Who's Next? Drivers We'd Like To See Follow Alonso's Lead To Race at Indy
April 28, 2017 | By Paul Kelly, IMS
The buzz over Fernando Alonso’s decision to skip the Monaco Grand Prix and race in the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 28 continues to grow, especially as two-time Formula One World Champion Alonso prepares for his first oval test Wednesday, May 3 at IMS.
But while the racing world continues to zero in on Alonso’s quest to win a second leg of racing’s triple crown of victories in the Monaco Grand Prix, Indianapolis 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans, it’s not too early to peer into our crystal ball and look at some drivers we’d love to see follow Alonso’s lead and make their Indianapolis 500 debut at the 102nd Running in May 2018 or shortly thereafter.
Sure, we know there’s a scale of probability with these choices ranging from “Possibly next year?” to “Come on, dude!” But a race fan can dream, right? So here, they are, in alphabetical order:
Kyle Busch: “Rowdy” is acknowledged as one of the best pure drivers in NASCAR. He can drive the wheels off and win in almost anything with an engine. He also knows domination at IMS, as he swept both the Lilly Diabetes 250 XFINITY Series race and the Brickyard 400 in 2015 and 2016. So the Indy 500 is the logical next frontier at IMS for Busch, who evokes emotion in race fans with his aggressive driving and sometimes-brash talk. Plus he doesn’t need to go further than the Favorites list on his phone to get advice, as his older brother, Kurt, raced the Indianapolis 500 with great skill in 2014.
Jeff Gordon: OK, call me Captain Obvious. But Jeff Gordon has been asked endless times about his desire to race the Indianapolis 500, as his Indiana and open-wheel roots run deep. After all, he moved from California to Pittsboro, Indiana, as a teenager to race in USAC open-wheel competition before moving to stock cars and becoming one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. He has won the Brickyard 400 a record five times and could become the first driver to win both the Brickyard and the Indy 500. Yes, he’s “retired.” Yes, he has a job with FOX that would require him to announce the Coca-Cola 600 later that evening at Charlotte. But wouldn’t that be a cool wrinkle on “The Double?” And didn’t Gordon run a handful of Cup races last year substituting for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr., and didn’t he win the Rolex 24 At Daytona this January? Plus Gordon turns 46 this August. If he won the Indianapolis 500 in 2019, he would succeed Al Unser as the oldest driver to enter Victory Lane at the “500.”
Lewis Hamilton: Hamilton is a three-time Formula One World Champion and, like Fernando Alonso, is considered one of the best drivers in the history of F1. He has a huge following on social media and has crossed over into global music and fashion circles. Hamilton probably would need to wait until his F1 career ended, as Mercedes remains at the sharp end of the grid. But his arrival at the Brickyard would be a global sensation.
Jimmie Johnson: “Seven-Time” has one more mountain left to climb in NASCAR: winning his eighth Cup Series championship to surpass Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most season titles in history. After that, why not try the Indianapolis 500? Johnson knows how to win at IMS, as he is a four-time Brickyard 400 champion. Plus there was a guy from California with off-road racing background that made his Indy 500 debut in 1978 and went on to have a pretty good career at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Yeah, that guy – Rick Mears.
Kyle Larson: This one makes all the sense in the world. Larson cut his proverbial racing teeth driving in the USAC Silver Crown, Sprint and Midget series. He won the 4-Crown Nationals in 2011 at Eldora. He drives for Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400-winning team owner Chip Ganassi in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, in which he leads the standings this season. Larson has expressed interest. Team owner Ganassi has expressed interest. Put the pieces together, fellas, and make this happen in 2018.
Sebastien Loeb: This guy is perhaps the greatest driver that many American fans don’t know. Frenchman Loeb won a record nine consecutive World Rally Championships before retiring, which brought huge sighs of relief from his battered competition. His car control is sublime, like all rally drivers. And Loeb has shown his skill in many other forms of machinery, including wins in sports cars, touring cars and World Rallycross. He also has tested F1 cars many times. This guy would be fast right out of the box at Indy.
Courtney Force Rahal: Courtney is the daughter of NHRA Funny Car legend John Force and is a fine driver in her own right, as she is the winningest female Funny Car driver in NHRA history. She also is a fan favorite, and adjusting to speeds of 235 mph on the straights at IMS would represent the slow lane for driver accustomed to hurtling down a dragstrip at 330 mph. But the biggest reason we want to see Courtney in the “500” is because it would mark the first time a husband and wife competed against each other in the Indianapolis 500. Wouldn’t it be wild to see Courtney and husband Graham Rahal enter Turn 1 side-by-side, battling for position or even the win?
Kimi Raikkonen: Raikkonen won the 2007 Formula One World Championship and still races for Ferrari in F1. But he has competed in the World Rally Championship and in NASCAR XFINITY and Truck Series races during his career, so coming to race at the “500” after his F1 career wouldn’t be a stretch. Plus it would be a treat for fans to hear “The Ice Man’s” often hilarious outbursts on the radio while listening to scanners. Can you imagine another episode of “Leave me alone: I know what I’m doing!” when his spotter gave Kimi advice on the radio?
Valentino Rossi: “The Doctor” is the most popular motorcycle racer in history, hands down. He’s nearing the end of his incomparable MotoGP career, when he could shift into car racing. The incredibly charismatic Rossi has made a handful of starts in the World Rally Championship and in Italian national rallying. And many have forgotten that Ferrari was close to offering Rossi a Formula One race seat about 10 years ago after he tested extensively with the Scuderia, reportedly lapping within seven-tenths of a second of the immortal Michael Schumacher. Plus there was a guy who crossed over from motorcycle racing who always was a threat for victory at Indy in the 1960s and early 1970s – Joe Leonard.
Donny Schatz: Nobody has ruled the short tracks of America in winged sprint cars since the heyday of Indiana’s own Steve “The King” Kinser like Donny Schatz. He has won eight World of Outlaws championships since 2006. He has competed for Tony Stewart Racing since 2008, so there’s another connection to the Speedway. There’s no doubt Schatz has the talent and racecraft to get up to speed quickly at IMS.
Ricky and Jordan Taylor: The Taylor brothers are the clown princes of IMSA sports car racing, hilarious in interviews and on social media. But much like Eddie Sachs in the 1950s and early 1960s at Indianapolis, these funny men also can flat-out drive a race car. Jordan has a class victory with Corvette at Le Mans (hello, Chevrolet!) and has won the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Ricky also has won the Rolex 24. Both Taylor brothers have expressed interest in trying Indy cars, and there would be no better place for them to try than Indy, perhaps in a car fielded by their father’s team, Wayne Taylor Racing.
Sebastian Vettel: Vettel is a four-time Formula One World Champion – a legend. He’s also a spunky, fun personality who has expressed interest periodically at trying the Indianapolis 500. Vettel’s entry into the “500” would rock the racing world and mark a homecoming of sorts. He made his Formula One debut as a replacement for the injured Robert Kubica with BMW at the 2007 United States Grand Prix at IMS. Welcome back, Seb!
Who else would you like to see make their Indianapolis 500 debut? Let us know on the IMS Facebook page or Twitter feed.