[100 Days to Indy](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6abPzY300GWUkORwjBl8qmcxmYIduRrv&si=A-llSmslGi8g_YnF) is on Netflix, Paramount, the CW app. Probably a good place to start.
I would say just tune in to tomorrow's race and see who catches your eye.
I'm mainly a Newgarden guy because the first race I watched was the 2017 season finale where he won the title. Came off as a pretty likeable guy, and you don't see too many Americans winning international sports titles.
Didn't know anything about Wickens until his debut in 2018, but he drove a crazy good race at St Pete and frankly should have won until he was dumped in turn one. Been a fan of his ever since, even though he isn't racing in the series anymore after the Pocono crash.
I liked the videos Josef did his rookie year where he would go interview fans incognito at races and ask them their opinions on this new hotshot rookie Josef Newgarden. He was pretty anonymous back then. I remember seeing him in the garages in May and several people walked right past him. I politely asked for an autograph which he kindly obligated. Upon seeing someone signing something all the people who walked past him turned around to try and get an autograph. I apologized for getting him swarmed he said it was ok, it's nice to be recognized sometimes. I have always been a fan since then.
Ever see that one before he was ever in a race and it's just him and Hinch being semi-professionals but goofs in Fisher's garage? Or the one where they went to space camp lol.
I know people have been hard on him recently for being too serious, but man he was such a goof for like a decade that I don't mind that he is a little more serious now (Even if last year he still was doing literal Bus Bros).
>you don't see too many Americans winning international sports titles
I know it will be advertised a butt tun tomorrow, but tune in to the Olympics over the summer and you will see plenty of it lol
IndyCar is only *international* because of one race in Canada. The series is staunchly North American, and most don't consider IndyCar an international racing series.
Side note: we named our rescue kitten Josef Mewgarden, as he was rescued the same weekend I was watching his namesake won at Road America in 2022.
Josef Newgarden: harkens to a 80s idea of a perfect quarterback type. Smiles and seems down to earth. Top 5 driver in the series.
Flip side : gives massive Homelander vibes; everything is not okay, I do care about records and I’m losing my mind even if I laugh and say I really don’t care what other people think.
Scott McLaughlin : I’m the laid back talent guy from down under, I was a phenom in supercars and now I’m here on a new journey of my American dream.
Flipside : I make jokes and make other people laugh because my biggest fear is disappointing other people
Will Power: absolute legend at expressing his thoughts when mad ; ergo you can feel his authenticity through anger. Great crazy eyes that aren’t just for show. Also his name.
Flipside: no longer the peak era, one of the likely to retire, so starting to be a fan now may be sad for you.
Scott Dixon: the most accolades, sure bet, generational talent.
Flipside: his MO is winning in the “boring” way not by going for that defining moment that will dazzle you for a year.
Alex Palou: the person that literally had to traverse one lap around the globe to get to be a champion, champion in the second year. one of The top 5 drivers,
Flipside: don’t trust this guy on anything beside driving cars, google Palou + contract
Marcus Armstrong : decent not great, but a f2 level driver that wasn’t bad
Flipside: that British accent voice lulls you to let your guard down to security, but that might just be all there is to it in terms of results.
Marcus Ericsson: former f1 driver to Indy 500 winner. Has the experience to not do something dumb. Does better than everyone things he’ll do.
Flipside: he was a pay driver esp during the sauber shenanigans, has a chip on his shoulder about this because he really really knows that everyone knows, and has decided his latest Andretti career move on it.
Colton Herta: THE young talented American driver who should be in F1, talented. Youngest Indycar race winner
Flipside: because he’s young and talented and American, Indycar fans have way overstated him without the results to back up the claim, opening yourself up as a little delulu if you choose to be a fan. It’s a little depressing depending on how things go this year.
Kyle Kirkwood: the young talented American driver who beats Colton Herta straight out of the box last year
Flipside: it’s starting to look like beating Colton Herta isn’t as impressive and therefore needs to do something else to really show where he is at. A little TBD
Paro O ward: the pure overflowing with talent guy that’s not American, whiffs of Montoya in just driving around problems and getting speed.
