Well, the rumors are running rampant that Ryan Hunter-Reay may not be in a car for the remainder of the season. I don’t personally know what the situation is, I have no other insight as opposed to what I read on the internet. I will tell you that I heard this rumor almost immediately following Las Vegas. Needless to say, I am not happy about this at all. I’m a fan of Ryan, not only because he’s a very nice guy, nice enough to join us at many Fan Forum’s this year, even though he’d inevitably have to talk about his cold streak. I’m a fan because he has stuck it out with his team and always tries to be positive.
I’m not comparing Ryan to anybody else, but a driver who wins a race, let alone two, has demonstrated the skills. Ryan has got the skills to at least finish in the top 7 every race and has proved that in the past. I hope he doesn’t lose his seat. The team and Ryan missed something this year. Nobody really knows who’s to blame and whatnot. I just can’t help but feel that in this case the problem is much deeper than the driver. The team itself needs to look at each other and start asking questions. They have to look around and see PKV and MiJack developing nicely as a team and having the results to prove their progress. Heck, they need to look over at the #8 and see what made that squad gel so nicely. Chemistry is everything in racing. Maybe this team doesn’t have it. Heck, maybe its Ryan’s fault, what do I know? Becky Gordon, in Las Vegas, said that Hunter was under contract for next season. Which is very positive. The series can’t lose Ryan under any circumstances. You may remember that Ryan had an offer from Chip in 2005 but chose to remain with Champ Car, unlike other drivers in the past. Ryan has shown his true colors and in this battle with the IRL, we need true soldiers and Ryan is one of our soldiers.

Well, congratulations to Panoz and Elan for getting the Chassis spec contract for 2007 and two more years following that. I think the car looks good. I have two issues with the car. The small wings in the back will be good for aerodynamics, no question about it. I just don’t necessarily LOVE the look. I’ll get used to it. But my main issue is that the cars still have the ability to interlock wheels. I was hoping the design would resemble Bruce Ashmore’s design from earlier this year, when he made sure that it was near impossible for wheels to touch. There was definitely some improvement in that area though and that’s positive. The onboard starter will facilitate things, which is cool. Sometimes during those long yellows, I just don’t know what to talk about anymore. I’m sure the Track announcer and his ability to adlib during a yellow flag was put into consideration when designing this chassis. Thanks Panoz. Or Elan. Which would you like to be called?

By the way, I sent was is likely to be the final Overheard at the Track to Champ car last week. Actually, it seems like I sent it a while ago now. It’s in their hands.