How to only have seven ovals and still be (reasonably) happy

[FTHurley]

It's looking more and more like in the short term at least, finding ovals for IndyCar is going to be tough. It's possible that 2013 could only have seven of them (though I think IndyCar will find a way to have at least eight). Let's just take that as a given for now, and set aside the perfectly understandable angst. I get it, it sucks. I agree. But if we're heading there, what would it take to maximize the awesome factor? A few things:

1.) Big-time races anchoring the season, evenly spaced. The Indy 500, Michigan 500, and California 500 running Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day weekends would be a great sequence of races.

2.) The other four races on a mix of tracks. If they could run at Las Vegas, Texas, Phoenix, and Iowa, that would be an ideal mix.

3.) They need enough road races to avoid big gaps. Even if it's not a particular fan's cup of tea, they need to keep the series on track a lot to even have a prayer of carrying momentum into the big oval races. They need at least twenty races total. I know that funding is a problem, but if these street races are so lucrative, that should be a problem that can be overcome.

I'm not interested in oval races just for the sake of avoiding right turns. That race at Richmond a few years ago, when the series legislated themselves to sleep, barely qualified as a race. Frankly, a street race would have been preferable. So if they're going to have a very limited number of ovals, they need to grow even more aggressive in making sure those few ovals are absolutely spectacular. They need to leave you STUNNED that you just saw that. And if they could do that, then yeah, I think I could be happy with seven ovals on the schedule. YMMV, of course.

[JMFVET]

I could be happy with that IF we could get MIS back, and if they did a couple twin races, maybe a full length followed by a "sprint" of 100 miles or so. Both races full points and sprint race has grid inverted from finish order of first race.

Even better if they did full length on Sat and sprint on Sun day, and with all RTI series also racing both days. Add a concert and carnival rides and you have a full weekend.

[FTHurley]

I could be happy with that IF we could get MIS back, and if they did a couple twin races, maybe a full length followed by a "sprint" of 100 miles or so. Both races full points and sprint race has grid inverted from finish order of first race.

Even better if they did full length on Sat and sprint on Sun day, and with all RTI series also racing both days. Add a concert and carnival rides and you have a full weekend.

Absolutely. I think you'd need tracks like MIS to make it work. And yeah, some of the races would need to experiment with ways to make it a spectacle.

[ZUL8TR]

I could be happy with that IF we could get MIS back, and if they did a couple twin races, maybe a full length followed by a "sprint" of 100 miles or so. Both races full points and sprint race has grid inverted from finish order of first race.

Even better if they did full length on Sat and sprint on Sun day, and with all RTI series also racing both days. Add a concert and carnival rides and you have a full weekend.

I'm OK with this. It'd be good for the Michigan economy too, Heavens know they need it.

[DrivenCrazy]

I think for the fans that attend in person, more support series would help.

I went to several MIS races, and yeah, the whole crowd had that STUNNED feeling, like you said. It was SPECTACULAR to see in person.

It would also help if they were on broadcast tv to maximize audience exposure, but that might be a bridge too far.

[Grover]

Run them all before football season starts.

[Muskie]

Is there any other reason (besides not wanting another 500 mile race to take away from Indy) not to have some longer races? I realize fuel costs would go up, but what else? It's hard to justify travel time to a venue when you could be done in under 2.5 hours (with no support races). I'd love to see more support and longer races (fans will tailgate all day for football so it's not like people won't invest the time if there is enough to get them there early and keep them there).

[AFColt]

I think it comes down to quality over quantity. Whether it's an oval or a road course, look at the quality of the race itself, the support events, and overall fan experience. If you're rating those, I think courses like Indy, Iowa, Texas, and Kentucky will rank high, but also perhaps Long Beach and Baltimore. But back to ovals in a minute, I think you really have to maximize them as an event. Make sure you've got the support races, the tie-ins, the special things that make that track work. And yes, maybe add 30 minutes' worth to the race if your TV window allows.

Honestly, I love ovals, but give me a healthy Indy, Iowa, Kentucky, Texas, Chicagoland, a resurgent event at a track like Pocono and/or MIS and possibly Vegas, and I can live.

[DrivenCrazy]

Is there any other reason (besides not wanting another 500 mile race to take away from Indy) not to have some longer races? I realize fuel costs would go up, but what else? It's hard to justify travel time to a venue when you could be done in under 2.5 hours (with no support races). I'd love to see more support and longer races (fans will tailgate all day for football so it's not like people won't invest the time if there is enough to get them there early and keep them there).