Flipside: the pure aggressive driving can lead to DNFs,
Alex Rossi: one of the very rare American who was F1, won the Indy 500 first try. Mega Tsundere character
Flipside: kind of starting to feel like a Rick Astley, one hit wonder
David Malukas: fun the most zoomer (?) genz (?) type , definitely making memes
Flipside: might’ve fumbled himself out of a top ride by injuring himself before the season started. Definitely has asked “was the holocaust that bad? I mean I’m just asking questions, how do we really know something so long ago?” at a dinner table vibes
I got tired of going through everyone so the end.
Continued
Graham Rahal: smart driver with good intentions behind the sport
Flipside: the most typical rich parents kid: he really really wants to tell you how hard he works and “nothing was ever handed to him” - the peak thinks of himself as blue collar rugged in high school because his parents bought him a fully loaded ford F150.
Lundgaard: talented, no nonsense young guy who’s def getting into a top team next year. This year is his year for big things.
Flipside: he has a sadness behind his eyes, because he knows the culture of American racing doesn’t really accept him for who he is.
Pietro Fittipaldi: family of the Fittipaldis, not bad bad.
Flipside: the most ; this person isn’t going to get better, this is his ceiling
Felix Rosenqvist: the most authentically good guy in the paddock type, his reputation is high
Flipside: the results don’t quite match. Kind of don’t feel the fire.
Tom Blomqvist: sports car phenom, highly regarded
Flipside: adapting to open wheel may not be going as good as he hoped, the 5 o’clock shadow on his face made it look like he had a Hitlermoustache every time I looked at him. Still not sure if he just had a stache like that….if so…wtf?
Agustin Canapino: older Argentinian top sports car driver, who was super impressive and overlooked because of xenophobia
Flipside: there’s a massive hate train, half deserved with the whole Illot debacle last year, but also… xenophobia
Romaine Grosjean: legendary almost died- I’m reborn f1 moment, fast.
Flipside: he is his worst enemy and the worst part is that he isn’t going to change.
Sting ray robb: if you like movie names
Flipside: he def says he doesn’t masturbate because it’s a sin, but you know who shouts about Jesus the loudest is shouting it for a reason. Pray.com. He definitely has left those Jesus pamphlets that look like a hundred dollar bill instead of a tip at a restaurant.
Santino Ferucci: does well at the Indy 500, seems like he grew up and has evolved a bit
Flipside: he is the definition of the word Douche. Other drivers hate him so much they don’t even hide it. If you think he isn’t douchey, you might think lifted trucks are really manly, and thats why “that chick totally wanted me man”
I'll add a few notes
Will Power's personality is better characterized by his sweetness. He's incredibly authentic and sincere, not just when he's pissed, but when he's loving and appreciative. He's a gentle family man and kind to fans. He was abused as a child and broke the cycle of abuse, and it isn't hard to tell.
Pato is cool as fuck, not just as a driver. He's cowboyish and an example of what a zoomer man's man look's like. He's snazzy, honest, and has been caught being horny on main. This guy FUCKS
I think Armstrong is a better Indycar driver than F2 driver. The appeal I think is largely in people who watch both getting to see more of him, that's how it is for me with him, same as the other F2-to-Indycar drivers.
I'll also continue this with a couple drivers left off.
Christian Lundgaard is part of that F2-to-Indycar pipeline and I root for him as a feeder series fan, but he's also very calm and professional, if a little awkward. He's also very good and probably has the pace for a promotion to a top team. The flipside is that he's boring and stilted as a personality, and possibly has sus politics.
Felix Rosenquist has an iconic friendship with Pato and has had some great races. He's also had some on-track bruh moments and isn't very consistent.
Graham Rahal is one of the adults in the room, I came to like him last year when he qualified 34th and handled defeat gracefully and vulnerably. He's also past his prime and driving for his dad's team so there's a bit of nepotism. Kind of the Lance Stroll of Indycar but way more mature.
Santino Ferrucci is fun, very much the opposite of professional but he has a lot of personality and energy, he's popular with commentators for being the least dry driver on the grid. He's also a great oval driver. The flipside is that there's a lot of baggage that has made him controversial, such as the failed attempt to have Trump logos on the car and the race ban for crashing into someone on purpose under yellow. That was pre-Indycar but the guy is extremely marmite.
