Full Throttle

So ok, Michael Andretti ended the year 2009 on what many considered an up note having jettisoned and financial partner or two and renamed the team Andretti Autosport.

As all should know IndyCar signed new series title sponsor IZOD replacing DIRECTV HD who chipped in enough cash to be called a “presenting sponsor” last year.

Now IZOD and Andretti Autosport have teamed up, egged on by IZOD cash, and announced the signing of Ryan Hunter-Reay as forth driver for a team that already has Danica, Tony Kanaan and Marco Andretti.

Nothing against Ryan Hunter-Reay mind you, he’s had reasonable open wheel success given he’s been saddled with the somewhat inferior teams as A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Vision and Rahal Letterman Racing.

Rahal Letterman Racing is where Danica escaped from looking for a competitive ride and the other two just plain suck, there’s no other way to put it.

Hunter-Reay has shown some flashes of skill, driving acrapwagon given to him by Vision to a second place at St. Petersburg behind winner Ryan Briscoe last year, he scored IndyCar Rookie of the Year in 2007 and the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year in 2008.

My only question is why, why a forth team driver when Andretti is seemingly scrambling to catch up to the likes of Penske and Ganassi?

Financially it makes sense, especially since Hunter-Reay’s name is tightly associated with IZOD as The Face of IZOD’s television and advertising campaign and has been under a personal services contract with the clothing merchant for two years.

Reports say IZOD is committing $5 million a year to marketing and promotion, $100,000 per car to IndyCar owners and providing seven-figure sponsorship for Hunter-Reay.

How all that makes a three car team into a four car team that can compete with the series’ elite remains to be seen.

They say money buys speed, but if that were the only criteria Chip Ganassi would have sunk Jimmie Johnson’s bid at being a three, or four time NASCAR champion with all the cash that side of his house has bled the last few years.