I know that after MIS a lot of drivers were spent. Some of those close, exciting ovals would be tough to do for 500 miles. The Chicagoland and MIS races were much more intense than the Indy 500. I think Indy has the element of a drama unfolding, on top of sometimes very exciting racing action. MIS was ALL ACTION ALL THE TIME.

[FTHurley]

Is there any other reason (besides not wanting another 500 mile race to take away from Indy) not to have some longer races? I realize fuel costs would go up, but what else? It's hard to justify travel time to a venue when you could be done in under 2.5 hours (with no support races). I'd love to see more support and longer races (fans will tailgate all day for football so it's not like people won't invest the time if there is enough to get them there early and keep them there).

There are a few reasons that all are sort of related. The big one is TV window. A 300-miler on a fast oval fits nicely into a three-hour window with pre and post race coverage included. Add some miles, and it starts to run long, and right now IndyCar doesn't have the pull to preempt whatever's coming up next. Sometimes they do, but not as a rule.

Then, if you only shorten it a little, like to 350 miles, you're left with a weird name to market. The Chicagoland 350? Is that kilometers, or is this a road course deal? This is a VERY minor problem, but it's just easier to market with a big, round number. Fans are used to it.

And then there's just the cost of damage. Every lap of oval racing carries with it an average damage cost. You won't crash every lap, but you crash every so many laps on average over the length of the season and over multiple seasons, and if you run 1.5 times the number of laps, your damage bill should be 50% higher, which is a real hit. It ain't like the laundry bill going up a little bit.

And finally, there are certainly some fans for whom a 300 is actually a good distance. I certainly don't feel the need to see 500 laps at Loudon or Milwaukee. I could see them stretching it to 300, but at some point it's a lot of laps in the middle just getting to the finish, just for the sake of track time. Some will like it, some won't. And if it's not a definite win with fans, why fight the broadcast partner for a bigger window?

Oh, and one more. I don't happen to think Indy needs "protection" by being the only 500, but there something to be said for setting a few longer events apart as special. And I don't think that only applies to ovals. I think a return to Road America would be a great opportunity to run a longer than usual road race. Not like Petit Le Mans or anything, but let's see what ~2:45 does to driver focus.

I totally agree that you need to give fans more than 2 hours of bang for their day at the track. I think support races are a big part of that, as are concerts and other attractions. Throw in a tailgating-friendly environment and rules, and that goes a long way.

[FTHurley]

I know that after MIS a lot of drivers were spent. Some of those close, exciting ovals would be tough to do for 500 miles. The Chicagoland and MIS races were much more intense than the Indy 500. I think Indy has the element of a drama unfolding, on top of sometimes very exciting racing action. MIS was ALL ACTION ALL THE TIME.

It's action vs. emotion. Michigan will provide more "Oh my God" action throughout the race than Indy usually will, but the raw human emotion will be higher at Indy because while drivers might really want to win at Michigan, drivers will push themselves beyond sanity, safety, and ability to win at Indy, and it's apparent the moment they're interviewed. This is also, incidentally, why I don't think IndyCar should be afraid of adding other Majors to the schedule. Nothing short of 100 years of history will make them a true threat to the IndyCar equivalent of the Green Jacket. I mean, nobody carves your face into a trophy at Michigan.

[raskav]

I can never understand what is so special about 500 miles race.
To me, it's the same race as the 300 miles race except:

1. There is longer middle period when the cars are cruising around to save for the finish
2. Backmarkers get lapped more.

What am I missing???

[Wilf]

I can never understand what is so special about 500 miles race.
To me, it's the same race as the 300 miles race except:

1. There is longer middle period when the cars are cruising around to save for the finish
2. Backmarkers get lapped more.

What am I missing???

Nothing.

In its current form the Honda is close to indestructible. I don't see that changing as long as rpm's are limited and IndyCar strives for equality between makes.

Let's go the opposite direction for Vegas:

• 2 lap Qualifications - 1st 30 cars to 10 lap heats - greater than 30 got to back of semi

• Heat 1 - Qualifiers 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 with inverted single file start

• Heat 2 - Qualifiers 4, 9, 14, 19, 24, and 29 with inverted single file start

• Heat 3 - Qualifiers 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, and 28 with inverted single file start

• Heat 4 - Qualifiers 2, 7, 12, 17, 22, and 27 with inverted single file start

• Heat 5 - Qualifiers 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, and 26 with inverted single file start

• Top 3 cars from each heat move to feature, others to semi

• Semi Feature inverted 50 laps, top 7 to feature

• Feature inverted 100 laps

A short track schedule. Vegas is short when compared to Indy.

