F1 driver Frentzen has decided against a switch to IndyCars after losing his ride at Sauber. Apparently, he had brief discussions with Eddie Cheever while in Indianapolis for the US Grand Prix. |
| September 20: While not racing, Buddy Rice was still with the team at Fontana, wearing his Red Bull uniform, and he still features in IRL TV commercials. Maybe there is still a chance for him if Cheever runs a second car at any races next season? |
| September 4: And those changes have come with the replacement of Buddy Rice by Alex Barron. If Barron performs well, this could be his home next year. Meanwhile, Rice needs to look elsewhere... |
| August 23: Eddie is threatening to make changes after poor results in recent races. |
| July 20: Ricardo Mauricio drove for the Red Bull F3000 team in 2002 and passed his IRL rookie test in a Cheever car last October. However, he now races for Racing Engineering in Spanish F3 and is no longer sponsored by Red Bull. |
| June 30: If the Chevy-badged Cosworth engine performs as the team hopes, they may return to two cars, possibly with Eddie back in the cockpit himself (or maybe just for Indy). Alternatively, they could jump ship to Toyota or Honda. |
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Richard Childress Racing |
Robby Gordon
Paul Tracy |
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Dallara |
Chevrolet |
GM Goodwrench
Cingular
AOL |
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February 6: Robby Gordon is close to announcing a run in the Indy 500 with support from one of the Chevrolet teams. Reports imply that Childress is not involved. |
| August 25: Childress has made it clear he plans to partner with another IRL team, not start his own. That would not prevent a car being run in the Indy 500 in Childress name and colors, prepared by, say, Panther. |
| August 18: Panther team owner John Barnes says he expects to have Childress as a partner in 2004. |
| August 11: ESPN says Richard Childress is interested in forming an IndyCar team. The Indy Star suggests this would be in partnership with an existing team, possibly even Panther as part of a package to keep Sam Hornish Jr. This might also be a way for Childress to run Robby Gordon, his NASCAR driver, in the Indy 500 himself. Robin Miller notes a further rumor suggesting Paul Tracy will drive for Childress, but points out he has a contract in CART with Gerry Forsythe for 2004. |
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| Roth Racing |
Marty Roth |
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Dallara |
Toyota |
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| March 15: The 45-year-old owner-driver of this Infiniti Pro Series team has filed an entry for the Indy 500. |
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RuSport |
A. J. Allmendinger |
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Dallara |
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December 17: RuSport will run A. J. Allmendinger in a Champ Car, along with Toyota Atlantic entries for Aaron Justus and Leo Maia. |
| September 30: Carl Russo may have dropped out of the consortium buying CART. Despite being supportive of the other partners, the team may run A. J. Allmendinger in the IRL next year! |
| August 18: RuSport members were evident at Kentucky and rumors are flying that this Toyota Atlantic team is ready to move up to IndyCars. But they are also part of the consortium that is bidding to buy CART. |
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| Sam Schmidt Motorsports |
Richie Hearn
Arie Luyendyk Jr. |
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May 20: According to Speed Channel, Sam Schmidt has leased Penske's spare G Force to run Richie Hearn in the Indy 500. |
| May 13: According to the Indy Star, Sam Schmidt is not inclined to lease a car from Penske this year. But that could change... |
| April 6: Sam has not filed an Indy 500 entry. It is still possible he will field another team's car, like last year. |
| March 31: No Indy 500 entry yet, but Penske has a third car that could be loaned like last year. |
| February 12: Arie Luyendyk Jr. has failed to secure a full-time IndyCar ride. Sam Schmidt will run him in at least the Infiniti Pro Series races leading up to Indy. Could there also be an Indy 500 run in this for Arie? |
| June 30: The team is concentrating its efforts on the IRL Infiniti Pro Series, but could conceivably borrow a car to run in the Indy 500 again. |
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| Super Aguri Fernández Racing |
Kousuke Matsuura
Roger Yasukawa |
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G Force
Dallara |
Honda |
Panasonic
ARTA |
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January 9: The team has announced Kousuke Matsuura, who finished third in the Renault V6 Eurocup last year, as sole IndyCar driver. The switch to G Force chassis was also confirmed. |
| December 9: The team will probably switch to the G Force chassis for 2004. |
| November 12: The team is testing Formula Renault V6 Eurocup driver Kousuke Matsuura at Phoenix this week, as a possible driver for a second car next season. He is a graduate of team owner Aguri Suzuki's Japanese racing school. |
| October 23: While Honda may be concentrating its efforts on Andretti-Green, at least the team has a Japanese connection to help retain its engine supply. |
| August 17: The Indianapolis Star quotes co-owner Tom Anderson as saying "I guess I am glad I won't have a rookie (driver) or an engineer new to the IRL next season," implying status quo for 2004. |
| June 30: If Honda continues to fund their Japanese-American driver, the team should continue the same for 2004. |
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| Target Chip Ganassi Racing |
Scott Dixon |
Darren Manning
Alex Barron
Ed Carpenter
Chris Simmons
Tony Renna
Tomas Scheckter
Sam Hornish Jr. |
Arie Luyendyk
Max Papis
Jimmy Vasser |
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G Force |
Toyota |
Target |
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March 31: Only two entries for the Indy 500. |
