As just over One Third of this year’s IndyCar field
will go Sports car racing this weekend…
Perusing the cavernous No Fenders Archive
vault, I came across a story that made me ponder if Thar’s anybody on this year’s
Rolex 24 Grid that makes fellow competitors as nervous as when ‘Ol superTex’,
nee Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. “terrorized” Day-Toners’ High Banks in an All
conquering Porsche 962 Panzerwagen? Hey after all, some IndyCar Rookie’s
honouring His Bosses turning 88 this year with His car number…
http://www.nofenders.net/2017/01/rolex-24-when-supertex-pounded-high.html
As Here’s a list of the 10 IndyCar Drivers that
are racing at Day-Toner’ this year. Excluding both Chip Ganassi Racing and Ed
Carpenter Racing’s IndyCar Development Drivers and Indy NXT Competitors Kyffin
Simpson and Josh Pierson respectively. Nor Christian Rasmussen and Rasmus Lind.
With All four NXT Drivers comprising nearly Half of HMD Motorsports with Dale
Coyne Racing’s nine car Indy NXT Armada’s…
Andretti Autosport
(Driver/IMSA Class/Car#/Racing Team/Chassis)
(#26) Colton Herta
Class: GTP, Nos. 24-25 Team BMW M RLL; BMW M
Hybrid V-8
(#27) Kyle Kirkwood
Class: GTD, No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing; Lexus
RC F GT3
(#28) Romain Grosjean
Class: GTD Pro, No. 63 Iron Lynx; Lamborghini
Huracan GT3 Evo2
(#29) Devlin DeFrancesco
Class: LMP2, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing; Oreaca 07
Chip Ganassi Racing
(#9) Scott Dixon
Class: GTP, No. 01 Cadillac Racing; Cadillac
V-LMDH
Ed Carpenter Racing
(#21) Rinus VeeKay
Class: LMP2, No. 11 TDS Racing; Oreca 07
Meyer Shank Racing
(#06) Helio Castroneves
Class: GTP, No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing; Acura
ARX-06
(#60) Simon Pagenaud
Class: GTP, No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing; Acura ARX-06
Team Penske
(#2) Josef Newgarden
Class: LMP2, No. 8 Tower Motorsports; Oreaca 07
(#3) Scott McLaughlin
Class: LMP2, No. 8 Tower Motorsports; Oreca 07
Update
Thanks to Raymond Hando’s For The Love of Indy’s
comprehensive Car-by-Car preview of the entire 61 Car Grid for this year’s
Rolex 24. I learned that there’s actually five Indy NXT Drivers participating
this year.
With No Disrespect towards Danial Frost who’s
part of the No. 43 MRS GT-Racing’s LMP3 line up, who I missed during my Mondo’
Rolex 24 previews. With Frost’s inclusion seeing more than Half of HMD
Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing’s Indy NXT Squad “Tuning Up” at Daytona.
Also, Colton Herta is indeed driving in both of BMW M Team RLL ‘s GTP Prototypes, albeit primarily in the #24 entry.
Which although rare, Driver’s have raced two cars before. As this year’s LMP2 Pole Sitter Ben Keating comes to mind. Although Keating raced for two different teams in two different classes from what I remember.
Also believe Thars a Maximum Drive-time that Herta, or Any competitor cannot exceed more than Four hours in any Six Hour period…