Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Hadn't seen this mentioned on here. IndyCar had their open test this week in preparation for the Indianapolis 500. It was supposed to be a two-day test, but almost all of the Wednesday afternoon portion and the entire Thursday session was rained out. Larson ended the test with the second fastest lap speed of the day with an average lap speed of 226.384 mph. He was second to last year's Indy 500 Champion Josef Newgarden, who laid down a 228.811 mph lap.

It seems like a pretty solid start to Larson's first ever attempt at the Indy 500.

Ask Frank

Thats average speed? (not top speed?)

I wonder how fast he was running the corners?!?

He's not human. 

I've always had this feeling he is an alien from another planet. Thoughts from under the tin foil hat.

I wish him the best.  He is the most versatile driver since Mario and AJ.  We are watching greatness!

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

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Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

When he announced last year he would be running this May, I was excited, but worried.  A lot of the Indy car world, and fans, do not like to recognize the talents of those driving on dirt, and in taxi cabs on Sundays.  I have a lot of friends who are Indy Car fans, and thought Jimmie Johnson's experiment in open wheel was a reflection of the lack of talent in Nascar.  It made me laugh.  1.  Kyle has more actual raw driving talent in his big toe than Jimmie has in his entire body.  2.  A washed up Jimmie Johnson was not a great measuring stick.  So, my nervousness was that Kyle would not be able to compete in this race, and it would diminish his talents in the eyes of fans of other disciplines.  

Well, he's already turning some heads, though I think winning his very first 500 mile Indy car race is a bit of a stretch.  Either way, he's making noise, and his betting odds in Vegas are rapidly changing.  Should have put a bet in back a month ago!!  I am always in Northern Wisconsin on a fishing trip during the Indy 500, so this year, we will be getting off the water by 11:00 a.m vs. the final 1/3 of the race.  I wanna watch this one from green to checkers, and I am hoping to see that 17 car fighting the leaders in the last 50 laps!!!

I'm pretty involved as an IndyCar fan and sprint car fan. I've only seen a positive response to having Larson racing in the Indy 500. IndyCar fans can recognize talent and there's been a lot of excitement about having Larson at the Speedway.

Additionally, IndyCar fans generally have respect for dirt racing as IndyCar is directly linked historically to sprint cars and midgets. Fans have also seen the difficulties that IndyCar drivers like Conor Daly and Santino Ferrucci have had when trying to race midgets over the past few years, so they recognize the challenge that dirt track racing presents.

As for Johnson, the only criticism of him that most fans had is that he tried to switch to a completely different discipline of motorsports well past his prime. But even then, Jimmie did have some really great performances once he got on the ovals and really impressed some fans. I don't think anyone sees his performance in IndyCar as a reflection on the skill level of a NASCAR driver in their prime, and definitely not a reflection of the skill level of Kyle Larson. And there's been many IndyCar drivers that have attempted the switch in NASCAR that have failed, so it's common knowledge among IndyCar fans that NASCAR is a difficult series to be competitive in.

Ask Frank

Some top F1 teams have to be wondering about this kid.  Can he?  What can't he do.  Testing can't be more than a year away.  Maybe he's already had a test with an F! team, unknown to most of the world. 

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