stuttgart46

SPEED is reporting that it's a done deal. Suposedly, he's getting $3M a year plus prize money to drive the new Red Bull Toyota.
I keep wrestling with myself on this one. I don't care for NASCAR and I enjoyed watching him in CART but would I have done the same thing when I was 24? Probably. Especially with the uncertainity of CART and Open Wheel racing in general.

}{arlequin

well, not sure whether i'll tune in, but i prolly won't switch the channel when the roadies take to the ovals. they're drivers first and foremost. i'm sure they all want to see how they stack up against each other. so do i.

what i'd REALLY like to see is something similar to the publicity races they had w/ the m1's on gp weekends. take the entire f1 field, stick 'em into nextel cupcars, and let 'em have at it. THAT would be entertainment. of course, driver contracts won't allow it, but here's to hoping...

Cory M

It is too bad we are losing another good roadracer to Nascar but if I were in AJ's shoes I'd do the same thing. From what I have heard he was only making about $120k/yr at Forsythe and when he requested a salary closer to what his uncompetitive, overweight, and downright dangerous teamate was making ($2.5+ million) he was only offered $200k/year- after winning 5 of 9 races with the team...

Veloce Raptor

It's all about the Benjamins, yo.

1AS

Juan Pablo said it was much more fun than F1. He passed about 40 cars in a Busch race after stopping due to crash damage. His point was that if you are 2 seconds a lap faster than the guy in front, you still can't pass in F1. If you saw the end of Sunday's Cup race, that looked like real racing. AS

multi21

WOW, if those numbers are right, you can't blame him for taking the $$ in NASCAR. I can't believe he was only making $120k and given his performance, wasn't offered significantly more for next year. I'll stop my dreaming and stick to my day job.

Off this topic, but what is of Sebastian B's future? Doesn't look like he's getting a sniff of F1. Too bad, because he's shown some talent.

earlyapex

F1 doesn't look at CART or IRL as a place where talent can be found. SB will never get into F1. He's tapped out in open wheeled racing. He'll probably do more tin top and endurance racing.

Gator_86_951

How can they afford to pay PT $2.5million?

multi21

Maybe not IRL, but Da Matta came from CART. Renault didn't want to give SB a test because he is French. Funny as that sounds, Ferrari seems to shun Italian drivers.

earlyapex

Da Matta did not have a very good time at Toyota. Montoya won races but disappointed everyone. JV won a championship in the series best car and could not repeat it. He then let his ego get in the way and wasted the best years driving a uncompetetive car. He then stayed far too long in crappy teams and soiled what legacy he may have had. SB is simply too old for F1 teams to take a chance on. They don't respect CART as a talent proving ground.

F1 teams are looking for young talent. They aren't looking at the American series unless your name is Rahal. GP2 looks to be the place to be if you want to race in F1.

Ski

Regarding salaries: When Jack Rousch was shopping the 99 Citgo car, after Citgo was not resigning the contract, Jack wanted $99M for three years. Nothing close to what F1 spends but the sponsorhips, plus the end of the year payouts, are how NASCAR drivers get the salaries they get. Think about 150000 people at Daytona, average ticket price of $115 = $17.2M from the gate alone.

BrianKeithSmith

Ski - can you restate your posts - it made no sense???? Re-read it.

Jarez Mifkin

Jaques Villenueve....Jaun Paublo Montoya....

Congo

Well, there are going to be more teams, drivers, and sponsors next year in Champ Car.

NASCAR is simply sucking the air out of the room.

The part about Danica Patrick in NASCAR hasn't come true. She signed in July with Andretti Green Racing for 2007.

http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/28732/

Greg Fishman

http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/33504/