Drivers' Dilemma

In previous postings I have discussed some of the difficulties that the USCR organizers were facing in the merger of the ALMS and Grand-Am into their new series. There are some difficulties that the teams and/or drivers will have to work out too. Among these difficulties for some teams is that of reconciling their driver line-ups when their drivers have been participating in both the old ALMS and Grand-Am series.

Looking at the entry lists for the ALMS Sebring 12-hour and the Grand-Am Daytona 24-hour races I found 19 drivers that have a conflict (not including LMP1 since they won't be in the USCR for 2014). Here is a table of those drivers, with their team affiliations and classes:

There are a number of ways this will be dealt with. Here are a few:

A.) The "Scott Tucker" approach: If the same team utilizes a driver in both series, they could split their stints between cars. This will only work on the longer races, since the minimum driving time would be hard to cover in the shorter races. Also, I don't think switching between a prototype and a GT within a single race is such a good idea. 

B.) Teams may consolidate: Two teams may join forces and share drivers. The factory teams probably wouldn't do this, but it might make sense for some of the smaller teams. They might still need additional drivers if the "A" approach doesn't work for them; or they may also incorporate the "D" approach (see below).

C.) Bring in additional drivers: Depending on the contracts involved and the relationships that have developed, a driver may just pick one team and vacate his seat in the other team. This leaves an opening for an additional driver. 

D.) Lower the car count: Multi-car teams may reduce their car count so their driver line-up will cover their program. Teams with a single car in each series may have to choose one car and sell the other.

I don't think anyone is expecting all cars from both series to be running in 2014. If they did all show up, the grid would be too large for some of the venues. I do think there will be some openings for additional drivers on some teams and I think that there will be some reduction in car-counts. There may also be some team consolidation. Further complicating the team driver line-ups is the Pro/Am formulae used in P2 and GTC; assuming those formulae are retained. The driver formulae issue was not addressed in the new class structure announced by USCR.

A lot is riding on the  2014 USCR season being successful. If it is there may be opportunities for increased sponsorship, allowing teams to grow, opening up seats for additional drivers. I am keeping my fingers crossed.