Kurt Busch excited by Gene Haas’ F1 project

By Apr 13, 2014, 1:30 PM EDT
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Kurt Busch has said that Gene Haas is determined to get his Formula 1 team on the grid in 2015, and although he feels that he is too old to race, he would certainly be up for a test drive.

The FIA confirmed on Friday that Haas had been given the green light to put together a team for 2015, setting the wheels in motion for an American outfit to join the grid. A technical partnership with Ferrari is thought to be on the table, and the likes of Alexander Rossi and Conor Daly have already been linked with a seat.

Busch – who drives the #41 for Stewart-Haas Racing in NASCAR – was really enthusiastic about the possibility of an American team joining the grid.

“It will be an incredible challenge. He knows that,” Busch told the Associated Press. “He’s serious. You just don’t drop $40 million on a wind tunnel and not think that you’re serious about racing.

“It’s a matter of the fans getting behind it, supporting Gene and trying to give F1 another chance,” he said. “We’ve had Michael Andretti, before him was his dad. We had Scott Speed as a driver. Now we have an owner. It will be interesting to see how the driver line-up shapes up.”

At 35, Busch feels that he is too old to race for the team, but he would not say no to a test outing.

“My time has passed to be a competitive driver in F1,” he said. “But a test session? I’d jump on that every time. They’re going to have hard time keeping me out of the shop, from hanging out.”

Following the announcement, there has been a mix of delight and skepticism from the Formula 1 world. However, with a racing team and automotive company behind the American bid this time around, Haas’ project appears to have far more going for it than USF1 did back in 2009.

Predictably, a number of other NASCAR and IndyCar drivers will be linked to the seats with Haas in Formula 1, but should he be looking for American drivers that are already on the sport’s ladder, both Rossi and Daly would be good picks. However, they might need to be complemented by a more experienced Formula 1 driver given that neither has started a grand prix yet.

Ryan Hunter-Reay hired as replacement for Conor Daly at Ed Carpenter Racing

By Jun 8, 2023, 9:05 AM EDT
Ryan Hunter-Reay Carpenter
Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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Ryan Hunter-Reay was named to replace Conor Daly in Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet, starting in the NTT IndyCar Series event next week at Road America.

Hunter-Reay is the 2012 series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner. He finished 11th for Dreyer & Reinbold last month in the 107th Indy 500, his first start since the 2021 season finale. He drove full time for Andretti Autosport from 2010-21.

“We need to improve our competitiveness and I wanted to add a fresh perspective from a driver like Ryan who has a massive amount of experience and success as well as a reputation as a team leader. I am excited to welcome Ryan to the team,” team owner Ed Carpenter said in a team release. “We have worked together in the past as teammates and he tested for ECR at Barber Motorsports Park in October 2021, where he made an immediate impact as we were able to qualify one of our cars on the pole following that test. I am confident that his experience and technical abilities will be an asset to ECR as we move forward toward our goals as a team.”

Hunter-Reay has 18 IndyCar victories, most recently in 2018. He also is a winner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, having been a part of winning entries in the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2018 Petit Le Mans. Last year, he was an endurance driver for Cadillac Racing while being on standby for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He replaces Daly, whose departure was announced a day earlier in what the driver and team said was a mutual decision.

“I was surprised when I got the call from Ed,” Hunter-Reay said in a team release. “He described how frustrated he was that his team has not been able to realize its potential despite their efforts, investments, as well as technical and personnel changes over the past few years and asked for my help. Ed and I are very close friends and have been for a long time. I’ve worked with the team in the past and they are a very talented group with high expectations and a committed partner in BITNILE.COM.

“This will certainly be a challenge for me as well. It’s a tough situation jumping in a car in the middle of the season without any testing in what I believe to be the most competitive series in the world. Certainly, part of my motivation in saying ‘yes’ to Ed is the great challenge ahead. The last time I turned right driving an NTT IndyCar Series car was in October of 2021 with this team at Barber. However, I remain very confident in both my driving and technical abilities and believe by working with the talented people at ECR and Team Chevy, while representing BITNILE.COM, we will make progress. I am going to do everything I can do to help the team achieve its long-term objectives.”

Said Milton “Todd” Ault, the chairman of sponsor BitNile.com: “It is great for BitNile.com to be aligned with an Indy 500 Winner and an NTT IndyCar Series champion. I have followed Ryan’s career for years and I am confident he will challenge the entire ECR team to perform at higher levels. I wish everyone luck at Road America.”