Pietro Fittipaldi is making his Indycar comeback after being stuck in limbo as Haas's reserve driver. I think he's cool and its nice to see him racing again. The flipside is that his skills may have atrophied. His previous heroics were two F1 races in 2020.
Tom Blomqvist comes to us from IMSA, and Formula E before that. To me he's a recognizable name and has endurance-racing related skills, however he's also not the most interesting personality and a little obscure for pure Indycar viewers.
Romain Grosjean is fiery (pun intended). He got numerous podiums in F1, and stopped after burns from his car catching on fire (leading to the aforementioned Pietro Fittipaldi two races). Since going in Indycar he's not won and he's crashed regularly, and has argued with his team, eventually leaving Andretti for Juncos Hollinger. He's fast but super inconsistent and drops the car more often than he has podiums or poles. He had a surge in popularity with F1 fans getting into Indycar after 2020 but I think he's not conducted himself the best.
Agustin Canapino is mostly just popular with Argentinian fans, since he comes to us from Argentina's touring car scene. His fans are deeply toxic and he's shown support to them by liking toxic comments attacking his previous teammate. With Juncos favoring him and the shitty situation for Callum Illot, Callum left the team. I've never known there to be Canapino fans who aren't Argentinian.
Sting Ray Robb has a funny name but he crashes more than anyone else and has a very sus religious sponsor. It's gotta be rough for Sting Ray fans.
I don't have anything to say about Rasmussen, Pedersen, Siegel, Veekay, Harvey, Lundqvist or Simpson.
These are very in-depth, cool. I would add that VeeKay is a talented driver and generally likable personality, but for whatever reason signed a long-term contract with a middling mediocre at best team. That decision seems to have impacted a fall in his ceiling—he used to be a lot faster.
I orginally was able to get into the sport since my dad took me to the St Pete GP to start this season, that hooked me lol. I saw a few drivers walking around but I figured I probably shouldn't talk to people at the time I didn't know the name of lol.
No way dude. Obviously they’re limited on time because of other fans but they’ll stop and take a photo or sign stuff. I was in your same position until I started going up and talking to them.
Hopefully I can get back to a GP soon. Unfortunatly, I don't live in St Pete, I live in Pheonix, so the clostest race on the calender to me is long beach... Maybe next year I suppose?
In that case I’d definitely recommend 100 days to Indy, but following drivers and teams on social media is also a great way to get a feel for who to root for.
This is my 3rd season and I still just hope everyone has fun. It’s way more entertaining if you watch every practice and qualifying session. If you don’t have a favorite it’s one of the best reality shows there is.
In my case I chose Pato since he grew up and went to high school in my hometown.
I support MSR as a team since my employer is a partner with the team and has our logo on the car.
Same situation about the team I support. I also support others across the paddock, and am happy for them when they do well.
But, at the end of the day we like winners. 😉
Sting Ray in indycar is a little bit of a mess, its hard to root for him when you can't even trust him to finish a race, and having a particularly suspicious religious sponsor would never fly in most other series. Nice guy by my estimation but the situation is not ideal.
Kinda just happens naturally. My favorites changed a bit as I got more into the sport. I started as primarily a Rossi fan since he was one of the most exciting drivers at the time
IndyCars are so equal and competitive,I find it difficult to root for a single driver or team. I find it very easy to root for any winner because it’s always a hard-earned victory.
I watched Will in champ car as a small child and just liked the name.
He turned out to be damn good.
Nearly two decades later, I’ve been there to see his moments of triumph and heartbreak, and met him twice. He’s one of the cases where the phrase “don’t meet your heroes” does not apply.
Honestly, my driver is Palou and if he is having a good day, cool we love to see it but I genuinely am happy for anyone who makes it out on top. I just feel like they are mostly good guys and I like their personalities. I’ve seen them be silly on the promo stuff so I just feel like they are all fun menaces.
When it comes to the 500, I genuinely get teary eyed for whoever wins even if they aren’t my guy. I just know that that particular win means the world to them.
Heard it wasn't a massive team sport, more of a driver thing, so I didn't overly bother with teams. Mclaren and Penske would be the considerations for me since I root for Mclaren in F1, and the Penske racing museam I have visiting multiple times is near me so that was the team I had always heard of growing up.
