Where is this series going?

[mileman]

Well, I'd love for there to be a reason to drive up the highway to Elkhart again. Who knows? It could happen...

When was the last time OW raced at Pocono? Just curious...

[ChampUSfan]

Personnaly I would be more open for a schedule with 75% oval races and only 25% on road/street course. I love oval racing and I think the IndyCar is made to race on oval...for the ones who likes road racing, you have the Champ Car. I think the two series don't have to go in the same way.

I like both IRL and Champ Car, but oval racing in the most exciting one.

But you can be a fan of both...

The IndyCar schedule I would like to see for next year ( I know I am dreaming sometimes) :

HOMESTEAD MIAMI ***
ST PETE
MOTEGI
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
INDIANAPOLIS 500
FORT WORTH I***
IOWA SPEEDWAY
RICHMOND***
MID-OHIO
NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY***
CHICAGO MOTOR SPEEDWAY***
MICHIGAN SPEEDWAY
KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY***
SONOMA
LAGUNA SECA
HOUSTON***
DETROIT
FONTANA
BRISTOL
CHARLOTTE
LAS VEGAS
MILWAUKEE MILE
INDIANAPOLIS *** (OVAL)
FORT WORTH II

*** = night races

Any ideas to have a better one?

[Jonesi]

SONOMA
LAGUNA SECA

MILWAUKEE MILE
INDIANAPOLIS *** (OVAL)

FORT WORTH II

Any ideas to have a better one?

Sonoma & Laguna Seca are the same market, and not many are fans of IRL. If you drew 20,000 the 1st week you would only get 10,000 the 2nd week. Also Laguna is maxed out on spectator weekends with 5, something has to go away or share weekends (and it won't be Historics or MotoGP).
Even figuring 3 races every 4 weekends, you've got WI & IND races mid Oct!
Bruton Smith lost interest in a 2nd IRL race when he got his 2nd Cup date.

[Skid Marx]

Well, I'd love for there to be a reason to drive up the highway to Elkhart again. Who knows? It could happen...

When was the last time OW raced at Pocono? Just curious...

Umm, there's plenty of reason to drive up to Elkhart Lake...this weekend!
The Generac Power Weekend - The Generac 500 (ALMS) and the Generac Grand Prix (Champ Cars). Plus Formula BMW, Star Mazda, and Champ Car Atlantics - what more could you ask for?

[CCFanatic]

Umm, there's plenty of reason to drive up to Elkhart Lake...this weekend!
The Generac Power Weekend - The Generac 500 (ALMS) and the Generac Grand Prix (Champ Cars). Plus Formula BMW, Star Mazda, and Champ Car Atlantics - what more could you ask for?

Forgot Skip Barber National Series.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I think the series is going no where bad or good, just more of the same. Not enough teams, not enough cars, and some good venues, some weak ones, and some we are not sure about.

I dont' forsee any great changes in the IRL for the next couple years unless Tony decides to be radical, and I don't think he has had a radical thought since he started the IRL.

[mark123]

champcar will continue as long as the owners are happy to run it at a loss by propping it up. The IRL at least breaks even with INDY and the ESPN money, so they will win the battle of attrition. HOWEVER in the long term they both lose because they are sucking the life out of open wheel racing in the USA. If you combine the best parts of both series, you would have something that could be built up to match F1. For this to happen, you need 18 events including the below:

1. a Super Speedway - Indy
2. a few 1 1/2 mile ovals
3. a few of short ovals
4. a bunch of good road courses, (including the indy road course)
5. a bunch of good street circuits
6. a few good international events (Australia, Rockenham oval (UK), and the two European champcar road courses). forget SE Asia for now.
7. One race in New Zealand because that is where I live

Maybe run the IRL car on the ovals and the champcar on the road courses. Or maybe just the IRL car on them all as I wouldn't sit in one of those champcars on an oval.

[champcar72]

[quote="mileman"]Well, I'd love for there to be a reason to drive up the highway to Elkhart again. Who knows? It could happen...

Ummmm, Yea, Its only the best weakend of racing EVER at Road America!!! If your referring to the IRL cars being at R.A. forget it. Champcar would run circles around them. Just like they would at Mid Ohio........ Reality Bites!!

[-Helix-]

4. a bunch of good road courses, (including the indy road course)

Way to contradict yourself.

[Mark in Oshawa]

champcar will continue as long as the owners are happy to run it at a loss by propping it up. The IRL at least breaks even with INDY and the ESPN money, so they will win the battle of attrition. HOWEVER in the long term they both lose because they are sucking the life out of open wheel racing in the USA. If you combine the best parts of both series, you would have something that could be built up to match F1. For this to happen, you need 18 events including the below:

1. a Super Speedway - Indy
2. a few 1 1/2 mile ovals
3. a few of short ovals
4. a bunch of good road courses, (including the indy road course)
5. a bunch of good street circuits
6. a few good international events (Australia, Rockenham oval (UK), and the two European champcar road courses). forget SE Asia for now.
7. One race in New Zealand because that is where I live

Maybe run the IRL car on the ovals and the champcar on the road courses. Or maybe just the IRL car on them all as I wouldn't sit in one of those champcars on an oval.

First off, the only reason the Champ Car isn't as good on a cookie cutter oval such as Texas is because it is TOO FAST. It has more power than the IRL car and likely has more downforce. That issue can be addressed by knocking off the boost, and taking the wings back to almost nothing. If CART had done that years ago, they would have not looked like morons, but alas, that would require pretesting at a new track to figure that out.

I think the new Panoz would work but in any merger, the engine would be the bone of contention. The Cossie and Honda used in either series are not compatable in size, or power, but I suspect something could be worked out for the greater good. Novel thought that, greater good of OW racing....too bad more people in the brass of both series should figure that out...