| March 26: Chip Ganassi tells the Indy Star that he does not expect to run a third car at the Indy 500. |
| March 8: Jimmy Vasser is now a co-owner of the PKV Racing Champ Car team. So if Chip does want to run a third car, it will not be for him. |
| March 3: Arie Luyendyk (Senior, not his son who is running in the Infiniti Pro Series and aspires to the Indy 500) says he is still available to run a car in the Indy 500 if he can find a ride. "If Chip wants to run a third car, I am ready.? |
| March 1: Max Papis may have hurt his chances of an Indy 500 run due to his antics with Jan Magnussen at the front of the Grand-Am race at Homestead. Robin Miller thinks Jimmy Vasser stands a chance to drive a third car in the 500. |
| December 13: Max Papis has signed to drive for Ganassi's new Grand-Am team. Could he also get a ride in a third car for the Indy 500? |
| November 6: Target today confirmed the signing of Darren Manning to run alongside Scott Dixon. |
| November 5: Various sources report Target is close to signing Darren Manning for the second seat. Derrick Walker sounds resigned to losing Darren from his CART team. Mike Hull, Target team manager, says they are currently talking to three drivers. |
| November 2: Robin Miller suggests Alex Barron, Darren Manning, Ed Carpenter and Chris Simmons are in the running for the second seat. |
| October 22: We were so sorry to hear that Tony Renna lost his life after only four laps of testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway today. He showed so much promise and his ride with Target should have been his big break. |
| October 1: The team has announced Tony Renna to replace Tomas Scheckter, alongside Scott Dixon for 2004. |
| September 25: The Indianapolis Star quotes Chip Ganassi as saying the September 15 deadline to pick up Scheckter's option passed for a reason. The only other team Scheckter's manager is talking to is Panther. |
| September 21: ESPN's RPM2Day reports that Ganassi has not picked up its option on Scheckter. Who else is in their sights and where will Tomas go? He is second in laps led this season to Scott Dixon. |
| August 17: SportsTicker reports Target team managing director Mike Hull as saying "We met with Sam's agent earlier and he wanted $3 million for the first year of the contract. The discussion did not go past that. We told him that we don't pay any of our drivers $3 million a year." |
| June 30: Chip Ganassi has vehemently denied that the team will abandon the IRL to concentrate on NASCAR next year. Both drivers have contracts through 2004, but there are suggestions that Dixon might head to Formula One if he can get a drive "in the top half of the grid". Toyota love him, but have a way to go before that will be true. The team has said it may expand to three cars next season, but there's no indication of who would be in line as the driver. As one of the few teams who could afford him, could this be a new home for Sam Hornish Jr. (with a future entrance to NASCAR, if he wants it)? |
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Team Menard |
Vitor Meira
Richie Hearn
Buddy Lazier
Jaques Lazier |
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Dallara |
Chevrolet |
Menards
Johns Manville |
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October 28: The team today announced that it will merge with Panther to field two cars in 2004. |
| October 12: Robin Miller reports rumors that Menard will sell the team, becoming purely a sponsor. How does Menard Engineering, which builds engines, figure in this? |
| August 27: The team is testing Richie Hearn at the Chicagoland Speedway, anticipating running him in the September 7 race there. It looks like all faith has been lost in Lazier. |
| August 23: The team gave Jaques Lazier another chance, by allowing him to replace the injured Meira at Nazareth. But they withdrew the car when Lazier crashed during the first ten minutes of practice. |
| June 30: Needs more power like most Chevy-engined cars at this point in the season. Seems to have faith in Meira now. |
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| Team Penske |
Sam Hornish Jr.
Gil de Ferran |
Helio Castroneves |
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Dallara
G Force |
Toyota |
Marlboro |
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March 31: Penske has filed three entries for the Indy 500. The third is a G Force chassis, so it may be just a backup in case it is found to run better during testing. Of course, it is possible that once both drivers are qualified the team will lend a car to Sam Schmidt, like last year. |
| August 25: Marlboro Team Penske announced today that Gil de Ferran is retiring at the end of the season and will be replaced by Sam Hornish Jr. So much for Gil saying he is insulted that people think he would retire and so much for Sam's principles regarding tobacco sponsorship! (Evil thought: Is Gil really retiring from racing or just the IRL?) |
| August 19: In today's IRL media teleconference, Sam Hornish Jr. implied very strongly he has decided to compete in NASCAR next year. However, he did say that whatever team he joins will have to let him run the Indy 500 too. Robin Miller, writing for ESPN.com, speculates that Penske would be a logical choice. |
| July 28: The Indy Star quotes Roger Penske as saying "I am absolutely not running three cars next year. We will have the same sponsor and the same two drivers (Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves). Everything will be the same." Marlboro is committed through 2006. |
| June 30: Gil de Ferran has achieved the CART championship and now an Indy 500 win, yet he claims he's not ready to retire yet (despite some serious injuries in both his IRL seasons). If that's true, expect to see both drivers return. The big news, according to Robin Miller, is that Marlboro will depart as sponsor. This leaves open the possibility of Sam Hornish Jr. coming on board, as he says he would never drive with tobacco sponsorship. |
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| Team Rahal |
Buddy Rice |
Vitor Meira
Kenny Bräck
Jaques Lazier
Buddy Lazier
Michel Jourdain Jr.
