Dumb Move of the Day.

It's official. Sam Hornish Jr. is switching to NASCAR. After failing to qualify for six NASCAR races this year, why not go for the big bucks and try it full time?

I really don't understand this at all. I know that the earnings potential is greater in NASCAR, and open-wheel racing in this country is in perpetual Limbo, but consider the history:

1) Hornish is the most successful and consistent active driver in IndyCar Racing, with the best team. He could win the Indy 500 and the IRL championship as many times as he wants.

2) All of his previous closed-wheel (or tin-top, for you Brits) excursions have been spectacular flops (see picture above). Did I mention the six failed qualifying attempts?

Hornish is optimistic about the move, and feels that he can do well (provided he makes the field, eh?).

""I am a much better racer than I am a qualifier, and if I can just get in, I
feel confident I can figure it out.""

Uh, Sammy? Look at the picture again, please. Getting in is easier said than done, too, as you well know by now. Never fear, though, the NASCAR rules favor in this regard: Penske can use his owner points earned by Kurt Busch to guarantee Hornish at least five starts. Naturally, that should be enough to get started with. Again, the optimism:

""People always ask me why Montoya has been so successful, and the easy thing to
say is because he had the points," Hornish said. "He had those first five races
and he was automatically guaranteed to get that seat time.""

But Montoya is something that Hornish is not: a true racer in the old style, like Tony Stewart; these guys can drive fast in anything, much like drivers of the '60s. Men like A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Jim Clark, and Mario Andretti could race, and win, in anything.

Maybe with some extended seat time he'll get the hang of it, or he could get lucky(car number 77, you see). But I just can't see how this is a good move right now.

One good thing, though, is that now there's a seat open on the top open-wheel team. Prospects will be circling like sharks, so here's my suggestion: give the media a real story and give this deserving driver a chance.

(h/t Jalopnik)

Link to image source.

The Very Best?

Yesterday saw the conclusion of one of the most interesting Formula One championship seasons in recent years. Lewis Hamilton, rookie sensation and points leader going in, flubbed the first lap then suffered mechanical problems which set him well back in the field, costing him the title. Fernando Alonso, his teammate and two-time champion, drove a steady race to a lackluster finish. This left it to an improbable Kimi Raikkonen to come from third in the points to capture the drivers' title by winning the race. I'll say I wasn't displeased by this as I feel that since McLaren were (rightly) disqualified from the Constructors' Championship, their drivers should have been as well. F1 commentators are fond of calling it a 'team sport.'

What really struck me, however, was not the race but a segment in the pre-race coverage on Speed Channel. Each of the top three drivers was asked, "If something unfortunate happens to prevent you winning the championship, which driver would you like to win?"

To which all three replied with some variation on, "If I can't win it, I really don't care who does." Amazing. Not one had the courtesy or the guts to say, "I think so-and-so should win." It shows the depths of self-centeredness that Formula One has sunk to in the last few decades.

Contrast this with today's Indy Car drivers: each year the Indianapolis Star asks the participants in the 500 mile race a similar question. Most will name another driver, often a teammate. Better yet is Jackie Stewart, himself former F1 champion driver, speaking about his experience in leading the 1966 Indy 500:

"You know, I thought later, 'I could have won this thing!' But the
team won; Graham [Hill] won."

Quite a change in the last 40 years. Formula One drivers are called the best in the world. The most skilled? Maybe. The best quality? I don't think so.

Link to image source.