2009 Motorsports Predictions Part 1 (IRL and NASCAR)

2009 Motorsports Predictions Part 1 (IRL and NASCAR)

Indy Car Series

22 cars will show for at the season opener at St. Petersburg for IRL qualifying.

The IRL will continue to provide close, side-by-side racing.  Too bad hardly anybody will see it.

The Versus TV deal will be disastrous.  Infomercial type numbers on a minor cable channel will not bring in name sponsorship.

At one of the early season races, Danica Patrick will crash in the pits and blame the wind…again!!!!!

Scott Dixon will repeat as IRL Champion in a close battle with Ryan Briscoe.

People will groan audibly when Tony George refers to the selling out of Champ Car by its owners as the “Merger"!

Due to the state of the economy, the IRL will postpone for another year the debut of the new chassis. 

Danica Patrick will throw one too many temper tantrums and the repercussions will be extremely dire for both Patrick and the IRL.

Helio Castroneves will be released by Penske Racing.  His upcoming tax evasion trial is a liability for sponsorship.

Andretti-Green Racing will again underachieve.

IRL will cancel another race to go along with Detroit.

At one of the mid-season races, Danica Patrick will crash in the pits and claim the sun was in her eyes!

Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing will improve to the point that they are at the same level as Team Penske and Ganassi Racing.

Middle-aged men from the Midwest will continue to claim on internet message boards that the only way to save Indy Cars in the US is to switch to front engine roadsters. 

Helio Castroneves’s tax evasion trial will garner more national press than the entire Indy Car season.

Less than 18 cars will be starting IRL races by Kentucky.

At one of the late season races, Danica Patrick will crash in the pits and then blame Milka Duno’s breasts!

Danica Patrick will throw one too many temper tantrums and the repercussions will be extremely dire for both Patrick and the IRL.

NASCAR

43 cars will show up at Daytona for qualifying.  A few races into the season will see fewer than 43 qualifying at a few of the tougher races.

Of all the series, NASCAR will suffer the most from the economic downturn.  Sponsors will cut budgets or cancel their sponsorships altogether.

Carl Edwards will win the NASCAR Sprint Cup in a close battle with a rejuvenated Jeff Gordon and a surprising Kurt Busch.

Tony Stewart will struggle early in the season with his new team but will improve late in the season.  Still won’t make the “Chase” though.

Speaking of the “Chase,” NASCAR will again announce that they will look into some changes.

Rumors will run rampant about a second tire company supplying teams.  This is just a rumor.  Goodyear will remain the sole tire supplier for NASCAR for years to come.

A Sprint Cup regular will win the Nationwide Series.

The NASCAR Truck season will struggle, with some races having only 20 starters and there will be serious talk of either selling the series or just dumping it altogether.

Coming soon:

2009 Motorsports Predictions Part 2

F1-Rally-Sportscars