Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Money a big issue with reunification

Friday, May 28, 1999 | 12:27 p.m.

Brian Hilderbrand's motor sports notebook appears Friday. His golf notebook appears Wednesday. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089.

Don't count Davey Hamilton among the drivers eagerly awaiting a reconciliation between rival open-wheel series Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) and the Indy Racing League.

Hamilton, a Las Vegas resident who will start Sunday's Indianapolis 500 from the 11th starting position, said he believes a reunification of the two series would mean increased costs and would spell doom for "98 percent" of the teams in the fledgling IRL.

"If they ever got back together, the people you see in the IRL right now would be broke," Hamilton said. "There's no way you can put two series together where one series has $15 million budgets and the other has $3 million budgets -- it just won't happen."

Hamilton, who drives for former CART team owner Rick Galles, said his team would be among the 98 percent that couldn't afford to compete if the two series got together.

"No, we'd be done -- we barely have the budget to do the IRL," Hamilton said.

But Hamilton said he wasn't losing any sleep this week about the rumored merger.

"I think it's just talk," Hamilton said of the reports coming out of Indianapolis this week. "I know I haven't heard it from the mouth that counts. I've heard it from media, I've heard it from pit guys, but I haven't heard it from Tony George or Leo Mehl or anybody on the CART side that means anything.

"I may be wrong -- I hope I'm not -- but I just don't think it would ever happen. It would wipe out 98 percent of the teams (in the IRL). (John) Menard and (Tom) Kelley are the only two that I can think of that could survive, possibly."

Hamilton, who finished fourth in last year's Indy 500 while driving for Nienhouse Motorsports, is optimistic about his chances Sunday in the No. 9 Galles Racing Dallara-Aurora. Team owner Galles won the Indy 500 in 1992 with Al Unser Jr.

"We're happy with the car, but then again we wish we could find a little more speed," Hamilton, who qualified at 221.866 mph, said. "The car is stable but we wish we could find a couple more miles an hour.

"Rick has won this race before (so) I'll let him do the strategy of it and figure out what we need to do during the race. My job is just to drive as hard as I can and as hard as the car will let me."

Hamilton's approach to the race is simple.

"We're going to win," he said. "We're in good shape, we're ready. The team is ready, the car is ready, I'm ready and it should be a good run. I'm confident that we can get it done.

"I don't know if I can judge off of last year; it's a new race and last year is totally our of my mind. Every race is different but we're entered to win every one of them and this is the biggest one. You've got to just focus in on it and try to be there at the end. If we're there at the end, then I think we have a chance to win it."

* NASCAR: In response to the spectator deaths at Lowe's Motor Speedway during an Indy Racing League race earlier this month, NASCAR is examining several new safety features for its cars.

NASCAR will test braided steel wheel tethers on Winston Cup and Busch Series cars during this weekend's Coca-Cola 600 and CarQuest 300 races at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Open-wheel series Formula One, CART and the IRL already have mandated its cars use the restraining devices to keep tires from flying into the stands during an accident.

NASCAR also is considering experimenting with a new hood frame design to prevent hoods from breaking free from the cars in an accident, but will not test the design in this weekend's races. ...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified eighth for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, which will be his first Winston Cup start. Little E's father, Dale Earnhardt, qualified 15th and three-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon qualified 10th.

Earnhardt Jr. is scheduled to run in five Winston Cup races this season in a Budweiser-sponsored Chevrolet Monte Carlo before stepping up to the sport's premier series full-time next season. ...

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre and Winston Cup driver Dale Jarrett are teaming to form the Jarrett-Favre Driving Adventure at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, N.C.

Patterned after the hugely successful Richard Petty Driving Experience, the new driving adventure will allow people to ride in or drive Winston Cup cars.

* CART: Henderson resident Richie Hearn will switch from a Swift to a Reynard chassis for the remainder of the CART FedEx Championship Series season, team owner John Della Penna announced this week.

Hearn will use a 1998 Reynard purchased from Team Gordon in Saturday's Motorola 300 at Gateway International Raceway.

"The Swift has not been working for us," Hearn said. "We've been doing quite a bit of testing and nothing seems to improve the car; it's time to make a change.

"We need to get some results, for ourselves and our sponsors. This isn't the answer to all our struggles, but hopefully it will make an impact on our performance." ...

Jimmy Vasser of Las Vegas is hoping to improve on his 11th-place ranking in points this weekend.

"After five races, I'm not where I'd like to be in the points and I'm certainly not used to being this far behind," said the 1996 series champion. "My guys have allowed me to finish most races over the years so I'm not really concerned.

"I treat every race the same in that we always prepare to win, and St. Louis will be no different. We're heading into the second quarter of the season and a good race in St. Louis will set me up for the rest of the season."

* IRL: In another attempt to improve safety for both spectators and drivers, the IRL will reduce the speeds of its cars beginning with the June 12 Longhorn 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

IRL executive director Leo Mehl said engines will be required to operate at no more than 10,000 rpms, which should reduce speeds at Texas from 220 mph to about 215 mph.

The new rule will not be in effect for Sunday's Indianapolis 500.

* BACKMARKERS: Las Vegas Motor Speedway has expressed an interest in hosting ChampionsWeek, an annual week-long event set to debut in 2000 that will showcase NASCAR Winston Racing Series competitors from across the country.

The top 20 drivers in six classes (Grand American Modified, Trucks, Mini-Stocks, Charger, Street Stock and Figure 8) at their local tracks will be eligible to compete.

In addition, ChampionsWeek will feature an IROC-style race, showcasing each of the 10 NWRS regional champions in identically prepared cars.

Jeff Motley, LVMS director of public relations, said that the Speedway "has everything NASCAR is looking for in a venue" for ChampionsWeek. Las Vegas may be the only Speedway in the country that has the ability to host each of the six different racing divisions. ...

Joe Gibbs and driver Cruz Pedregon have parted ways and Gibbs is looking for a replacement driver for his Interstate Batteries NHRA Funny Car. Gibbs indicated he would hire an interim driver until a permanent replacement can be found for his Funny Car team. ...

Scotty Gafforini of Las Vegas, with four wins in seven starts, leads the NASCAR Winston Racing Series Sunbelt Region. In a close second is Tucson Raceway Park's Carl Trimmer, who has three wins this season and is a two-time Sunbelt region champion.

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