1-on-1 Preview of the 2018 IndyCar season

Question

Brian Carroccio

Mark C.

Which of the three full-time rookies (Robert Wickens, Zach Veach, Matheus Leist) do you expect to perform the best in 2018?

While I doubt the quality of the second SPM entry at times, I’m going to take the experience of Wickens over two young drivers being throw into the deep end.

I have to go with Zach Veach simply because of the three teams only Andretti has the Honda and it’s probably the best of the three teams

What in your opinion is the biggest story entering the 2018 season?

The car.

What the new TV deal will look like. If all the races are not broadcast on network TV, and IndyCar goes with a cable TV deal, the series will continue to be an unknown to almost all the USA population.

Takuma Sato, Ed Jones, and Tony Kanaan were full-time drivers in 2017 who have switched teams for 2018. Which driver do you expect to benefit the most from a change of scenery?

Hard to see Sato bettering an Indianapolis 500 win, and I don’t see the Kanaan/A.J. Foyt marriage working. Yes, Ganassi is and always has been Dixon’s team, but Jones got a huge break when things fell through between Ganassi and Brendon Hartley. I see

That is a tough one, it’s a tossup between Takuma Sato and Ed Jones, but between the two, Ed Jones will make the biggest step forward.

Which of the two new full-time teams (Carlin and Harding) do you expect to perform the best in 2018?

Harding. Chaves will finish the season higher in the standings than either Chilton or Kimball.

In the beginning of the year it will be Harding because they have had a head start, but by the end of the year I expect Carlin to come on strong. Harding has primarily oval track experts behind it.

How much does the downsizing from four to three cars affect Team Penske

The downsizing to three cars affects the team not one bit. What is interesting is to me is the chemistry within team in light of Helio Castroneves’ departure.

The team will not be spread as thin so I expect them to improve.

Gateway had a fabulous debut in 2017. Do you see IndyCar’s return to Portland International Raceway as being successful?

I was there for the CART race in 2001, but don’t know the area well. Portland did at one time, have a robust IndyCar fan base but that eroded due to a myriad of factors. Mark has been to PIR numerous times so I’ll punt this one to him.

PIR was in a state of disrepair. The grandstands look like 40 year old wooden high school football bleachers. It’s location is not in an ideal area. Portland and nearby Washington State no longer have a large IndyCar fanbase so attendance is expected to be marginal.

Which Driver under 30 do you expect to take the biggest step forward

Spencer Pigot

Pietro Fittipaldi. The kid appears to have some real talent.

Who do you like in the manufacturers’ battle between Honda and Chevrolet?

Chevrolet. They still have Penske shocks and those have been the big difference maker in performance over the last few years.

Now that the Honda teams are no longer dragging a parachute behind them (Butt Bumpers), so although it will be close, I expect Honda to nip Chevy at the end

Do you think changing from number 27 to number 98 will help Marco Andretti take a step forward in 2018?

Haha. No.

The number, no. But Marco has worked out hard over the winter and I expect he will be more competitive in 2018

So, A.J. Foyt Racing hired two Brazilian drivers this offseason. What could possibly wrong?

Man, what cynic came up with these questions? Nonetheless, what could go wrong with a 43-year-old temperamental Kanaan, a combustible Texan and a team not known for engineering/setup excellence? I think the answer is pretty clear.

I think the two Brazilians will work well together and the Foyt team has improved their engineering staff. They looked good in Phoenix and if they won one race it would not surprise me.

Intra team Teammate Battle you are most looking forward to?

Rossi/Hunter-Reay: Rossi was the best Andretti driver during the latter part of the season.

Rossi and Hunter-Reay will be a good battle, but it will be interesting to see whether Power and Pagenaud can come back and beat Newgarden this year

Do you think the IndyCar shock program that allows teams to develop their own shocks is a good thing?

No, total waste of money. Does not improve the show for the fans

No, the shock program is a complete waste of money and does not add even one additional fan to the grandstands. It just gives the big teams, like Penske, an unfair advantage without growing the sport. Every IndyCar team could run a ladder series go-kart team with the money they waste on shocks.

If there was one person in the world you think could takeover IndyCar and build it into a global powerhouse, who would that be?

Roger Penske – He has the automotive contacts, the clout, and the smarts. However, he loves winning races too much to ever stop that to run IndyCar

Hands down, Bernie Ecclestone. He was pushed out of F1 by Liberty, and he has a point to prove. And Bernie knows how to put together global TV deals. He would like nothing better than show up Liberty.

Over/Under

Team Penske has won 10 races in each of the last two season

2018 Team Penske Total Wins Over/Under: 8.5

Under. With the new car, I see this year playing out more like 2012 and 2013, than the last two seasons.

Under. The Andretti and Ganassi Honda teams will be strong this year. Penske won’t win as much unless their shocks are even more 'trick' this year.

From the following part-time driver list:

Helio Castroneves
Carlos Munoz
Ed Carpenter
Rene Binder
Jack Harvey
Kyle Kaiser
Danica Patrick
Jordan King
Pietro Fittipaldi
Zachary Claman DeMelo,

Over/Under: 0.5 wins

That’s a tough one. Munoz and Castroneves could easily win Indy, particularly given their teams. Carpenter could win an oval race. But I think the percentages on this win, would indicate under.

Under as I doubt any of these drivers will find winner’s circle in 2018. Would love to be proven wrong.