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As I said earlier the IRL is almost more stock than NASCAR is. Perhaps thats the way to get people interested again, is to be anything other than stock, lets see if the rules can be changed to allow more than one chasis in to all races next year.
And if Reynard built a new Indy Car chasis to the Indy Car rules TG should let them race......I know Reynard are gone.
Its stock by default, not choice. Ford, GM, Toyota, and Nissan unfortunately didn't see a point in continuing their open wheel programs and the grids dwindled to a point where having a second chassis in either series wasn't worth the cost of development. We'll see what happens in 2010.
This split between American Open Wheel Fans and I500 fans is not allowed to be discussed on the speed forum.
With the economy the way it is today condensing the schedule to 10 days would have benefits for everyone.
I strongly believe more fans would take their vacations during that time just like the fans of the Daytona 500.
Indianapolis would be host to a larger crowd and more than likely be more profitable.
AOWR would benefit because they could have two more races in May leading up to Indy week.
Today's teams do not need the month of May to prepare for the I500. One reason is weather conditions will change so that the practiced car set up will not be the same as the race day set up. If this years race day is hot and sunny that will be the opposite of most all the days in May leading up to the race.
I see the shopworn line flown by CART folks for two decades about the cost of going to Indy. It's a whine. As I pointed out before, it's a home game for MANY teams based in Indianapolis with no travel expenses. Track time is their choice.
And they're competing for a $13 million purse. I suppose you could chop it to two weeks and cut the purse in half and eliminate all the ancillary events surrounding a three-week format. But how would that help Indy OR the series? Again, it diminishes the magnitude of the race...to folks in Indy and folks elsewhere.....two weeks of pub instead of three, two weeks of activity instead of three. It didn't work when it was tried. IMO, it was a disaster.
You don't build something up by tearing something else down. CART thought it could. It was wrong. CC thought it could. It was wrong. Why would we need to be doing this three times? Haven't we learned ANYTHING?
I agree that the venue and the series need to be built up at Indy, but not just the I500. IMHO, taking three weeks to qualify for and run one race is an embarrassment and makes for a lot of wasted time (from the fan's point of view). Can you imagine a two-and-a-half-week long festival of open-wheel speed instead? Have the whole ladder represented, from karts up to Indy cars. Race on the both the road track (Star Mazda and Atlantics) and the oval (IPS and Indy cars). Hold bump day on the day before the big event. Now that would be great!
Maybe some don't understand the extent of things that happen during those three weeks. It starts off with a mini-marathon, one of the nation's largest, with 30,000 runners run by the "500" Festival. There are contests, activities, appearances throughout the month. Races? The Speedway added the Freedom 100 for Indy Lights cars, a previously unheard of second race at the Speedway during May. USAC and others hold racing programs for short track cars at IRP and the Indiana State Fairgrounds. There is the Lirttle 500 sprint car race at Anderson. There is a Community Day for autograph signing and children's activities. A major charity golf tournament is held on the Brickyard Crossing course during race week. Sponsors use that three-week period to entertain customers and employees in suites and motorhomes throughout the month and build significant promotions around it.
And for those who are coming at this from a CC perspective, most of what I've read from those teams was that they could get up to speed much easier during May with the increase in track time. I haven't read one complaint from teams about it now. The war is over for them.
I for one think the month at Indy is a little to long.It may be great for those that live their but I don't see the benfit for race fans across the world.I want to see a race.Oval qualifying will never keep me entertain.I don't know the ends and outs, like a lot of posters, of the team finances involved during the month of May.I just like to see another race in May before the 500.
There will always be a "split" among race fans about the 500 and the rest of series.All I know that in NASCAR every race is a big deal.There is pre-race shows and post race shows for every event.That's want I want for Indycar so badly.Lets not put all our eggs in the 500 basket.Build the series and the 500 will grow stronger.DOes the average fan know the next race after the 500? I haven't heard it mention on air.
It upset me when Danica said after droping out of the Kansas race that the 500 was all that really mattered.She is the face for the series and she doesn't care why should the average fan?
As far as the "buzz" for the "merger" everybody on air is talking about..I know where I live nothing has change.Its awful coverage like always.I hope it is difference else where
Just to bring that full circle, the IRL also thought it could and it was wrong as well. Thankfully, they and everyone else involved finally realized that the only way forward was a united series. Viva le' unification.Quote:
Originally Posted by indycool
Gary
Agreed, Gary.
I think those who defend the 3 plus weeks of activity at the Speedway are usually closer to Indy in their living accomodation than those farther away. I am sure it is a big deal if you can go to see practice and the qualifying but really, give this deal maybe 2 weeks.
Daytona gets by on 2 weeks. Charlotte has their 2 weeks for the All Star and 600. No f1 event needs more than 4 days. Indy is special, but it isn't that radically different to adjust to, especially with a spec car now being run.
Years ago, I used to hear every day the practice speeds at Indy leading up to qualfying in the news. That was up HERE in Canada. Those days are now long gone, and I think the idea of the month of May's traditions mean a lot less in the aftermath of the last decade and change of TG's somewhat arbitrary handling of those traditions. Factor in the money he changes for hospitality and the rest, and it is clear he is making more by drawing this out than he is paying out in the very nice purse that he hands out to the 33 who make the field.
The sport has to realize it is now in competion for attention and fans with F1, NASCAR and all the other distractions. Once upon a time, they were the big fish in a medium sized pond. Now they are no longer the biggest fish in the pond and the pond is now a lake. It is time to reexamine the effect of taking the series and shutting it down for a month. Two weeks would be ample. Have them arrive on a Monday after the previous race, test for 4 days, having qualification for pole Saturday and Sunday. Give 2 days of practice and tuning and then the followling Sunday give us the greatest spectacle in racing. The condensed format likely would NOT cut into the attention of the fans, and Tony would be getting fans almost every day for those two weeks. He would not lose much if anything in gate. It is no longer 1940 and you cannot pretend you are the only racing series in the world. NASCAR has run 3 races in the time the teams have been at Indy and this is something that people at the Speedway should be paying attention to. Their competition never stops....always with product for the fan. Sorry, but watching single car practice runs isn't good TV and while I enjoy Bump Day, many couldn't be bothered either. Keep the uniqueness of the qualifying format, but don't waste everyone's time with a month of it.