Open Wheel Craze About To End?
A.J. Allmendinger, Jacques Villeneuve Out Of a Ride
Because of the latest developments, are we witnessing the 'beginning of the end' of the open wheel craze?
This whole NASCAR deal is not as easy as Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon have made it appear. That is the harsh reality that some of the former open wheel drivers are facing today.
A.J. Allmendinger won five races in Champ Car in 2006 and seemed primed and ready for the challenge that NASCAR Sprint Cup presented. Unfortunately, Allmendinger’s quest for stock car stardom is currently on hold. After failing to qualify for the first three races of the 2008 Sprint Cup season, Red Bull Racing has pulled Allmendinger from the driver’s seat and added veteran Mike Skinner, hoping to turn this fledgling program around. In 2007, Allmendinger successfully qualified for seventeen of the 36 races, which is less than 50 percent.
In all fairness to Allmendinger, the odds were totally stacked against him from the outset. He was a rookie driver with limited experience in stock cars joining an upstart team and manufacturer. However, in today’s NASCAR, sponsors and owners shy away from the excuses and reasons why a driver struggles. This is a results-based business, and if the results are not there, you are on the outside looking in.
"We're at a crossroads where we need to make a change that will elevate the No. 84 team to success," said Jay Frye, the team's vice president and general manager. "A.J.'s our guy and he's a talented driver, but there's a lot being asked of him. In order for him to be successful, we have to get this team pointed in the right direction. We hope we can do that with the help of a veteran driver."
The good news for Allmendinger is that Red Bull Racing plans to keep him around for the time being. He was in Phoenix testing the Red Bull Toyota, and seems to understand the team’s decision.
“Let’s not kid ourselves; I’m a racer and I want to be racing, but I get the big picture here and obviously we need to improve our program,” said Allmendinger. “Do I want to be out of the car? No. But, I know Skinner can help both me and my team.”
Allmendinger is not the only open-wheel veteran who has endured an incommodious transition. Former Formula 1 driver Jacques Villeneuve’s NASCAR career was transitory. After failing to qualify for the Daytona 500, Bill Davis Racing relieved Villeneuve from his driving duties. Even though the circumstances with Villeneuve was due to the lack of financial support as opposed to performance, this goes to show you that open wheel drivers may not be the way to go.
Ever since Juan Pablo Montoya joined Chip Ganassi Racing, some owners have been partial to the open wheel drivers. Penske Racing hired three-time Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish, Jr. to his NASCAR program, and he currently sits 38th in the Sprint Cup championship standings. Chip Ganassi Racing hired the 2007 IRL and Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti who is 36th in the standings. Gillett Evernham Motorsports hired Patrick Carpentier who failed to qualify for the first two races in 2008.
These results prove that open wheel drivers do not necessarily develop faster than the young guns. Because of the latest developments, are we witnessing the ‘beginning of the end’ of the open wheel craze? Now that the young gun craze has also died down a bit, have we cycled back around to the journeyman drivers, such as Jeremy Mayfield, Scott Riggs, Mike Skinner, and Johnny Sauter?
