oh please Oh Please OH PLEASE OH PLEASE... i've been good!!!
If ESPN reports are true, and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champ Tony Stewart and 2008 Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton are going to swap race cars at Watkins Glen International this summer, the track president wishes someone had told him.
Michael Printup told The Leader on Sunday that he’s been in discussions with both sides - brought together by common sponsor Mobil 1 - but nothing has been signed, and no date has been set.
“I met with both sides in January and haven’t heard back yet.“ he said. “We don’t have anything solid, we don’t have a date or anything and we were really confused (when the report surfaced).”
Mike Arning, Stewart Haas Racing’s public relations chief, told ESPN about the exhibition event at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday. After that, the Internet got a hold of the story.
Bringing a modern F1 car to The Glen has been a goal of Printup’s since Juan Pablo Montoya and Jeff Gordon swapped rides at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2003. Until this year, there wasn’t a fourth party to bring everything together. Mobil 1 joined Stewart Haas Racing after the 2010 season, and has been a principal sponsor of McLaren-Mercedes for years.
When Printup took their reins of WGI in 2009, making a ride swap happen was one of his principle pet projects.
“I’ve been banging on this since I got here, I said we need to do this at this at The Glen. This would be fantastic if we could pull it together,” Printup said. “If there are no hiccups, Watkins Glen is ready.”
The most contemporary F1 car to visit The Glen was a 1994 Ferrari, driven by Jean Alesi in competition, that hit the legendary road course during a vintage racing weekend in 2002. The event will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first United States Grand Prix at The Glen, which is a year-long celebration organized by the International Motor Racing Research Center and the WGI staff.
The most logical date would be around the Canadian Grand Prix, which is scheduled for June 10-12 - the only time Formula One visits this side of the planet in 2011. However, The Glen is a hub of activity from April through October every year with tests, car clubs and spectator events, so nailing down one day that works for two races teams, the track and the sponsor is a hurdle.
Stewart was inducted in the inaugural class of Legends of The Glen in 2008 and has five wins at the historic road course, but has never driven around the full 3.4-mile grand prix circuit. Hamilton has neither driven around The Glen, nor has he piloted an American-style stock car.