Comments on: What Has Happened To AGR?

By: Vic

Vic — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:42:13 +0000

Great piece George!

My quick take:

1) Why did Wheldon leave? We all know what a great team TCGR is, but as you pointed out, AGR just won back-to-back championships with Dan’s ’05 effort. What was it that made him see things greener on the other side? Perhaps the money? Or was it something else?

2) Bringing Marco in at 19 was a bad idea in my opinion. I feel the same way about G. Rahal.

3) Moving Herta over to ALMS to make room for the big show Danica….I can understand the business end of that one……….BUT…..the way Michael shit-canned Bryan is inexcusible.

4) Mutoh? My guess is Michael didn’t have the $$$ to run four after Dario bolted, but with Honda fronted it, why not? To Mutoh’s credit, the guy doesn’t impress, but he also doesn’t wreck equipment. I’m sure Mike wishes the same could be said about Price Marco!

By: Damon

Damon — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:00:52 +0000

Tony lost control because Marco took away his line and Tony didn’t want to turn into him to cause a wreck.

Besides, it was just lap 106 in a 200 lap race, show a little patience Marco!

By: riccy

riccy — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:23:23 +0000

sign oriol servia great driver

By: Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:23:17 +0000

The “dive-bomb” at Indy that Marco is accused of in 2008 looked to me to be a normal racing pass. The blame has to go on Tony for losing control there, although everyone blames Marco. Also, there were at least two distinct times in the Texas race that Danica did not hold her line–one where she chopped Marco off as he was trying to pass on the inside and another where she drifted all the way up the track to block Marco’s pass attempt on the outside on a line he had been running all race and she had not.

By: Damon

Damon — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:30:13 +0000

I hate the whole, “this driver is #1, this driver is the support driver” crap.

It’s RACING…….go race.

Between 2004-2006, Tony Kanaan’s average finish in the championship was 3rd (he won the 2004 title) and he won 6 races. In that same span, Dario Franchitti’s average finish in the championship was 6th (a best of 4th in 2005) and won 4 races, but in 2007 Dario finally had it all come together and won 4 times, including Indy and took the championship, but did anybody ever consider him to be a better driver than Kanaan? No.

Yet they still gave him that support of being a championship contender week in/week out in terms of equipment and making sure his teammates fell in line to help him (see Danica at Michigan, Detroit and Chicago 2007 being told to help Franchitti once she got to the front or at Detroit, on her own, in 4th late in that race, moving over and letting Dario take that spot).

Danica’s in this same spot now and I don’t see her getting that same type of support Dario did in 2007 and that should bother her.

By: thebatsignal

thebatsignal — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 06:25:53 +0000

Well written article. One variable not covered is the Panoz/Dallara chassis, but overall I enjoyed it.

AGR needs to reconsider their driver lineup and engineers on staff. Kanaan is the #1 and Patrick is a sponsor magnet ($$$)… but does Marco really warrant a seat? Do you pull the plug on Mutoh in favor of a veteran? Can AGR even run 4 cars without Patrick’s sponsorship money if she leaves the team?

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:48:57 +0000

You’re right that there are several “drivers on lesser teams who could do more with an AGR car than these three” — in addition to the racers on the sidelines…

By: PC

PC — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:44:48 +0000

AGR has dropped to a second tier team because they stopped hiring the best drivers available and started hiring drivers for other reasons: 1) His son, 2) Danica, for the obvious money machine and PR reasons, 3) The Japanese guy that Honda always puts in a car somewhere. There is one driver on the team who is the best the team can get. Penske and Ganassi don’t hire anyone for any reason but performance or potential. And if the potential isn’t realized quick you’re out – look at the number of teammates Dixon has had and how long did Briscoe get before rumors started last year at Penske. AGR is in the business of being a business – not winning races. They made a decision to hire these drivers and to keep them. They could just as easily make the decision to put winners in the cars. There are probably ten current drivers on lesser teams who could do more with an AGR car than these three.

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:12:35 +0000

I was going to remark about Marco versus tony, but you’ve said plenty! Right on. For Tony’s sake, I wish that he’d abandoned daddy Day Care in favor of Ganassi’s team and a great teammate. I wish that he’d only signed for one more year with AGR. Undoubtedly management said that we’ll only give to you this huge pay raise if you sign for five years. But if I were Tony, I would’ve looked at the greater likelihood of race wins and a championship win at team Ganassi… The happy days with Dario and Dan and Brian are long gone… Tony tried to be a mentor for Marco… and has been repaid how?

By: Damon

Damon — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:34:08 +0000

I don’t care to hear Marco’s complaints about any of his teammates “not getting the big picture” when he’s screwed over his teammates plenty times the last couple of years, but apparently he’s forgotten about those:

Sonoma in 2007 – Dario leading the race, looking like he’s going to win and extend his points lead, stupid AGR tries to get Marco a race win and he chops down in front of Dario in Turn 1 after his pit stop. Marco gets a DNF, Dario a busted wing and finished 3rd, he lost the points lead.

Indy 2008- Divebombs Kanaan halfway through the race, Kanaan crashes

Texas 2008 – Nearly put Kanaan in the wall on a restart going 3 wide, causing Kanaan to say on his radio, “if the 26 car does that again I’m putting him in the wall”

Edmonton 2008- as you mentioned, TK on different strategy, Marco asked to move over, Marco says no over the radio

Indy 2009- Marco came back in the race after his lap 1 incident about lap 60-70 to grab as many points as possible and then call it day, but not before he chopped Danica just before Davey Hamilton crashed, which caused her to back out of the throttle, allowing Helio and Will Power to pass her and drop her back to 7th.

At the end of the day, having your kid drive for you isn’t good for you as the team boss or for his own development and if they had a veteran driver in his place (Oriol Servia comes to mind) they’d be better off IMO.