2007 Team-By-Team Preview
New faces in new places and some other changes are apparent, but the IndyCar Series' big three teams should stay that way in 2007, writes John Oreovicz.
The IndyCar Series springs back into action for 2007 this Saturday with the XM Satellite Radio 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET). Here's a team-by-team breakdown of how the season might shape up.
Team Penske
2006 Results: 1st (Sam Hornish) and 3rd (Helio Castroneves) in championship; 8 wins.
What's new: Tom German replaces Nigel Beresford as technical director; cars no longer display Marlboro cigarette logos, though Philip Morris remains the team's primary sponsor.
Outlook: There's no reason to believe that Team Penske will be anything but a front-runner, especially at Indianapolis as Roger Penske chases his 15th Borg Warner Trophy. Perennial championship bridesmaid Castroneves is probably hungrier for a series crown than three-time titlist Hornish, who will probably also be slightly distracted by his future in NASCAR.
Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
2006 Results: 2nd (Dan Wheldon) and 4th (Scott Dixon) in championship; 4 wins.
What's new: TCGR will run Dallara chassis at all races after utilizing a Panoz in 2006 road races.
Outlook: Wheldon knows it won't take much to correct the mistakes and find the one championship point that cost him the crown in 2006. Most experts make him this year's favorite, but he could be trumped by Dixon's uncanny consistency and road-course prowess.
Andretti Green Racing
2006 Results: 6th (Tony Kanaan), 7th (Marco Andretti), 8th (Dario Franchitti) and 11th (Bryan Herta) in championship; 2 wins.
What's new: Spiritual team leader Herta departs to spearhead Acura's ALMS sports car program, replaced by the popular Danica Patrick with a sponsor package anchored by Motorola; Franchitti's car sports new paint scheme.
Outlook: A happy medium between the championship-winning feast of 2004 and 2005 and the famine of '06 seems likely. Most observers expect AGR to be closer to the ultimate pace this year and add more than two wins to its tally; the key questions are whether the highly hyped Patrick will finally win a race and if Marco Andretti can develop into a championship contender in his second season in IndyCars. Michael Andretti will pilot a fifth AGR car at Indianapolis.
Panther Racing/Super Aguri Panther Racing
2006 Results: 5th in championship (Vitor Meira).
What's new: Addition of satellite No. 55 Super Aguri team, formerly partners with Fernandez Racing; Delphi Electronics joins to sponsor No. 4 car.
Outlook: Still struggling to regain the form that helped Hornish win his first two IndyCar Series championships (in 2001 and '02), Panther hopes the addition of a major sponsor in the form of Delphi gives enough of a boost to make fan favorite Meira a winner for the first time. Regular top-5s would represent progress for Super Aguri's Kosuke Matsuura.
Rahal Letterman Racing
2006 Results: 9th (Danica Patrick), 15th (Buddy Rice) and 16th (Jeff Simmons) in championship.
What's new: Rice and Patrick have moved on; Simmons remains in the Ethanol-sponsored No. 17 car while Scott Sharp and Patron tequila-sponsored team up in the No. 8 car.
Outlook: IndyCar iron man Sharp remains a viable top-10 runner in the twilight of his open-wheel career; he's likely to be outpaced by the younger Simmons.
Vision Racing
2006 Results: 10th (Tomas Scheckter) and 14th (Ed Carpenter) in championship.
What's new: The addition of a third Vision car for A.J. Foyt IV.
Outlook: With resources stretched thinner to run a third car for Hulman-George family friend Foyt, there is no reason to believe Vision will emerge as a threat for victory in 2007. Carpenter's development in his third year in IndyCars will be key.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
2006 Results: 18th (Buddy Lazier), 21st (Ryan Briscoe) and 25th (Sarah Fisher) in championship.
What's new: Engineers John Dick and Chris Finch from Fernandez Racing; driver Buddy Rice.
Outlook: With Rice and a more engineering-driven approach, D&R should move up the grid in '07, but will still struggle against the series' big three teams. Fisher did enough to impress the team in a couple of '06 appearances to get invited back for a full oval campaign.
A.J. Foyt Racing
2006 Results: 17th (Felipe Giaffone) and 20th (Jeff Bucknum) in championship.
What's new: A.J. has turned management of the team over to his son, Larry; driver Darren Manning.
Outlook: Manning is likely to impress the old-school Foyt with his attitude, if not his attire. Can Larry bring the team into the 21st century?
Roth Racing
2006 Results: 23rd in championship (Marty Roth).
What's new: A few additional races.
Outlook: 40-something part-timer is a feel-good story destined to have a bad ending.
John Oreovicz covers open-wheel racing for National Speed Sport News and ESPN.com.