Let's have at it!

[FTHurley]

Nothing.

In its current form the Honda is close to indestructible. I don't see that changing as long as rpm's are limited and IndyCar strives for equality between makes.

Let's go the opposite direction for Vegas:

• 2 lap Qualifications - 1st 30 cars to 10 lap heats - greater than 30 got to back of semi

• Heat 1 - Qualifiers 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 with inverted single file start

• Heat 2 - Qualifiers 4, 9, 14, 19, 24, and 29 with inverted single file start

• Heat 3 - Qualifiers 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, and 28 with inverted single file start

• Heat 4 - Qualifiers 2, 7, 12, 17, 22, and 27 with inverted single file start

• Heat 5 - Qualifiers 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, and 26 with inverted single file start

• Top 3 cars from each heat move to feature, others to semi

• Semi Feature inverted 50 laps, top 7 to feature

• Feature inverted 100 laps

A short track schedule. Vegas is short when compared to Indy.

Let's have at it!

I think that's a great way to make one of the ovals a really exciting show. It's also a whole new challenge for teams. Perfect for Texas, where they're already toying with ideas like this!

[Wilf]

I think that's a great way to make one of the ovals a really exciting show. It's also a whole new challenge for teams. Perfect for Texas, where they're already toying with ideas like this!

Eddie's got a program of twins that will re-energize his patrons. Iowa is working fine. Chicago or Kentucky could use it. Maybe Randy could use it to reopen a track no longer on the schedule.

If you wanted to make it a two day program do IndyCar practice and quals on Saturday along with one or two RTI series quals and feature(s). Sunday would have one hour practice, heats, semi and feature.

[ptclaus98]

Beer and ribs?

[ndcrs]

for places like mis, make the best tickets expense so the real fans pay for the best and make everything else dirt cheap - fill the stands and get people excited. there is nothing, absolutely nothing that beats being at a high speed race in person.

the other thing that could work is just make it timed for tv in a 3 hr window, but unlike sports cars where it becomes all about the time, give a bonus to anyone who can make it the race distance of 400, 450 or 500 miles (whatever they choose), so that keeps the leaders pace up and all those following him/her up.

[open wheeler]

More ovals not less. I'm on my way out now with the loss of Milwaukee and Loudon. Looking now at Eldora and Knoxville where we have rules, great racing and no whining.

[FTHurley]

More ovals not less. I'm on my way out now with the loss of Milwaukee and Loudon. Looking now at Eldora and Knoxville where we have rules, great racing and no whining.

Oh, I'd love to see 25 races with at a dozen-plus ovals. I was just trying to look at ways the series could maximize their bang per race if they were backed into only having 7 or 8 ovals on the schedule for a couple of years.

I totally get that for people who really love oval racing, that might not be enough no matter how big a deal they tried to make them.

[raskav]

What if IndyCar gave out bonus points for leading at various intervals?
For example, in a 500 mile race, award bonus points at 100, 200, 300 and 400 miles.
So at 100 miles, award 5 points for 1st place, 3 points for 2nd place and 1 point for 3rd place.

This would give some incentive for drivers to actually "race" during middle of the race instead of just cruising around and saving their car and fuel for the last 50 miles.

[icrackedtheaces]

I would love to see the mile and a half tracks go to 350 miles. Hopefully someone can help me out with this but weren't the Penske and Ganassi teams able to run about 55 laps on a tank when they were saving fuel? That would equate to 82.5 miles a tank. That makes it a 3 stop race. By adding 50 miles even if those teams are saving they would have to make it a 4 stop race since they would be about 10-15 laps short of making it on only 3 stops. Of course cautions come in to play but I would much rather have the drivers run all out every lap knowing the majority of the time that fuel strategy won't come into play.

[Muskie]

What if IndyCar gave out bonus points for leading at various intervals?
For example, in a 500 mile race, award bonus points at 100, 200, 300 and 400 miles.
So at 100 miles, award 5 points for 1st place, 3 points for 2nd place and 1 point for 3rd place.

This would give some incentive for drivers to actually "race" during middle of the race instead of just cruising around and saving their car and fuel for the last 50 miles.

Wow... never thought of this before. I kind of like it.

[doitagain]

I can never understand what is so special about 500 miles race.

Do you understand the difference between a 6-hour race and a 24-hour race?

[Formula Indy]

One of the drivers suggested doing the European ovals. If the rumors about Fiat come true, it would be cool for them to sponsor an oval race overseas.

Motegi was always cool in the respect that it was oval racing being exported. Maybe the new cars would put on a better show there once the track gets repaired?!