Best post of the thread!Quote:
Originally Posted by MDS
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Best post of the thread!Quote:
Originally Posted by MDS
i like how you say that as if your own personal opinion is scientifically proven fact...Quote:
Originally Posted by SarahFan
personally, I'm loving the Versus coverage and IndyCar is actually kinda fun again. Seems positive to me. Now they just need those new cars and some of the old great tracks.
are ratings important? yeah, i guess for TG and those who reap the benefits of good ratings.. but for me as a race fan? nope. couldn't care less actually. fans will start tuning into Versus eventually if the product is good
[quote="MDS"]It is worth pointing out that its the first meaningful bump day since the IRL was created.
QUOTE]
That is merely your opinioin.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Riebe
So which part do you disagree with, that it was meaningful or that it was the first meaningful once since the split?
Gary
totally agree with you,Quote:
Originally Posted by anthonyvop
I would say that this year's bump day was the most entertaining one in many years, but I'm not sure how it got that way says much about the strength of the series one way or the other, it was more a matter of Sunday's track being faster than Saturday's. When the weekend started, there were 35 car and driver combinations trying for the 33 spots. It was fairly apparent that two of these, Stanton Barrett and Buddy Lazier, were going to have trouble making the field, and that there were three others, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Milka Duno, and Nelson Phillipe that were not very strong. So, Bruno Junqueria was added as a last minute entry. He didn't get out onto the track until Sunday morning, but was immediately quick enough in practice to show that he would almost certainly be able to bump someone out, which he did in one attempt. It was fairly apparent in Sunday morning's practice that the track was a couple of mph quicker than it had been on the previous day, and that was absolutely confirmed when Milka Duno went out and ran a 221.1 while essentially driving down the middle of the track. To me, that said that anyone who had less than a 221 was vulnerable, and if I were a team manager of a car who had qualified at less than that, I'd have gotten in line immediately and gone out and requalified, and then had the rest of the day to work on race setup.
There is always a certain amount of risk in requalifying, but if you're trying to avoid risk, you're in the wrong sport.
I guess one could say both, the first since the IRL was formed was the main ghist.Quote:
Originally Posted by garyshell
Whether it means anything is strictly in eyes of the beholder.
Let me jump in late.
First off, the TV coverage is good but the ratings suck. (ABC/ESPN actually do suck still, but VS is the majority of the coverage, hence the good rating) Fact of life, you cant heal 13 years of confusion, disinterest and mismanagement in 3 months. It wont and cant happen. This is going to be a long hard slog to maybe get back to half what NASCAR is. Better get used to that reality.
Secondly, while it was great we had a bumping process, when 45 cars are going for 33 spots, THEN WE HAVE BUMP DAY in spades. What we had this year was interesting, only because for all the years we had two series, there was no bumping. When Roger Penske's team misses Indy, THAT's Drama. Whether Stanton Barrett makes or doesn't make the field isn't drama.
3rd, while I am optimistic Barnhart knows what he is doing on running the actual on track product, and I have been impressed by the professionalism on that side of things, I still worry that the marketing and management of the series as a whole is still chasing around trying to find a strategy and focus.
The TV product looks and sounds good and VS has to be given credit for putting the effort in. The results are going to have to wait until either people start cluing into this product or start getting VS. But I still don't know if Tony George has learned a damned thing from the last 14 years. I just don't think he has a vision that makes any sense and he cannot articulate it. He never built the Speedway, he is a caretaker of it, and while he has done some good things for it in allowing in NASCAR, F1 and MotoGP, he never got the IRL to any sort of level that made you think he really understands how to market the product. In short, I would really like him to focus on his track, and leave the IRL to others. Be a silent partner and let the series go and evolve.
He made a mistake in 93, and he has corrected part of his folly by at least admitting he needed the other side and putting the egg back together again, but there is 13 years of lost opportunities, lost fan base and lost attention from the media. We wont get that back in 3 months and we may not get it back in 10 years. If someone can find a way to energize the public marketing wise, the product is almost back to where it was in the early 90's. When the economy improves, I think we will see 26 car fields on a regular basis, maybe more. The depth of field is coming back and we just need a bit more variety in setups and car design to help add some spice from that angle.
OW racing was on life support, but I think it is out of the ICU. The situation is no longer critical. I would say the patient is now in Serious condition. That is to be expected with the turmoil and pain of the last decade and a half. Give it time boys...give it time...
Quote:
Originally Posted by -Helix-
Overnights are out.....
Wanna take a stab at where they rank before I post it?
Whatever they are, must be a "Smack" in the face ;n)
rh