Lights out?
Ever since the controversy over cheating in the Firestone Indy Lights series by the Sam Schmidt team earlier this year, the size of the Indy Lights grid has been dwindling and is now down to just 12 cars for this weekend's race in Loudon, NH. We're are not sure if it is a case of team owners no longer trusting the league officials, or a case of ride-buying drivers no longer wanting to waste their money on a series where they think they do not have a fair shot at winning.
Another reason can be money. When you crash your car on an oval the repair bill can get very expensive very fast. It could be a total write-off.
Regardless, the field size has been shrinking even before this, leading one to wonder if it will be 'Lights Out' for the series next year.
There is one chance to salvage the series as we wrote last month. (Related article)