who do all the extra racers race for? the indy 500 has what, 33 racers? that's quite a few more than normal. do they join existing teams just for that day, or are there other teams that only race in the 500? why do none of these people race in the other events?
Every year there are always a few deals and last minute rides assembled for Indy. It is the most pretigious race in North America. The main reason many competitors only race the Indy 500 is sponsor money. Many sponsors are willing to pay the money to be at Indy because it is such a huge event, but are not interested in paying a team for the rest of the year.The only thing missing from open wheel racing right now is committed sponsorships. Many teams would love to run the full schedule if the money was there.
yes there are teams who just come to indy to race. yes they have 33 cars in the 500. a lot of the drivers who don't have a "permanent ride" get a ride at the last minute with a team who doesn't have an "IRL" team. but i don't know why they don't race all the events, except maybe this: indy is the biggest payout of all the races, and it costs a lot of money to transport, have a full time staff (pit crew, etc.), and all that comes with being dedicated for a full season. and these other races just don't have the hype and the money that indy does.
In the days before CART split into IRL and CHAMP car, a fairly competitive field could be assembled. But, today there are so few competitive open wheel teams that there has to be a lot of filler to complete the 33 team field. That is acceptable but when one looks at all the filler that completes a 18 to 20 car IRL/CHAMP race lineup, it becomes very disappointing. Al Unser Jr. hadn't raced in 3 years but came out of retirement to race an AJ Foyt backup car because the chance for a decent finish was there. Open wheel racing is in dire straits to the point that a change at the top with new thinking and visions may be the only hope.
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