The IRL people need help quickly!!!!

[turbofan]

Does anybody think the IRL management really have the business sense to turn this series around? It seems to be one bad move after another. Then when they have an interveiw they point the finger at everything but themselves. Good exposure, good product and fan participation is the key to everthing and they just ignore it. I was in Long Beach, Kansas, and Indy for pole day and the race. I'm trying to support the series but I have never worked so hard and been so frustrated watching something for 35 years as I have been the last 12 months. Am I alone on this deal?

[NickFalzone]

I think that for whatever reason, the IRL management sees themselves as sort of a homespun/grassroots type group that is working for the common good of a niche series. I do not think they are as aggressive in a desire to expand the series as say the cart or CC folks. This has its plusses and minuses financially. They're not taking the big risks from what I can tell, so also not getting the big rewards, and also not going bankrupt. I truly believe that they are OK with it being a 2nd class racing series. If it gets bigger and more popular, great, but that's not their main priority these days. And as I said, that philosophy has its pros and cons, but for those that want the series to become huge again, clearly this way of operating is a bit disappointing. I do think that small things like the centennial, new car package, inevitable dropoff in NASCAR popularity, uptick in economy, will all play into IRLs favor in the next 4-6 years. But this sort of moderate growth will likely come as a result of outside influences and not necessarily the IRL management. I do think Angstadt and Barnhart do a good job in their roles, but I don't see much excitement beyond those 2.

[The instant classic]

Does anybody think the IRL management really have the business sense to turn this series around? It seems to be one bad move after another. Then when they have an interveiw they point the finger at everything but themselves. Good exposure, good product and fan participation is the key to everthing and they just ignore it. I was in Long Beach, Kansas, and Indy for pole day and the race. I'm trying to support the series but I have never worked so hard and been so frustrated watching something for 35 years as I have been the last 12 months. Am I alone on this deal?

im with you 100%
i have been saying that for months!
i think the prob is with the management is that, the IRL is so use too this small run, small fan base, small ratings, small tv deals, and now everything has come at once better everything, now money and power have gone to there heads, and maybe TG doesnt know how to run the IRL on a bigger level? he's use too, being small run, and now i woludn't say its on nascars level, but i wolud say the IRL is like on nascar level in 97' 98' but this year in the IRL was and it was pretty bad when i though the nascar truck racing was better, and this is comming from a indycar fan in me, the year wasnt good so i had to watch nascar,
to many power heads running the business will kill it, that goes for anything, even since the unification seems like everyone got this ego about them, but for good buisness ideas and for the fans, you need to put ego aside

[Bob Riebe]

Sadly Tony George is starting to look more and more like Don Quijote only he does not know his horse left him.

[MDS]

As much as the split was about power it was a vote of no-confidence in Tony George as a leader. There were a lot of behind the scene conversations in 1995 about how bad it could be if Tony got a hold of all of AOWR because as bad as CART might have been, the common wisdom was George would be worse.

The complaints I heard was based on George's management of IMS. Beginning in the early 90s he began to bleed the CART teams, requiring silly things like fees for golfcarts and requiring all food inside the track to come from IMS catering despite the fact that all the teams had their own chefs on staff and largely brought their own food.

For most of the time since 1996 Tony George has had a good economy to work with while he tried to grow his league. A good economy will mask a lot of mistakes, and how the sport gets through the next two years will tell a lot about Tony George. Although I've called him out in person before and think he's the completely wrong guy to be trusted; I hope and pray that Tony George is the man he thinks he is.

[downtowndeco]

Take a step back and tell us. What exactly is it that you don't like?

There is a diversity of circuits. Close racing (the championship was decided at the last race). The Indy 500. A new long term TV contract with a partner that actually appears to give a ****. One (and perhaps two) new mfgs. joining the series in 2010. Stars. Consistency in the schedule. No doubt that the next season (and the one after that and the one after that) will take place. One series.

You can find the bad if you want. Just tell us what it is you are unhappy with though.

[nigelred5]

I'm waiting to see what teams and sponsors actually show up for the first race. In this economy, I'll be shocked to see 18 full time, fully sponsored cars.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

If you start a thread to complain about the series, at least tell us what the bloody heck your problem is. I was hoping that with the merger, the random trolling would go away but here we are again.

[MDS]

Take a step back and tell us. What exactly is it that you don't like?

There is a diversity of circuits. Close racing (the championship was decided at the last race). The Indy 500. A new long term TV contract with a partner that actually appears to give a ****. One (and perhaps two) new mfgs. joining the series in 2010. Stars. Consistency in the schedule. No doubt that the next season (and the one after that and the one after that) will take place. One series.

You can find the bad if you want. Just tell us what it is you are unhappy with though.

The TV Partner is largely unknown with an average rating of less than a .2. Also, the 500 will be the first race of the season on a channel people actually watch. Long Beach should be on ABC.

The schedule is below average at best. I'm not unhappy with losing Surfers given how the Aussies were unwilling to negotiate, but there were better options than the sleeper they put together. Among the things that made no sense to me what so ever; Mid-Ohio over Cleveland; Keeping Homestead on as the schedule at all, much less giving it the season ending date weeks before NASCAR; Turning down Loudon.

There is a general lack of vision in the front office. Telling Monteral to call them if they're interested? Really? I'm sorry, but its a chance to get on a weekend with a Nationwide Race as your undercard. How many opportunities will they have for that? They should be lobbying hard for that weekend.

The biggest blunder in my mind though is that when SMI came to the IRL asking about ending the season at LVMS the IRL guys started asking about the club-level road course! This was just moronic. Instead they gave away the final race to Homestead! Homestead where Malboro has to give away 50,000 tickets just to get 30,000 to show up!

Honestly, I don't think they've made a good move since the IRL was created, and this year was no exception.

[The instant classic]

Take a step back and tell us. What exactly is it that you don't like?

There is a diversity of circuits. Close racing (the championship was decided at the last race). The Indy 500. A new long term TV contract with a partner that actually appears to give a ****. One (and perhaps two) new mfgs. joining the series in 2010. Stars. Consistency in the schedule. No doubt that the next season (and the one after that and the one after that) will take place. One series.

You can find the bad if you want. Just tell us what it is you are unhappy with though.

i wont be someone that doesnt like something and never say way, so i will say why im unhappy,

about the comming indycar years,
more tracks? yes i love that but, road and street tracks? they dont give you great racing witch the IRL is use to giving us, road and street tracks cant give you great side by side racing, they cant give a great finsh like we saw at the last race, with helio and dixson, i wolud just like to see acut back of road and street tracks, i loved the tracks when watching the old champcar, but i dont enjoy them in indycar, they sholud stay with oval racing, superspeedways
for the title comming down to the last race, i dont give to much to that when nascar and F1 did the same thing,

it seems like indycar is going down the same road as nascar, why i say?
ok this quote was not made by me i found it on indycar.com talkback
"that Surfers Paradise race was FIXED! to have an Australia. win" now i cant agree or disagree with that cuz i never saw that race, by i fear that in the comming years more fans will cry "fixed" and thats what nascar fans did,
fixed or not thats not good comming from fans, i just dont want to see indycar say, ok if you think we are fixed just cuz, we have better tv deals ratings, fans, ok fine we will start fixing everything,