Briscoe to replace Hornish
11/09/07 Australian Ryan Briscoe, the Toyota F1 test driver between 2002 and 2004 has finally landed a top drive in the Indy Racing League. The 27-year-old Australian has been in America since 2005 when his hopes of getting a Jordan F1 drive were dashed. He signed to drive for Target Chip Ganassi Racing but struggled to get used to the ovals and then suffered serious injuries in an enormous crash at Chicagoland Speedway. Ganassi then had the chance to hire IRL Champion Dan Wheldon and so dumped Briscoe who later did some races with the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and replaced the injured Cristiano da Matta in the Champ Car World Series. He then agreed a deal to race a Porsche LMP2 car in the American Le Mans Series for Penske and took part in the Indy 500 this year in a semi-factory Penske car. He finished fifth. Briscoe will now be promoted into the Penske team, as teammate to Helio Castroneves, replacing Sam Hornish Jr who has decided to pursue his career with Penske in NASCAR. Grandprix.com
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Ryan Briscoe loves the IRL oval tracks….not!! |
09/21/07 If Sam Hornish Jr. goes to NASCAR, as expected, Ryan Briscoe figures to go to Milwaukee. And Sebring, Fla. And anywhere else Penske Racing decides to test the Australian driver. Team president Tim Cindric reiterated Thursday that Briscoe is the leading candidate to replace the three-time IndyCar Series champion if Hornish switches series. But Briscoe will be tested extensively, particularly on the short oval tracks and the road courses, before he is assigned to the No. 6 car. Cindric said Briscoe, a Penske Racing driver in the American Le Mans Series who drove a team car to a fifth-place finish in this year's Indianapolis 500, wasn't impressive last year in his Milwaukee race for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, a second-tier team. "Before we commit to running him, we want to see if that was circumstantial," Cindric said. "We want to take him to places and evaluate him in our cars." Indy Star
09/02/07 When Ryan Briscoe was a rookie in the IndyCar Series in 2005, he crashed so many cars for Target/Chip Ganassi Racing that some called him the "IRL's Crash Test Dummy."
Rumors are that crash dummy is going to land the best ride in the IRL paddock. "They would be big shoes to fill, that's for sure," Briscoe said at the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. "I'm sure I'd have all the right people around me to step up, be competitive and win races. I really look up to Sam Hornish, ever since I came to the United States.
"When I was at Target/Chip Ganassi Racing, I was always watching what he did because I thought he was the best guy out there."
Penske Racing president Tim Cindric said Briscoe is "at the top of our list" to replace Hornish if the three-time IndyCar champion decides to join NASCAR Nextel Cup full time in 2008. Hornish is expected to make his Nextel Cup debut in two weeks at New Hampshire International Speedway in the first race in the chase for the championship.
From listening to those in the IndyCar paddock, it's not a question of "if" Hornish leaves but rather of "when" he announces his decision.
"It would definitely be nice to be considered, though." According to Cindric, Briscoe is more than considered — he's the "lead candidate." ESPN.com
09/01/07 Ryan Briscoe could be a contender to replace Sam Hornish Jr. next year in IndyCar, Roger Penske said Friday at Belle Isle.
"If Sam decides to go to NASCAR, he (Briscoe) would be a lead candidate for the vacant open-wheel seat," said Penske, whose Nextel Cup team includes Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch. "Ryan had done a great job for us in ALMS this year. He's matured. I think he'd give a good account of himself." Briscoe, 26, will be on the pole today for Penske in the Detroit Sports Car Challenge, an American Le Mans Series event. Briscoe will be in the No. 6 Penske Racing Porsche RS Spyder, which he'll share with Sascha Maassen of Germany.
In May, Briscoe finished fifth in the Indianapolis 500 in a car backed by Penske. If he moved to IndyCar, he would team with Helio Castroneves, a combination Penske likes.
"Ryan is popular with the team, people like him," he said. "He's good with the sponsors and the crew respects him. He's a great kid, and he's a great race driver." Detroit Free Press
07/15/07 Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti has emerged as a possible replacement for Sam Hornish Jr. at Penske Racing if Hornish moves to NASCAR next season. Penske officials are mum on the subject, insisting a decision on Hornish has yet to be made. But Franchitti did little at Nashville Superspeedway to squelch the speculation.
"Uh, . . . anything's possible," the IndyCar Series points leader said. "It's unlikely, but definitely possible."
Franchitti refused to say if he has been contacted by Penske, but his contract with Andretti Green Racing expires at season's end and he will be the top free agent. He also said driving for team owner Roger Penske would be an honor. They have talked in the past about working together.
Penske's leading candidate to replace Hornish, should he go to NASCAR, figures to be Ryan Briscoe, who drives for Penske's American Le Mans Series team.
But IRL driver Scott Dixon sees signs AGR is preparing for a driver change. "I know they've been looking for people (to drive), so something must be going on," he said. Indy Star
[Editor's Note: Other sources have Franchitti moving to the AGR Acura ALMS team alongside Bryan Herta full time. We believe this is the more likely scenario, though we have to believe driving for Penske would be something Dario might jump at.]