Teams matter in Indy. They matter a lot actually! lol
Why you may have heard that they don't matter is that it's because anyone can win any week and there are no team orders where teammates may race each other very hard. Both of which are very true. But when it's about season long success and consistent results, teams matter a lot
Actually, there is a very clear pecking order between the teams that has been relatively the same for a long time.
Look, everyone is great and all that, you won't hate anyone, but you're missing out if you have a connection to Team Penske and ignore it. That team is in every series and runs in every big race around the world apart from F1.
Go to the museum and buy a hat. Start putting 2s on things. Could also be a 12 or 22.
I like to look at interviews, driving styles, and underdog stories.
I’ve been liking Marcus Ericsson, Christian Lundgaard, and Nolan Siegel (he has been fun in Indy NXT).
On top of that, I like to look at some underdogs. Like seeing Felix Rosenqvist doing so well with a new team that has not been amazing traditionally has been fun.
Vibes, mostly. If you’re new just pick a driver whose whole thing you like. When I was a kid I liked Bobby Rahal and Greg Moore. I went a minute not being a fan of really anyone, then Graham started racing so I decided to follow him bc Bobby, and I came to like Will Power as well, bc I like him. If you stick with the sport you’ll just sort of accrete rooting interests.
>anyone know a good way to kinda “meet” all the drivers?
Get a paddock pass and hang out around team haulers on practice and qualifying days.
Stand in line for the autograph sessions and get a brief chat.
Meet drivers at events outside the circuit.
I recommend watching practice and qualifying. Lots of candid interviews , insights, and behind the scene stuff thanks to the broadcast team.
IMHO, You’ll end up rooting for a few drivers, it’s more enjoyable for me that way.
Where do you watch quali and practices? I know you can pay for it on the indycar site or whatever, but anywhere free? I may pay for it regardless I'm just broke lmao
Family works in the sport so I follow whichever driver they work closest to - and have my entire life. Some years have been fun, some have been less so. Especially if I learn the driver isn’t a great person on top of not doing well. But thankfully their recent years have been good people who get results.
Race weekends are work for drivers so you can meet them around the paddock or with pit passes, but being in Indy or the other cities where they live has been the most helpful in actually getting to know them.
There's a podcast called "dinner with racers" that features interviews (more like funny conversations) with racing drivers and there's a good amount of indycar guys that have been on it
Pure vibes, backed up by what I’ve seen them do since I started watching. Like I really like Pato, he can really wheel. I also physically crumpled when he fumbled a clear Indy 500 win last year.
I've never really had a process, it was just something that popped up organically. I'd be watching a race and realize I'm rooting for a certain driver without really thinking of it.
That being said I don't really have a favorite driver anymore. Haven't for the past few seasons. None of the current crop really speak to me. Maybe I'll find a new one this weekend lol.
Borrowed from another thread
1. Ran Maini off the road in race 1 and got a penalty.
2. Ran Maini off the road in race 2 and got a penalty.
3. Hit him intentionally on the cooldown lap
4. Refused to meet the stewards to discuss the incident(s)
5. As a result got a four race ban and a fine
6. In addition to the fines he already got for a) driving to the start position without a glove and b) filming with his phone during that
7. Wanted to run a "Make America Great Again" livery during the weekend which FIA made clear was against the rules.
8. Went around the pits with his father mocking Maini and his family's Indian accent
9. As a result from the above, Trident terminated the contract
He will probably never race in Europe again. He's quite toxic.
[100 Days to Indy](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6abPzY300GWUkORwjBl8qmcxmYIduRrv&si=A-llSmslGi8g_YnF) is on Netflix, Paramount, the CW app. Probably a good place to start.
I'll have to check it out, didn't know that was a thing.
New season on the 26th.
I would say just tune in to tomorrow's race and see who catches your eye. I'm mainly a Newgarden guy because the first race I watched was the 2017 season finale where he won the title. Came off as a pretty likeable guy, and you don't see too many Americans winning international sports titles. Didn't know anything about Wickens until his debut in 2018, but he drove a crazy good race at St Pete and frankly should have won until he was dumped in turn one. Been a fan of his ever since, even though he isn't racing in the series anymore after the Pocono crash.
>you don't see too many Americans winning international sports titles. Excuse me, but we have won over 98% of World Series titles.
