Briscoe, Luyendyk eye Indy 500 rides

UPDATE AutoRacing1.com can now confirm, as we previously reported, that Ryan Briscoe was indeed offered a ride with Team Australia and turned it down. Therefore, the fact that he finds himself without a full-time ride now is entirely his doing.

03/17/06 Ryan Briscoe and Arie Luyendyk Jr. want rides for this year's Indianapolis 500. Christian Fittipaldi and Graham Rahal do not.

Briscoe's situation is the most interesting. He wasn't retained by Indy Racing League team owner Chip Ganassi following his horrific Sept. 11 accident at Chicagoland Speedway, and he was spurned by PKV Racing, a Champ Car World Series team.

Now, Briscoe is unemployed, except for next month's A1 Grand Prix series race in Shanghai, China, and a pair of fall races in Australia's V8 Supercar Series.

"It's unfortunate and a shame for me, but that's the way it goes," the 24-year-old Aussie said. "I was led to believe something was going to happen with (PKV), but it dragged on so long that when it fell apart, everything else (full time) was gone." More at the Indy Star