In racing, the teams with the most resources always win regardless of how many manufacturers there are. In F1, it's the two teams; in IndyCar, it's the top three; and in NASCAR, it's the top six or seven (I checked, only six teams won in 2007).

Second, Scott Dixon *is* one of the best drivers in IndyCar. He might be the best period. The car helped, as it always does, but Dixon is far from a slouch in the cockpit.

Third, IndyCar did not choose to be a spec series. Every other manufacturer other than Honda and Dallara left open wheel. Hopefully with unification, new manufacturers will come into the series when the new car debuts in 2010 or 2011.

Finally, as great as all those manufacturers were, there are two advantages to a spec series. One, the cars don't fail as much. There are very few engines failures in IndyCar. Two, and more importantly, the cars stay close together for the most part. In the olden days, they were many manufacturers, but people also won races by entire laps (I believe that was the case with NASCAR too, but I don't know for certain).

I don't know enough from the NASCAR end to comment on that, but I wanted to clear up some things from the IndyCar perspective.

In some ways I agree and disagree with you Eric. First thing first, the FIA or Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile rules F1, and they have for years favored the European manufacturers over anyone else. That is history that can be looked at and verified. http://217.204.13.141/index_1024.html is the FIA webpage and they have a history of the sport. No American has ever been welcomed with open arms over there and no non-European manufacturer has ever won the F1 Championship as far as I know. They are very inclusive when it concerns European manufacturers, but will penalize a non-European manufacturer with weight or some other means to slow them down. Who are the big dogs in F1? Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW lead the pack with Renault trying to make up the field. Honda and Toyota with all of their resources are a second tier teams. There are no American manufacturers as the Ford engine that ruled for so many years are no longer competitive. Now the reasons are many folds. Engine size is restricted in the Ford, weight is added, and they are limited to a non-turbo engine. Therefore, you have NO Ford Cosworth engines any longer. Their Sports Car series is just as bad. Look at the rules if you like. Look at our American Le Mans series where many European and Japanese manufacturers are dominate. I’m an old SCCA racer and have had to deal with those A-holes when I wanted to race in Europe. I drove Datsun/Nissan Z cars in those days and the regs were not level as compared to a European make. Therefore, I don’t have much use for the FIA unless their organization is made the template for NASCAR.

As for Scott Dixon, he may be the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to a driver. I never disputed the fact he was good, what I said was all the teams running a Honda is plain assed boring to me. I love the diversity that was once the rule at Indy and all of the former USAC series. Money has the most influence in that series. The big three teams as you put it rule because of that money more than any other factor. I am very mechanically inclined and I look at such things. I was brought up that way. I don’t apologize for that in my character either. I love to go to Indy, walk through the museum, and look at the great diversity that was once Indy. You may love it today, but I absolutely hate it and apparently, I’m not alone. The IRL is about to go belly up. If it weren’t for the re-merger of IRL and CART, they would be looking to close the series within a couple years. That is a fact and it is being discussed over on their website. http://www.indycar.com/ is the IRL website if you’re interested. As for the IRL not being a spec series by choice, then you should go back and read some of the old press clippings when Chevrolet and Oldsmobile were there. Accusations of rule making to favor one manufacturer over another were very rampant. We have it nice in NASCAR right now. Wait until Toyota dominates the Cup series with their BS stolen race engine when the others are denied equal opportunity to design and use a new design. Have you wondered why Chevrolet was allowed the new R03 engine?

As for a spec engine, they can keep the series when that happens. “STOCK” car racing was about taking a vehicle off the showroom, modifying it and then racing. That means running an engine designed for the car that is running on the track. It doesn’t mean a pure race engine or a one manufacturer spec engine. They did that already, it was called IROC, and that is where that idea needs to stay. The car used today is about as close to a factory “STOCK,” car as a Piper Cub is to a F-16. Now I understand the need for safety, so I’ll give them all the safety gear they can have. What I don’t understand is the BS spouted by the NASCAR brass about cost. They say the new car can be run at any track and that’ll save the teams money. Well duh!! Back in the fifties and sixties, they did that all the time. The reason was simple, 75% of the teams couldn’t afford to run more than one car, and the other 25% only had two cars. Those two cars were one for race and one for a backup. It wasn’t until the aero wars of the late sixties and early seventies that you began to see cars for the Super Speedways and another for the shorter tracks. Look at my profile and you’ll see one of the cars I knew well. It is a 1969/1970 Dodge Charger Daytona that Bobby Issac drove at Daytona and Talladega. He also had a 1969 Dodge Charger 500 that he drove on the shorter tracks that same year. NASCAR could have required the same car raced on all tracks and they would have done it. That didn’t happen as higher speeds were the big draw and as the teams got bigger, a new car was designed, the pure racecar with a stock body. They used those vehicles up till the nineties when the complete tube modified car was born. Now we have this blasted COT, this totally away from a “STOCK,” car as any Indy or F1 car is. I will try and post a blog on the engines used at a later time.

As for NASCAR and the old days, cars did win by a lap or more. I was just as excited as I am today. If it was my manufacturer I was ecstatic, if it was another I hooted and booed. That was “STOCK,” car racing and from race to race, the different manufacturers would swap who won. Plymouth would win one week and maybe Ford the next; you never knew what was going to happen. I’ve been to races where almost all the Dodge’s blew engines, because they were slower at that track and was looking for the extra speed. I’ve seen the same thing from all the different makes, but that is “STOCK,” car racing. It was exploring the ragged edge of power and dependability. Now “STOCK,” car racing is more about Budweiser or Miller beer than the cars. So what is auto racing? It isn’t about how fast your beer goes down it’s about the car!!! If you want to see close racing by the driver, then line them up and watch a foot race. Take the car out of the factor and that’s what you have, a foot race.