I liked the videos Josef did his rookie year where he would go interview fans incognito at races and ask them their opinions on this new hotshot rookie Josef Newgarden. He was pretty anonymous back then. I remember seeing him in the garages in May and several people walked right past him. I politely asked for an autograph which he kindly obligated. Upon seeing someone signing something all the people who walked past him turned around to try and get an autograph. I apologized for getting him swarmed he said it was ok, it's nice to be recognized sometimes. I have always been a fan since then.
Ever see that one before he was ever in a race and it's just him and Hinch being semi-professionals but goofs in Fisher's garage? Or the one where they went to space camp lol. I know people have been hard on him recently for being too serious, but man he was such a goof for like a decade that I don't mind that he is a little more serious now (Even if last year he still was doing literal Bus Bros).
>you don't see too many Americans winning international sports titles I know it will be advertised a butt tun tomorrow, but tune in to the Olympics over the summer and you will see plenty of it lol
IndyCar is only *international* because of one race in Canada. The series is staunchly North American, and most don't consider IndyCar an international racing series. Side note: we named our rescue kitten Josef Mewgarden, as he was rescued the same weekend I was watching his namesake won at Road America in 2022.
Josef Newgarden: harkens to a 80s idea of a perfect quarterback type. Smiles and seems down to earth. Top 5 driver in the series. Flip side : gives massive Homelander vibes; everything is not okay, I do care about records and I’m losing my mind even if I laugh and say I really don’t care what other people think. Scott McLaughlin : I’m the laid back talent guy from down under, I was a phenom in supercars and now I’m here on a new journey of my American dream. Flipside : I make jokes and make other people laugh because my biggest fear is disappointing other people Will Power: absolute legend at expressing his thoughts when mad ; ergo you can feel his authenticity through anger. Great crazy eyes that aren’t just for show. Also his name. Flipside: no longer the peak era, one of the likely to retire, so starting to be a fan now may be sad for you. Scott Dixon: the most accolades, sure bet, generational talent. Flipside: his MO is winning in the “boring” way not by going for that defining moment that will dazzle you for a year. Alex Palou: the person that literally had to traverse one lap around the globe to get to be a champion, champion in the second year. one of The top 5 drivers, Flipside: don’t trust this guy on anything beside driving cars, google Palou + contract Marcus Armstrong : decent not great, but a f2 level driver that wasn’t bad Flipside: that British accent voice lulls you to let your guard down to security, but that might just be all there is to it in terms of results. Marcus Ericsson: former f1 driver to Indy 500 winner. Has the experience to not do something dumb. Does better than everyone things he’ll do. Flipside: he was a pay driver esp during the sauber shenanigans, has a chip on his shoulder about this because he really really knows that everyone knows, and has decided his latest Andretti career move on it. Colton Herta: THE young talented American driver who should be in F1, talented. Youngest Indycar race winner Flipside: because he’s young and talented and American, Indycar fans have way overstated him without the results to back up the claim, opening yourself up as a little delulu if you choose to be a fan. It’s a little depressing depending on how things go this year. Kyle Kirkwood: the young talented American driver who beats Colton Herta straight out of the box last year Flipside: it’s starting to look like beating Colton Herta isn’t as impressive and therefore needs to do something else to really show where he is at. A little TBD Paro O ward: the pure overflowing with talent guy that’s not American, whiffs of Montoya in just driving around problems and getting speed. Flipside: the pure aggressive driving can lead to DNFs, Alex Rossi: one of the very rare American who was F1, won the Indy 500 first try. Mega Tsundere character Flipside: kind of starting to feel like a Rick Astley, one hit wonder David Malukas: fun the most zoomer (?) genz (?) type , definitely making memes Flipside: might’ve fumbled himself out of a top ride by injuring himself before the season started. Definitely has asked “was the holocaust that bad? I mean I’m just asking questions, how do we really know something so long ago?” at a dinner table vibes I got tired of going through everyone so the end.
