Let's Lighten Up

So, for one reason or another, I decided to take a gander at the entry list for the Indy Lights doubleheader in St. Pete this weekend. Normally, I used to pay little attention to the Lights races because...well, that's what ESPN told me to do with their lame-ass TV package. I always liked the Freedom 100, and I've seen some pretty damn good races on Carb Day in the past. But when I think of the Indy Lights, the 12-car fields of the early days of Infinity Pro come to my mind.

So imagine my shock, surprise, elation, and whatever else I felt when I checked the FIL entry list and saw...28 cars!

This wonderful number leads me to a few conclusions:

1) This series has established itself as a respectable, mid-level open wheel series.

2) The oval races, though 40 m.p.h. slower than the ICS races, have the possibility of being a blast to watch.

5) (<-- that's a Monty Python reference...cue laughter) The first turn at St. Petersburg will be declared a disaster zone within seconds of the green dropping.

The fun thing is that the drivers in the series come from a very wide spectrum of backgrounds. There are drivers from America, Brazil, England, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, France, Belgium, Holland, Columbia, Australia, and even New Jersey! Team E's Jan Heylen was a Champ Car guy, for example. I remember the Genoa team's Richard Phillipe racing the road course at Indy and winning with Formula BMW four years ago (He was 16, youngest ever to take a checkered flag at IMS). Anderson Racing's Jonathon Summerton is the only American to take a victory in A1GP. There's a cool international flavor to FIL and it is full of pretty damn good drivers, many of whom have a chance to make it to the big leagues.

I'm going to have my eyes on Summerton, FIL vets Wade Cunningham and Jay Howard, '08 Nashville winner Ana Beatriz (who had a good Freedom 100 last year too), and Pippa Mann, who shocked the boys by jumping in the car and leading the time sheet at the Homestead test.

When I say I'll have eyes on these drivers, it means I'll actually be watching them on TV thanks to my new best friends at VERSUS. Monday at 6PM is the condensed version of the FIL weekend