Bryan Herta
Jimmy Vasser
Jon Fogarty
Ed Carpenter |
Roger Yasukawa |
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G Force
Dallara |
Honda |
Pioneer (USA)
Argent Mortgage
Sammy
Centrix
BEA
Miller
Gigante |
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April 22: Kenny Bräck says he is not ready to race in the Indy 500. The Indy Star says Rahal is likely to stick with Vitor Meira for the race. |
| April 1: Rahal has filed three entries for the Indy 500. Rice, Yasukawa and one yet to be named - presumably for Bräck if he is fit in time. |
| March 26: Meira has been confirmed to drive at Motegi. No word on longer term plans. Yasukawa will be sponsored by "Sammy". |
| March 21: The Indy Star spotted Buddy and Jaques Lazier, Felipe Giaffone, Vitor Meira and Oriol Servia at Phoenix expressing an interest in the second seat. |
| March 20: This is how it appears to be for the numbers of cars: Rice is currently subbing for Bräck in the primary car. A second car will be added at Motegi for the rest of the season. The Indy Star says Vitor Meira may get to race it at Motegi. Rice is in contention for the second car, if/when Bräck returns, but it could go to another driver, such as Meira. A third car is being run for Yasukawa, currently only at Motegi and Indy. Got that? |
| March 18: With his withdrawal from Champ Car, Rahal is in the market for another driver to sit in for Kenny Bräck while he recovers from his injuries. Buddy Rice now gets to drive all season. |
| March 12: Robin Miller suggests that Rahal may follow Fernández by bringing Jourdain's entry to the IRL. |
| March 8: Jimmy Vasser is now a co-owner of the PKV Racing Champ Car team. |
| February 4: Gordon Kirby notes in this week's Autosport that Jimmy Vasser turned down Rahal's offer to drive a second car because he did not like the prospect of driving exclusively on ovals. |
| January 20: The team has announced it will run Roger Yasukawa in two races, the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi and the Indy 500. That means there is no real chance of a car for Vasser or Fogarty. |
| January 8: Team Rahal has announced that Buddy Rice will sub for Kenny Bräck in advance of his return from injury, expected to be at the Indy 500. The team also announced a switch to the G Force chassis while remaining with Honda engines. Maybe Rice will get a second car for the 500? It now seems less likely that Vasser will take a second IndyCar for the season. |
| December 26: And now we hear a whisper that Buddy Rice may sit in during Bräck's recovery. That would make some sense: Rahal had an option on Rice for the 2002 season, which was never exercised. On the other hand, Rice had been expected to race NASCAR trucks for ThorSport Racing in 2004, which would give him a schedule conflict for the Japanese race. |
| December 23: Various rumors on the Internet suggest Vasser will take the second seat at Rahal, but will be the only driver before Bräck's expected return for the Indy 500. |
| December 16: Herta has signed to drive a fourth car for Andretti-Green. |
| December 9: The team will probably switch to the G Force chassis for 2004. |
| December 3: Michel Jourdain Jr. says he hopes to run for the team at Indy. |
| November 20: Herta says he is testing just to help the team out. He expects Bräck to return and wants to join a team where he can stay all season. |
| November 6: With Andretti's option on Bryan Herta having lapsed, he is due to test for Rahal at Phoenix on November 18 and 19. While Kenny Bräck is recovering, he is not expected to be fit to drive before May. |
| October 23: With Honda concentrating its efforts on Andretti-Green, will Rahal have to look elsewhere for engines? |
| October 12: Bräck's accident in the season finale at Texas may end his driving career. Earlier rumors linked Ed Carpenter with a second car for the team. |
| August 22: Team Rahal announced today that Jon Fogarty would join Danica Patrick in its Toyota Atlantic team for the remaining two races of the season. This may be preparation for running the 2002 Atlantic champion in a second Champ Car or a second IndyCar. |
| June 30: Will continue to run a single car for Bräck, who seems comfortable, if not especially challenged, back in an IndyCar. |
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Walker Racing |
Robby McGehee
Al Unser Jr. |
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Dallara
G Force |
Chevrolet
Honda |
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April 6: Walker has not filed an Indy 500 entry of its own. |
| March 21: Walker will be providing technical assistance to Patrick Racing's entry for Al Unser Jr. |
| March 14: Robin Miller suggests the above Indy 500 program is in conjunction with Pat Patrick and Al Unser Jr. with Chevy providing the engine. |
| March 12: The Indy Star gives us first indications that Walker is working on a program for the Indy 500 with veteran IRL driver Robby McGehee, who will be spotting for Mark Taylor at Phoenix. |
| February 2: Walker is talking to Honda about an engine deal for if they can find enough sponsorship money to run an IndyCar program again. The team is also selling its Champ Car Reynard chassis, but expected to continue to run in that series with Lolas. |
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