Who exactly is watching IRL?

[Okeefe]

"Oval racing in the modern times, I think will kill auto racing" (sorry I don't know how to use the "quote" button on this new board...)

This is interesting. How so?

[GunsofNavarone]

NASCAR is generally a southern form of motorsport. Being from the south, I can promise there are some motorsport fans down here that aren't rednecks. On the same hand, I am not a NASCAR fan and would rather sit down and watch an INDY race on any given day...

[V12]

Well I don't have satellite TV at home, so the only US motorsport I get to watch is a few weeks later at some ridiculous time in the morning on Channel 5

[ChampUSfan]

I watched IndyCar from 2002 to 2005. But now I don't have any channel on which I can see IRL. It's not so popular in Europe. And it's really different and difficult for me to see a race today, because when you lose your favourite driver (my favourite driver is Paul Dana), you don't feel the same like before. But I have to see Indy 500 in my life.

[indycool]

JMO, but I think a lot of it has to do with oval fans vs. road course fans, as Mark in O. alluded to. The oval fans watch the IRL, the road-course fans watch CC.
Many don't remember it, but the issue of more street/road courses and fewer ovals WAS significant with CART back in the '80s. Pre-Internet forums, it was a big issue, especially when CART cut the second races from Phoenix and Michigan in 1989 to dramatically cut out the number of oval races on the schedule.
Oval fans think road racing people are elitists. Road racing people think oval fans are the unwashed. This was the case long before current times and NASCAR didn't just become an overnight success.
As an aside from my point, I will always remember the absolutely dumb Pook public comment: "Our fans don't drink Budweiser, smoke Winstons and drive pickup trucks" (thus alienating and insulting all who do).

[Lee Roy]

Oval fans think road racing people are elitists. Road racing people think oval fans are the unwashed. This was the case long before current times and NASCAR didn't just become an overnight success.
As an aside from my point, I will always remember the absolutely dumb Pook public comment: "Our fans don't drink Budweiser, smoke Winstons and drive pickup trucks" (thus alienating and insulting all who do).

I wouldn't worry about what Pook said. Most NASCAR fans never heard what he said, knew who he was, or even know or care about the racing series he was involved with.

[indycool]

True, Lee Roy. But Pook's shot at NASCAR in the way he did it, as others before me have said, didn't do much good for open-wheel sponsorship and fandom in those particular areas of interest -- beer, smokes and pickup trucks.

[Lee Roy]

True, Lee Roy. But Pook's shot at NASCAR in the way he did it, as others before me have said, didn't do much good for open-wheel sponsorship and fandom in those particular areas of interest -- beer, smokes and pickup trucks.

On these types of open-wheel forums there was much discussion and gnashing of teeth over Mr. Pook's offending statement and it's potential impact. Out in the real world where people are happy and enjoying their racing series of choice every week, it wasn't even noticed.

[Alexamateo]

True, Lee Roy. But Pook's shot at NASCAR in the way he did it, as others before me have said, didn't do much good for open-wheel sponsorship and fandom in those particular areas of interest -- beer, smokes and pickup trucks.

And the ultimate irony of all this is that the beer guzzlin', tobacco dippin' & smokin', pickup truck drivin' good ol boys in their low tech taxicab tintops are the ones with the private jets and luxury motor coaches that pay their champion $10,000,000. Meanwhile, the cultural elites with their high tech cars pay their cultured French Champion $500,000 while flying him coach :

[Opinion8d]

if any series has good racing it will have viewers
cars buzzing around a track with no passing isnt racing

this is where nascar has gained the advantage over the other series
there is much passing and the winner could be any one of 20-25 drivers

once irl & cc learn how to have close racing their fanbase will grow 10 fold

nascar a redneck series? no way!
nascar's fanbase covers ALL economic and intellectual levels