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Sunday, December 7 Updated: December 18, 6:29 PM ET  Comments on IRL drivers ESPN.com We spotlighted IRL drivers Alex Barron, Kenny Brack and Robbie Buhl. Here are your thoughts on their '03 campaigns and prospects for next season:
Gene Rhea Muncie, Ind.
Assuming a fully-funded, ready-to-rock Red Bull team is waiting, this is Barron's best shot for a stable ride in IndyCar for a full-season. His (and the team's) performance will be judged at every circuit from Phoenix on, but they should do nothing but improve their consistency during the season even if they encounter a few hiccups early. Cheever's loyalty to Barron may be tested early if things go wrong in the first couple of races, but I think that over the course of a season, Barron can make a real run at the title. While it seems a tougher go for the single-car teams, a win and top five in points should be considered a tremendous success for 2004 but out of the top 10 would be a major disappointment. David Zehr Goshen, Ind.
It's about time. After taking down Sam Hornish at Michigan 2003 after spinning in the grass, you'd think somebody would give Alex a full time ride. I commend Eddie Cheever for stepping up to the plate, and I think he'll be rewarded for his judgement. A top-10 points finish is more than possible -- this could be the year he sheds the label "substitute" once and for all. Chris Estrada Pascoag, R.I.
Why would teams like Ganassi or Panther hire drivers with less experience and poor career stats than Alex Barron? He has proven that with the right team he could be a champion. How many times has Scheckter crashed, and what place did these drivers get at Indy? Brian Neyhart Carlsbad
Natalie Krause Indianapolis
Kenny is one of the nicest drivers I've ever met, he's won Indy, he damn near won the championship in CART. He doesn't have to prove anything to anybody. If he can't come back 100 percent I think he should leave us with the good memories we have. I'd hate for him to turn out like another one of the really nice guys I used to know, Swede Savage. Mark Higgins Van Nuys, Calif.
It's a rare thing when drivers come back from those kind of injuries. The physical talents might not return, having been robbed either by the injuries or by the time that it took to heal, or both. Worse yet, they rarely have the mental outlook needed to be at that razor's edge. The "young immortal man (or woman) syndrome" which makes these drivers oblivious to the dangers simply doesn't exist when you've been hurt this bad. That moment's hesitation, that second guess, isn't wisdom, but rather doubt, and that has no place at speeds over 200 mph.
The great drivers who drove competitively into their 40s (or later) were rarely seriously hurt. Conversely, motorsports history is littered with careers that were never the same after the "big one."
An average racer would consider hanging up his helmet. The problem is Kenny Brack is still at his peak. No one could blame him if he wanted to spend more time with his family. I look for him to rebound, win the championship in two years, then retire to being a car owner or manager for Team Rahal. William Forest Lima, Ohio
Tyler St. Louis
I'm expecting better results for Robbie in '04. The Chevy engine should be competitive from Race 1. The team will hopefully not be spread thin on an underfunded second car. Robbie's capable of getting his third win. Mike Chicago
As much as I have admired his effort It may be time for Robbie to become JUST a racing businessman and focus on that. I believe he spread himself too thin in trying to field two middle-of-the-pack or worse cars in '03 -- neither of which showed well. Focus on one car/driver (Sarah Fisher?) and give him/her a real fighting chance to show what they can do. George Owen Greensboro, N. C.
Robbie Buhl is one of the nice guys in racing. His charity work is well known and he rarely complains about anything. However, his days as a driver are numbered. He should be making every effort to keep Sarah Fisher as his driver as he slides into the owner's role.
Maybe he runs a few races leading up to Indy, and of course, run the 500, but after that give Purex the IRL's most popular driver, Fisher, and let Buhl turn her into a winning driver.
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