Comments on: Sarah Fisher Made The Right Call

By: James O

James O — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 03:38:49 +0000

I’m amazed. I thought for sure she’d hang on for the 500, even though being a one-shot driver means you’ll just be lapped traffic. Putting Ed Carpenter in a car full time and taking herself out seems like a very smart move.

If Carpenter wins this year, I’ll start calling her Sarah Penske.

By: H.B. Donnelly

H.B. Donnelly — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 21:46:06 +0000

One key to the situation with both Vision Racing and with Ed driving extra races my be the team at Fuzzy’s Vodka. They have been a fantastic sponsor for Ed and for Vision Racing, as a glance at their Facebook page will attest. If Fuzzy’s stays with Vision, then they’ll probably be able to work up a program for the 500. If they throw their sponsorship hat into the ring with Ed’s SFR entry, it could give him an opportunity to run more races or perhaps fund a second car for a race or two. Again, Fuzzy’s seemed like a great sponsor for Ed, and Vision/Panther, and I was more than happy to throw $30 into a bottle of the stuff this summer.

By: Savage Henry

Savage Henry — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 21:20:13 +0000

TIM NOTHHELFER touched on this above, but I’m going to take it a little farther. The first thing that popped into my head when I heard Ed was going to be racing for Sarah was, “Where does this leave Vision?” At Indy, Ed had a top-5 in 2008 and top-10 in 2009. In a one-off effort, he was one of 2 non-Death Sar drivers in the Fast 9 in 2010 and was running really well in the race until pit troubles sent him to the back of the field. All of this with Vision Racing.

Vision Racing is now shuttered and I bet that they have a bunch of top-flight equipment laying around (which is going to be obsolete after this year) and a proven book on how to go fast at Indianapolis. Could Vision be a silent partner in the scenario? Ed has some connections there, I hear.

Yes, this is somewhat conspiracy-theoryish but its December and there’s going to be 4 solid months until any racing happens. That said, I have to think that there’s more to this story. Why wouldn’t Vision put some of its about-to-be obsolete knowledge and resources toward this? Wasn’t Ed their reason for existing in the first place?

By: Ron Ford

Ron Ford — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 19:40:46 +0000

I certainly hope Sarah can find enough additional sponsorship to allow them to come here to Milwaukee next summer.

By: Chris Lukens

Chris Lukens — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 19:26:15 +0000

SFR has always suffered from an engineering staff that is not quite up snuff. However last year she was saddled with that “FlexiFlyer” tub from Dallara. Even young Rahal said that the car just would not respond to changes in the setup.
As far as Sarah and Walker Racing. I have always thought that Walker had more allegiance to CART than he did to the IRL, therefore his objective was to let Sarah , and by extension the IRL, fail.

By: Paige

Paige — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:07:23 +0000

While I’ve never cared for Ed too much (not sure why), I will proudly root for him next year mostly because he’s driving for Sarah. I hope he can, at least, score a few podiums even a win.

I wish Sarah the best as a team owner. I don’t think she’ll race at Indy. Instead, I think we’ll hear about a mini-racer on the way for her and Andy.

I congratulate Mrs. Fisher on a great career and for continuing to pave the way for other female drivers.

By: Steve K

Steve K — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:39:18 +0000

I wouldn’t expect anything to change in 2011 for this team. A successful year would be just to qualify for Indy. If Rahal couldn’t make the car go fast, what is Carpenter going to do.

2012? There is a reason to be optimistic. Some team is going to do what Ross Brawn’s did in 2009 in F1. Be the first to figure out the magic formula and jump out to a big point lead early.

By: Charles West

Charles West — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:32:21 +0000

George, I think you will enjoy the book I wrote about the Indianapolis 500, including the time I spent with Vision Racing at the 500 last May. Included is the story from TG about how and why he founded Vision Racing, the meaning of the name and the No. 20. The book can be found here: http://stores.lulu.com/chaswest.

Thanks for the great post, follow me if you wish @texasindy.

By: TIM NOTHHELFER

TIM NOTHHELFER — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:37:57 +0000

I wonder if Ed will bring any of his hardware or personnel to the effort. I believe this alone will be the key to Ed’s results……he has been a leader in sessions and races in the past two years in his own car. SFR has been fallen to the rear in every race it has competed in, and once that happens it is one pit stop after another…..
Is there a flaw in the chassis or set up the team has been unable to identify to correct or adjust around? Certainly the very limited amount of testing allowed has hurt this team. This is a huge gamble for Ed.

By: The Lapper

The Lapper — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:24:52 +0000

Rome wasn’t built in a day and so is the situation with Sarah Fisher Racing. Sarah works as hard as anyone and the more success she brings the better she will get. Sponsors are starting to notice and the payoff will be money for speed and added quality. I like her, I think she is smart and I am glad that she is a part of the series.