IndyCar: Paretta Autosport drops plans to race in Indy 500

Maybe the Indy 500 is not as important as IndyCar thinks it is.

The all-women team, Paretta Autosport has dropped plans to race at this year’s Indianapolis 500 in May and instead will race in 3 IndyCar road races later in the year according to a report on Racer.

With IndyCar being a spec series, the teams with the most HP (Chevy this year, and particularly Team Penske) and the least rolling resistance, are the only ones with any chance to be competitive.

Paretta Autosport does not have the resources to spend millions on the small tweaks to be competitive.  Indy is 99% car and 1% driver. If you don’t have a fast car, you may as well stay home, and that is precisely what Paretta has decided to do.

Last year Paretta spent all that money to test and practice at Indy all those days, qualified dead last, and crashed out of the race and finished 31st.

The cost to be at Indy all those days, plus the cost to buy the car and lease the engine, plus the cost to pay all their employees, plus the cost to repair their damaged car, was more than their 31st place winnings.

It had to sting.

Mark C. reporting for AutoRacing1.com