A racing fan's wish list for the New Year:
Champ Car: A U.S.-born championship contender.
It was a roller coaster year for Champ Car. It got off to a shaky start with the Championship Auto Racing Team's bankruptcy proceedings that almost spelled the end of the series; defections to the rival Indy Racing League, and a hastily put together field for the opener in Long Beach, Calif., in April. But the series survived and gained momentum throughout the year.
It only got better when two of the series owners, Gerry Forsythe and Kevin Kalkhoven, bought Cosworth Engineering from Ford and ensured a future supply of motors to Champ Car's teams.
Champ Car will have all of its 2005 races broadcast live in Europe on Eurosport and will have six races on U.S. network TV next year through separate deals with CBS and NBC.
What the series needs now is a U.S. driver fighting for the championship in 2005. The best bet will probably be sophomore A.J. Allmendinger, who impressed with his speed and maturity in 2004 on his way to sixth in the championship. Is it too much to ask for him to score a couple of wins in 2005?
Formula One: Get back to racing.
The self-appointed pinnacle of motorsport has never been more boring and the powers that be in the sport really don't seem to think that yawn-inducing racing are a problem.
While the International Automobile Federation continues to tinker with the rules, the changes are intended to reduce costs and not to improve the racing.
The one-weekend-per-engine rule made little difference to the teams, which didn't much trouble adapting to the stricter standard. Next season's two-race engines probably will have little effect on competition.
The newest proposal of a control tire won't do much to bring any passing to the series either, because it won't change its dynamics. Until something is done about the cars' aerodynamics, the boredom will continue. F1 cars are so efficient that they create incredible turbulence behind them on the racetrack, which robs down force from any car trying to get close enough to pass.
The sport is supposed to have all the best automotive engineers in the world. Can we please get them all in a room and figure out a way to design a car that allows passing to be something that happens outside the pit lane?
Indy Racing League: Some badly needed perspective.
When Tony George started the IRL 10 years ago, he said it was because of CART's high costs, politics, manufacturer control, insatiable owners and a continued move away from the roll-up-your-sleeves roots of U.S. oval racing.
It also came with a pledge to give hometown short-track drivers a shot at the big time. Fast forward a decade and the IRL has become the series that George left all those years ago. Honda and Toyota run a show where the mom-and-pop outfits no longer have a place.
In 2005, the series will move into road racing, another thing George campaigned against a decade ago. Even worse, with its teams' success and budgets now completely tied to the manufacturers, the IRL is in exactly the same position the old CART found itself in two years ago, which saw that series spiral into bankruptcy.
Can George not see the warning signs or is he simply too emotionally involved to step back and take true stock of the situation?
NASCAR: Get rid of the Powerade Victory Circle.
While NASCAR has every right to sign whatever sponsor it wishes, it shouldn't enter into any agreement that has the potential to force drivers to disrespect their sponsors. Asking a Pepsi- or Gatorade-sponsored driver to put a Powerade bottle (a Coca-Cola product) on their car is unforgivable.
Even worse, NASCAR fined drivers who refused to disregard their sponsor's interest. In August, the series levied a $10,000 (U.S.) penalty against Gatorade-sponsored Jimmie Johnson after he placed a large Lowe's sign in front of the Powerade bottle put on his car in Victory Lane at Pocono Raceway.
Let's face it: NASCAR is the runaway leader in North America when it comes to television revenues, sponsor dollars and marketing success. It is raking in cash faster than the series' controlling France family can count it.
Can't it sacrifice a few bucks to ensure that its drivers keep their integrity?
Trans-Am: A championship for Tommy Kendall.
Yes, the Rocketsports Jaguar driver is already a four-time Trans-Am champion, but who deserves it more than the likeable Californian?
He needs two more wins to surpass the legendary Mark Donohue's career Trans-Am win record, which has stood since 1971, and was tied this season by Rocketsports team owner Paul Gentilozzi. While he finished equal with Gentilozzi in points at the end of the 2004 season, Kendall lost the tie-breaker based on wins.
Despite finishing second in the championship, ending the season tied at the top of the standings was a huge accomplishment considering it was Kendall's first serious competition since he retired from racing almost seven years ago.
A couple of wins and title in 2005 would make Kendall the only five-time Trans-Am champion and give him the record for career wins. With a rash of mechanical breakdowns robbing him of the title in 2004, perhaps the New Year will be kinder.