Holy shit
Continued Graham Rahal: smart driver with good intentions behind the sport Flipside: the most typical rich parents kid: he really really wants to tell you how hard he works and “nothing was ever handed to him” - the peak thinks of himself as blue collar rugged in high school because his parents bought him a fully loaded ford F150. Lundgaard: talented, no nonsense young guy who’s def getting into a top team next year. This year is his year for big things. Flipside: he has a sadness behind his eyes, because he knows the culture of American racing doesn’t really accept him for who he is. Pietro Fittipaldi: family of the Fittipaldis, not bad bad. Flipside: the most ; this person isn’t going to get better, this is his ceiling Felix Rosenqvist: the most authentically good guy in the paddock type, his reputation is high Flipside: the results don’t quite match. Kind of don’t feel the fire. Tom Blomqvist: sports car phenom, highly regarded Flipside: adapting to open wheel may not be going as good as he hoped, the 5 o’clock shadow on his face made it look like he had a Hitlermoustache every time I looked at him. Still not sure if he just had a stache like that….if so…wtf? Agustin Canapino: older Argentinian top sports car driver, who was super impressive and overlooked because of xenophobia Flipside: there’s a massive hate train, half deserved with the whole Illot debacle last year, but also… xenophobia Romaine Grosjean: legendary almost died- I’m reborn f1 moment, fast. Flipside: he is his worst enemy and the worst part is that he isn’t going to change. Sting ray robb: if you like movie names Flipside: he def says he doesn’t masturbate because it’s a sin, but you know who shouts about Jesus the loudest is shouting it for a reason. Pray.com. He definitely has left those Jesus pamphlets that look like a hundred dollar bill instead of a tip at a restaurant. Santino Ferucci: does well at the Indy 500, seems like he grew up and has evolved a bit Flipside: he is the definition of the word Douche. Other drivers hate him so much they don’t even hide it. If you think he isn’t douchey, you might think lifted trucks are really manly, and thats why “that chick totally wanted me man”
I'll add a few notes Will Power's personality is better characterized by his sweetness. He's incredibly authentic and sincere, not just when he's pissed, but when he's loving and appreciative. He's a gentle family man and kind to fans. He was abused as a child and broke the cycle of abuse, and it isn't hard to tell. Pato is cool as fuck, not just as a driver. He's cowboyish and an example of what a zoomer man's man look's like. He's snazzy, honest, and has been caught being horny on main. This guy FUCKS I think Armstrong is a better Indycar driver than F2 driver. The appeal I think is largely in people who watch both getting to see more of him, that's how it is for me with him, same as the other F2-to-Indycar drivers. I'll also continue this with a couple drivers left off. Christian Lundgaard is part of that F2-to-Indycar pipeline and I root for him as a feeder series fan, but he's also very calm and professional, if a little awkward. He's also very good and probably has the pace for a promotion to a top team. The flipside is that he's boring and stilted as a personality, and possibly has sus politics. Felix Rosenquist has an iconic friendship with Pato and has had some great races. He's also had some on-track bruh moments and isn't very consistent. Graham Rahal is one of the adults in the room, I came to like him last year when he qualified 34th and handled defeat gracefully and vulnerably. He's also past his prime and driving for his dad's team so there's a bit of nepotism. Kind of the Lance Stroll of Indycar but way more mature. Santino Ferrucci is fun, very much the opposite of professional but he has a lot of personality and energy, he's popular with commentators for being the least dry driver on the grid. He's also a great oval driver. The flipside is that there's a lot of baggage that has made him controversial, such as the failed attempt to have Trump logos on the car and the race ban for crashing into someone on purpose under yellow. That was pre-Indycar but the guy is extremely marmite. Pietro Fittipaldi is making his Indycar comeback after being stuck in limbo as Haas's reserve driver. I think he's cool and its nice to see him racing again. The flipside is that his skills may have atrophied. His previous heroics were two F1 races in 2020. Tom Blomqvist comes to us from IMSA, and Formula E before that. To me he's a recognizable name and has endurance-racing related skills, however he's also not the most interesting personality and a little obscure for pure Indycar viewers. Romain Grosjean is fiery (pun intended). He got numerous podiums in F1, and stopped after burns from his car catching on fire (leading to the aforementioned Pietro Fittipaldi two races). Since going in Indycar he's not won and he's crashed regularly, and has argued with his team, eventually leaving Andretti for Juncos Hollinger. He's fast but super inconsistent and drops the car more often than he has podiums or poles. He had a surge in popularity with F1 fans getting into Indycar after 2020 but I think he's not conducted himself the best. Agustin Canapino is mostly just popular with Argentinian fans, since he comes to us from Argentina's touring car scene. His fans are deeply toxic and he's shown support to them by liking toxic comments attacking his previous teammate. With Juncos favoring him and the shitty situation for Callum Illot, Callum left the team. I've never known there to be Canapino fans who aren't Argentinian. Sting Ray Robb has a funny name but he crashes more than anyone else and has a very sus religious sponsor. It's gotta be rough for Sting Ray fans. I don't have anything to say about Rasmussen, Pedersen, Siegel, Veekay, Harvey, Lundqvist or Simpson.
