Credit: Jim Haines/IndyCar.com
Three days have passed since it was officially announced that Dan Wheldon would be taking over Alex Tagliani's #77 Bowers & Wilkins Dallara, but more recent developments have come to light. While the original announcement stated clearly that Dan would only be running the Kentucky Indy 300 in Tagliani's car, multiple sources have been quoted as saying that what was once a 1-race replacement has now become a 2-off deal for Wheldon.
Since Dan Wheldon will be taking the helm of the #77 Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara for the rest of the season, Las Vegas has essentially become a "ride-swap" scenario for Dan and Alex. According to a twitter post made IndyStar reporter Curt Cavin, Tagliani will now be behind the wheel of the #98 Bryan Herta Autosport ride for Las Vegas. These facts remain to be officially, definitively confirmed by either organization via release, so until then this can only be taken as very strong rumor.
If this scenario comes to fruition, it's easy to say that Tagliani is getting the short end of the stick. He's a two-time polesitter this season, he's 11th in the points with a shot at possibly breaking into the top 10 in points, and with two events left in the season, he's being asked to step out of a car that he personally (with the financial assistance of Andre Azzi and Jim Freudenberg) purchase and has been working to develop for 3 years now. That car was at one point a backmarker Roth Racing ride, and in the space of three years, Tagliani has turned that organization completely around, from laughable at best in its previous form into a serious contender. As Graham Rahal pointed out, that car has sat on the pole at both of the racetracks 1.5 miles and longer in length this season, and has been fast almost everywhere else. Tagliani is having a career season in that car and won't get the chance to close it out with a bang. Personally I feel for Alex, to have his efforts rewarded with being replaced. I do understand it though, and regardless of how I feel for Tagliani, racing is a business, and Sam Schmidt would almost be stupid NOT to take advatage of this loophole.
Credit: Jim Haines/IndyCar.com
This is hugely advantageous to Dan for a couple of reasons. First of all, let's consider the track record of the #77 on high speed-low downforce ovals this season. Although we are in the middle of a season that exhibits only four such ovals (Indy, Texas, Kentucky, Las Vegas), Tagliani's track record with the car has been something to brag about: two poles in two attempts, 20 laps out front at Indianapolis, and solid top-5 with a lap led in the first Firestone Twin 275 at Texas. The car Dan's going to be stepping into is going to be fast, and coupled with his past recent history at Kentucky (top-3 start with Panther in 2010, podium finish, 93 laps led), it is very reasonable to suggest that Wheldon is going to have a good run on Sunday afternoon.
Another large advantage for Wheldon swapping to the #77 for Las Vegas as well is the pit strategy involved. As pointed out by TrackForum poster Unser>Andretti, pit stall location is dictated by the qualifying position of the previous oval race. Since Wheldon's original #98 entry for Las Vegas is not being raced in Kentucky, the #98 Bryan Herta Autosport car will be relegated to a pit stall in the "danger zone" on pit road, right at the very end of 35+ cars on pit road. While some might be decrying Sam Schmidt for taking advantage of this loophole, I think it's genius. What this means for Dan (should he actually be in the #77 for both events) is that he, in effect, controls his own destiny for pit stall position in Vegas. With the track record of the #77 and Schmidt's team this season, Wheldon will very likely be qualifying near the sharp end of the field in Kentucky, which translates to a desirable pitstall for Vegas, ultimately meaning one less disadvantage in a race that will be full of challenges for Wheldon as it stands.
I would like to close by saying that I have been a staunch supporter of Alex Tagliani since he was in Champ Car, and the Sam Schmidt/FAZZT organization since it arose from the ashes of Roth Racing in the late summer/fall of 2009. I absolutely loved seeing him qualify his now-signature #77 car on the outside pole at Brazil right out of the box, as well as solidly qualifying in the top five at Indianapolis for the 94th Indianapolis 500. I felt his emotion when he was helplessly caught out by poor team strategy on bump day in 2009. Tagliani is a supremely skilled racecar driver, and I think he's still got a lot of race left in him before he utters that 6-letter word that many great drivers before him have uttered before. All of this aside though, Dan Wheldon has an extremely solid chance at going into Las Vegas and making himself, his team, and a fan very, very rich. This is the largest purse of the season outside of Indianapolis, and Dan Wheldon is the only driver that can step up to claim it. Looking at the facts, I think it's extremely plausible that Dan could do it big in Vegas, and even if he doesn't, he's going to make the race very very exciting for the fans.
Hopefully I can make these things shorter as time goes on, thanks for reading!
- K
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