Indy Needs NASCAR

Did anyone spend part of their weekend watching the travesty called Indianapolis 500 qualifying? Judging by the pitiful number of people in the stands and the television ratings that made NHL playoff hockey on Versus look like Super Bowl numbers, the answer is no.

It's no secret that Indianapolis has lost its luster in the twelve years since the great open wheel racing split. Pole Day, which was once a spectacle of an event that attracted 100,000 fans and worldwide attention, has been reduced to a blip on the radar, one of the saddest after effects of the 500's decline.

Even the phoney bumping process introduced a couple years ago hasn't restored a lick of interest in filling out the field for the 500. The most interesting thing I saw on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 (was their coverage on The Ocho too?) was an interview by Jack Arute of A.J. Foyt, which really only served as a sad reminder of just what Indianapolis used to be.

There's one way to get some buzz back in the 500 and it has nothing to do with reunification (do you really think that having Sebastien Bourdais, Paul Tracy and Will Power in the field is going to raise the needle at all?).

Move the race to Memorial Day.

Instead of running on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, recapture the tradition of the race by moving it to the Monday holiday and let Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, John Andretti, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, A.J. Allmendinger, heck even Morgan Shepherd if he wants, compete.

Having that group mixed in with the current crop of IndyCar "names" is the only way to get some respect and attention back. Charlotte's Coca-Cola 600 can have Sunday to itself and the promotion for the next day's race would generate a built-in audience of fans guaranteed to tune-in to the 500.

It's a simple idea. But as open wheel racing in this country has proven time and again, the simplest things to help fix the sport never happen.

Pete Pistone

 
Posted: 5/14/2007 2:28:00 PM
Comments:
I think that is a fair argument, mainly because nobody gives a crap about IRL or Cart anymore. Most races only feature about 18-22 cars and it's usually just a handful of people that win. It's a shame because IRL is a ton of fun to watch at some tracks but they just aren't competitive like they are in NASCAR.
Posted On: 5/14/2007 2:28:00 PM
I can remember when they had more cars trying to quailify than starting spots sometimes as many as 40 or 41. Now they can't get enough to fill the grid. Maybe they could run some Saturdays at the same locals as the cup race on Sunday and get some of the cup drivers. As far as the speed part of it I think competition between engine builders plus chassis would do more to keep the price down than the one size fits all. Also remember CART canceling a race because excessive G-forces causing blackouts so some restrictions probably are needed.
Posted On: 5/14/2007 2:28:00 PM
American drivers. So long as they have foreign drivers paying for a ride it is a dead horse, americans have no interest in watching foreign drivers. Indy needs Stewart, Kahne, Gordon and others from nascar also how about usac silver crown drivers and even a couple from WoO. Moving the date would help and i see no reason why an owner could not get sponsorship for any of the above mentioned.
Posted On: 5/14/2007 2:28:00 PM
I don't think "Indy" has been "Indy" since USAC broke apart. Maybe I'm old fashioned and ignorant when it comes to modern alcohol fueled racing, but I used to love Indy and Indy racing. I have been following it since the 1950's, when I was a kid. Now it seems so, I don't know, boring? Is that a fair statement regarding men and women racing at over 200MPH? It shouldn't be, but I swear I have a hard time sitting thorugh a race. I watched parts of the Miami race at the beginning of this season, and I was shocked at how little I cared. I used to care. Heck, I used to care A LOT.

Now, I don't care at all.

It needs...something. I wish I was smart enough to know what the problem is. Maybe Pete is right. Why do they run it on Sunday now when the race was always meant to be a Memorial Day race? Why is the race at Indy the only one in the series that draws any fans? No-name drivers? Something else? Somebody help!
Posted On: 5/14/2007 2:28:00 PM
Part of it is money, they've tinkered with the cars so much in trying to equailize them that the teams with funds for testing and engineers are further in front. It's tough to get good side-by-side racing with so few quaility teams. That is partly why I think if they could schedule the IRL race togather with the cup at least a couple times for more fan exposure they might lure some sponsor dollars over. There are a few weekends when the Busch race is at a different track than the cup cars.
Posted On: 5/14/2007 2:28:00 PM
While I agree that the band-aid solution of running Monday would improve the event greatly, the premise that "Nascar" save it is over doing it. Recognizable names is what you are referring to I presume...absolutely a great idea...but how great? Remember the Rolex 24?...a slew of Nascar names...still, the event attendance has only improved slightly. There`s more to the solution to this OW dilemma than name recognition.
Back in the day(up to mid-90`s), speeds were being broken...240mph was common. People flocked to see a "new track record". As much as CART was mismanaged, it still was capable of building a series that F1 drivers wanted to be in.
Indy was a place where different engines and chassis were used and the event was "open"...not managed with spec equipment to create close racing...it was all about speed. The the invisible barrier was reached...240mph was too fast.
Cue in racing entertainment...something Nascar has mastered, and the blundering split in OW could not.
While I could go on with whens and whys of this whole mess....it`s all water under the bridge.
The sport will never be what it was, but Indy can be saved.
Raise the purse money instead of paying to fill the field. Once it`s lucrative again to be in the race, things will turn around. Allow Indy to be different than the rest of the Indy Car series with allowance of other chassis...even Champ Car or anything else that conforms to dimensions and weight. Just some ideas.
And oh yeah...run it on Monday of course ;-).
Posted On: 5/14/2007 2:28:00 PM
Couldn't agree with you more Pete.  I'm still interested in outcome of the Indy 500 but can't say I will be glued to the TV set during the whole race.  Throw in a half-dozen NASCAR invaders (why not, Cup guys invade Busch, why not invade another series?) and I'd be glued to the TV, along with countless others watching and filling the stands and Indy infield.

Yell it louder, ... maybe it will happen next year.  I can't say Tony George has paid attention to common sense in the past though either.
Posted On: 5/14/2007 2:28:00 PM

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