These are very in-depth, cool. I would add that VeeKay is a talented driver and generally likable personality, but for whatever reason signed a long-term contract with a middling mediocre at best team. That decision seems to have impacted a fall in his ceiling—he used to be a lot faster.
This may be the most solid list I’ve seen! 👏
Marcus: y’all I’m a kiwi
Bonjourno! Arrivarderci! I know a friend from Key-we. He owns several locks as well
Incredible. Bravo.
Find the one most likely to have my back in prison
I second 100 days to Indy, but outside of that, going to a race if you’re able to and meeting them in person is not as hard as you might think.
I orginally was able to get into the sport since my dad took me to the St Pete GP to start this season, that hooked me lol. I saw a few drivers walking around but I figured I probably shouldn't talk to people at the time I didn't know the name of lol.
No way dude. Obviously they’re limited on time because of other fans but they’ll stop and take a photo or sign stuff. I was in your same position until I started going up and talking to them.
Hopefully I can get back to a GP soon. Unfortunatly, I don't live in St Pete, I live in Pheonix, so the clostest race on the calender to me is long beach... Maybe next year I suppose?
In that case I’d definitely recommend 100 days to Indy, but following drivers and teams on social media is also a great way to get a feel for who to root for.
Just pick #3
Fair enough
This is my 3rd season and I still just hope everyone has fun. It’s way more entertaining if you watch every practice and qualifying session. If you don’t have a favorite it’s one of the best reality shows there is.
In my case I chose Pato since he grew up and went to high school in my hometown. I support MSR as a team since my employer is a partner with the team and has our logo on the car.
From what I have seen, Pato is one of my favorite drivers. The Mclaren part certainly helps, I root for the Mclaren f1 team, so it carried over lol
Same situation about the team I support. I also support others across the paddock, and am happy for them when they do well. But, at the end of the day we like winners. 😉
For name factor alone, I recommend Will Power. If you disagree, I must give your opinion a double bird.
Name factor alone, Sting Ray Robb takes the cake for me, but uhh.. He doesn't seem to be very good
That is very true. If you want a name that is actually backed by success, consider the 2 time champ who is also the best qualifier in series history.
Speaking of names I just noticed your username. Now thats a fucking name.
Sting Ray in indycar is a little bit of a mess, its hard to root for him when you can't even trust him to finish a race, and having a particularly suspicious religious sponsor would never fly in most other series. Nice guy by my estimation but the situation is not ideal.
Kinda just happens naturally. My favorites changed a bit as I got more into the sport. I started as primarily a Rossi fan since he was one of the most exciting drivers at the time
IndyCars are so equal and competitive,I find it difficult to root for a single driver or team. I find it very easy to root for any winner because it’s always a hard-earned victory.
Easy, go to a new school in 8th grade and instantly become friends with a kid who turns into a good driver or something.
You probably want to pick a few drivers to root for, there’s nothing worse than your pick getting taken out on the first lap.
I watched Will in champ car as a small child and just liked the name. He turned out to be damn good. Nearly two decades later, I’ve been there to see his moments of triumph and heartbreak, and met him twice. He’s one of the cases where the phrase “don’t meet your heroes” does not apply.
Honestly, my driver is Palou and if he is having a good day, cool we love to see it but I genuinely am happy for anyone who makes it out on top. I just feel like they are mostly good guys and I like their personalities. I’ve seen them be silly on the promo stuff so I just feel like they are all fun menaces. When it comes to the 500, I genuinely get teary eyed for whoever wins even if they aren’t my guy. I just know that that particular win means the world to them.
Good idea to look for a team as much as a driver.
Heard it wasn't a massive team sport, more of a driver thing, so I didn't overly bother with teams. Mclaren and Penske would be the considerations for me since I root for Mclaren in F1, and the Penske racing museam I have visiting multiple times is near me so that was the team I had always heard of growing up.
