Jag_Warrior
12th August 2013, 16:01
New Speedway president asked to 'save our track' (http://www.ibj.com/the-score-2013-07-10-new-speedway-president-asked-to-save-our-track/PARAMS/post/42365)
One thing is certain. The famed Brickyard is at a critical crossroads.
It may still host the Greatest Spectacle in Racing—the Indianapolis 500—but many race fans have told me it’s no longer a venue worthy of such an event. They say it’s not anywhere close. And now it’s up to Boles—and his boss, Mark Miles—to do something about it.
Race fans complain the Speedway is a “turn-off” that is hurting attendance at the IMS’ cash-cow event, the Indy 500 in May.
Racing insiders also tell me the vaunted Speedway, despite its history and gargantuan size, is second-tier compared with the soon-to-be-renovated Daytona International Speedway and the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, which hosts a major Formula One race, among others.
Although the Indiana General Assembly this year voted to give the Speedway a $100 million tax break over 20 years for needed repairs and upgrades, some think it won’t be nearly enough. The IMS has agreed to kick in another $40 million over the same period, but that total still pales in comparison to the $400 million Daytona International Speedway is pouring into its facility.
One racing industry executive called the IMS’ condition “horrendous.” An executive with one of the IndyCar Series’ corporate partners said that on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the best sports facility, “the Speedway would get a three.”
“The luster is gone from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said former race car driver Derek Daly, who now serves as a racing analyst for WISH-TV Channel 8. “It creates an unattractive sports platform for commercial sponsors to get involved. The problems will take years to fix. The sooner they get started the better.”
One thing is certain. The famed Brickyard is at a critical crossroads.
It may still host the Greatest Spectacle in Racing—the Indianapolis 500—but many race fans have told me it’s no longer a venue worthy of such an event. They say it’s not anywhere close. And now it’s up to Boles—and his boss, Mark Miles—to do something about it.
Race fans complain the Speedway is a “turn-off” that is hurting attendance at the IMS’ cash-cow event, the Indy 500 in May.
Racing insiders also tell me the vaunted Speedway, despite its history and gargantuan size, is second-tier compared with the soon-to-be-renovated Daytona International Speedway and the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, which hosts a major Formula One race, among others.
Although the Indiana General Assembly this year voted to give the Speedway a $100 million tax break over 20 years for needed repairs and upgrades, some think it won’t be nearly enough. The IMS has agreed to kick in another $40 million over the same period, but that total still pales in comparison to the $400 million Daytona International Speedway is pouring into its facility.
One racing industry executive called the IMS’ condition “horrendous.” An executive with one of the IndyCar Series’ corporate partners said that on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the best sports facility, “the Speedway would get a three.”
“The luster is gone from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said former race car driver Derek Daly, who now serves as a racing analyst for WISH-TV Channel 8. “It creates an unattractive sports platform for commercial sponsors to get involved. The problems will take years to fix. The sooner they get started the better.”