re: 2023 IndyCar Season - R17 Laguna Seca 9/10 2:30 pm ET (NBC)

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Just read Wilson fractured T12. He’s out of the race. Maybe Graham has a shot after all?

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That's a brutal end to his 2023 campaign. Stefan works all year to raise sponsorship. That's gotta be super frustrating.

So I heard from David Land's video today that now it's the driver who qualifies for the race. It used to be the car that qualified for the race.

In the past, if a driver needed to switch cars after qualifying, he had to go to the back of the grid, because the new car did not qualify for the race. But if a new driver is put in the car that is qualified, the car keeps its grid position. There is logic to this. At Indy the speed you achieve comes down mostly to the car, not the driver. If you swap cars after qualifying is over, there's no guarantee that the new car will perform as well as the qualified car. The new car did not earn the original car's spot.

Now, the driver qualifies for the race. If a driver has to switch cars, he keeps his grid position. If a new driver is put in an already-qualified car, he goes to the back of the grid. So Wilson's replacement will go to the back of the grid.

The two most obvious candidates to replace Wilson are JR Hildebrand and Graham Rahal. Hildebrand has been in Indianapolis all week letting everyone know he's available if a driver is needed. He said he passed his physical and is ready to go. I also learned from this article that he has driven in the last 12 Indy 500s and drove three years in a row for Dreyer & Reinbold 2018-2020, so they know him well. He wasn't able to get a program together this year though, so his streak is in danger, but this could be his lifeline. If they choose Hildebrand, he will have to go through the refresher course before Carb Day.

I think the main question with Graham is if he has a contract directly with Honda. Even if he doesn't, Honda may frown upon him driving a Chevy. Since Graham was in a fully sponsored car, I'm thinking that if they choose him, he will bring additional sponsorship and it will be financially more lucrative for Dreyer & Reinbold.

www.usatoday.com/story/sports/motor/indycar/2023/05/22/indy-500-2023-katherine-legge-stefan-wilson-crash-in-practice/70244896007/