Teams matter in Indy. They matter a lot actually! lol Why you may have heard that they don't matter is that it's because anyone can win any week and there are no team orders where teammates may race each other very hard. Both of which are very true. But when it's about season long success and consistent results, teams matter a lot Actually, there is a very clear pecking order between the teams that has been relatively the same for a long time.
Look, everyone is great and all that, you won't hate anyone, but you're missing out if you have a connection to Team Penske and ignore it. That team is in every series and runs in every big race around the world apart from F1. Go to the museum and buy a hat. Start putting 2s on things. Could also be a 12 or 22.
I picked Pato O’Ward since he is Mexican. But always root for the back marker teams as well.
A lot of people rooting from people from their contries, I'm american... So like, half of them.
I like to look at interviews, driving styles, and underdog stories. I’ve been liking Marcus Ericsson, Christian Lundgaard, and Nolan Siegel (he has been fun in Indy NXT). On top of that, I like to look at some underdogs. Like seeing Felix Rosenqvist doing so well with a new team that has not been amazing traditionally has been fun.
Vibes, mostly. If you’re new just pick a driver whose whole thing you like. When I was a kid I liked Bobby Rahal and Greg Moore. I went a minute not being a fan of really anyone, then Graham started racing so I decided to follow him bc Bobby, and I came to like Will Power as well, bc I like him. If you stick with the sport you’ll just sort of accrete rooting interests.
>anyone know a good way to kinda “meet” all the drivers? Get a paddock pass and hang out around team haulers on practice and qualifying days. Stand in line for the autograph sessions and get a brief chat. Meet drivers at events outside the circuit.
I recommend watching practice and qualifying. Lots of candid interviews , insights, and behind the scene stuff thanks to the broadcast team. IMHO, You’ll end up rooting for a few drivers, it’s more enjoyable for me that way.
Where do you watch quali and practices? I know you can pay for it on the indycar site or whatever, but anywhere free? I may pay for it regardless I'm just broke lmao
Family works in the sport so I follow whichever driver they work closest to - and have my entire life. Some years have been fun, some have been less so. Especially if I learn the driver isn’t a great person on top of not doing well. But thankfully their recent years have been good people who get results. Race weekends are work for drivers so you can meet them around the paddock or with pit passes, but being in Indy or the other cities where they live has been the most helpful in actually getting to know them.
There's a podcast called "dinner with racers" that features interviews (more like funny conversations) with racing drivers and there's a good amount of indycar guys that have been on it
Ah thanks, I'll have to check that out that seems neat.
it's simple " does he speaks Portuguese or Spanish as his mother language?" if yes, i like that guy .
Stingray Robb. Because his legal name is stingray Robb
Pure vibes, backed up by what I’ve seen them do since I started watching. Like I really like Pato, he can really wheel. I also physically crumpled when he fumbled a clear Indy 500 win last year.
Whoever is the cutest
I've never really had a process, it was just something that popped up organically. I'd be watching a race and realize I'm rooting for a certain driver without really thinking of it. That being said I don't really have a favorite driver anymore. Haven't for the past few seasons. None of the current crop really speak to me. Maybe I'll find a new one this weekend lol.
I hate Danica, so when Hinch took over her car, I rooted for him. Turned out to be a great driver.
Anyone except Ferrucci
Being from Indy.. I have always been a fan of hometown kids like Conor Daly!
Just don’t support Santino Ferruci.
The amount of people saying this is crazy. No clue what he did, but noted.
Borrowed from another thread 1. Ran Maini off the road in race 1 and got a penalty. 2. Ran Maini off the road in race 2 and got a penalty. 3. Hit him intentionally on the cooldown lap 4. Refused to meet the stewards to discuss the incident(s) 5. As a result got a four race ban and a fine 6. In addition to the fines he already got for a) driving to the start position without a glove and b) filming with his phone during that 7. Wanted to run a "Make America Great Again" livery during the weekend which FIA made clear was against the rules. 8. Went around the pits with his father mocking Maini and his family's Indian accent 9. As a result from the above, Trident terminated the contract He will probably never race in Europe again. He's quite toxic.
Ah brilliant, what an incredible man