You mean the ones that have stopped attending because there aren't enough crashes.Originally Posted by Todd Gack
You mean the ones that have stopped attending because there aren't enough crashes.
I'll pass on fans that show their displeasure by tossing beer cans, coolers or whatever else is in their hands onto the track just because a race didn't end the way they like it, fans that cheer for accidents and fans who care so little about the race being a sporting event that rules can be changed on the fly and they just don't care, as long as it doesn't mess up their show nor their drivers.
Todd, would you keep going back to a restaurant that, at one time had good food you liked but now doesn't? Would you keep going back, eating this new slop, complaining while you're doing it and not find another restaurant to go to that suits your needs? That's what you guys sound like.2. Yes, move on along fans. Don't like our unpopular, hard to sell, increasingly irrelevant form of racing? Its your fault. Its always the fans fault for not liking the product and not "buying in". Indy Car has changed. It continues to change, at a dizzying and confusing rate. Heck the schedule for THIS year is still in flux. Maybe its not the fans who you should be lecturing about "changing"....
Diners after quaffing down another meal at a restaurant they don't like
Diner 1 "The food here still isn't good"
Diner 2 "And in such large portions too"
Yes, Indy car is bigger than USAC. USAC, despite having all those American hero, oval racing drivers isn't causing race tracks across the country to add seating nor causing TV networks to want to broadcast the races just to see what all the excitement is with that form of racing. It just putters along like it has for the past 60-70 years with it's antique technology and aging fanbase.1. Are you describing USAC or the ICS?Maybe you could ask how much money Bryan Clauson, Levi Jones, Kyle Larson, Tracy Hines and Darren Hagen are "paying out of their own pockets" to race this year. I bet they'd be laughing their ass off at the suggestion. Guess what? The top guys in USAC are PROFESSIONAL RACE DRIVERS. Mommy and Daddy aren't paying to let them race 10-15 times a year with some formula car ride seller. Owners like Tony Stewart and the Hoffman's are actually PAYING them, to race.
Why is it some of you are so hung up on comparing little old USAC with the major leagues of high speed versatile Indy Car Racing? Does it make you feel better to keep making those moronic comparisons? Of course, when the NASCAR AAA race doubles your TV rating, I guess there aren't many other series left to try and feel superior too.
But you are right....Indy Car is a bigger deal then USAC. Lets throw a party!
I'm betting you could probably keep the seating within turns 3 and turn 1. Like the USAC crowd, there's a lot of Indy place fans that will show up regardless of what's on the track but there's another type of attendee that has expectations. Not the least of which is not wanting to watch a type of car(Silvercrowns) racing in the race that was out moded and out paced 60 some odd years ago. Heck, while we're at it, drop the HD broadcast and switch to a Black and White broadcast instead, that will really add that nostalgic feel.2. I don't really think the audience for the Indy 500 would be effected much, whether you ran formula cars, jalopies or stagecoaches in the Indy 500. And ABC execs are probably a tad more agast each time they take a look at the sub 1 rating they get for any non-Indy 500 race they have on their network.
ABC execs are writing checks for the 500, the series is an add on. Sorry, but attempting to sell Indy car as a top line racing series but using cars and drivers from a little known racing series along with OLD technology isn't going to draw any interest other than causing them to think "what else can we put on at 11am on Sunday on Memorial day weekend besides Indy"
But running the 500 in a series that featured a total of 2 other races did?Given the symbiotic nature of the Indianapolis 500 to the series at the time, I don't think that seemed as smart then as it does now
No, the millions watching every single week.
Prime Minister of Gackland
USAC will also very likely be here 10 years from now.
Will Indy Car?
Will ALMS & Grand Am?
Will F1 be racing in the USA in ten years?
NASCAR and USAC have much better odds
"Try stepping up and joining us in the here and now Howard, instead of waxing lament over an age of Indycar racing that hasn't been around in 50 - 60 years. Try appreciating these drivers for the good show they attempt to provide you at every race and stop judging them on where they were born or what type of auto racing they came from. Indy car has changed, so should you or move along..."
I'm not lamenting over any age or series...I've simply pointed out AOW's major problem...it started with Bill France...NASCAR was on the rise long before the split...period...whether I like it or not is of little or no consequence, but, it sure seem to ruffle your feathers...but, you are correct...IndyCar has changed...
Why was Bristol "fixed" for a second time? Oh, that's right. Not enough rubbin' 'n wreckin'. Too much green flag racing so they put it back to one groove.
http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup...ans-complaints
For what it's worth, KMBC Channel 9 in Kansas City had a little feature on the increased banking at Kansas Speedway. Guess what the track spokesman said would be the main benefit of the rebanking? "Closer, more exciting pack racing." His exact words.
The moment he said that, I knew instantly IndyCar will never, ever race again at that track. At least on the oval. They're putting in a road course this summer, too.
I can hear some of you right now saying "Good." What I'm thinking is "one more opportunity to have an oval on the schedule, shot to hell."
So, what does that have to do with the millions of people watching NASCAR every weekend???
Or is it just another lame dig at America's #1 racing entity?
Bristol is one track on the schedule. One very unique track on the schedule.
It was one unique track. Now it's just another demolition derby.
And don't forget the Green-white-wreckers. I would say checkered but that almost always end in a crash. Nascar has gotten a lot of viewers off of hyping up "The Big One" and now they have to deal with the fans they drew because of it. (hence the whining about Bristol because there were too many green flags) Hell, even Tony Stewart made a tongue-in-cheek comment on it after a race.
Yep, it started with the rise of NASCAR, and the NHRA and F1 and sportscar racing and off road truck racing, etc. etc.
You could also say the same about the fall in popularity of USAC racing as well.
When you're the only burger joint in town, life's good. When 5 or 6 more suddenly spring up the inevitable happens. A decline in popularity as customers try different burgers from the other joints and choose the one they like best. Your business goes down, theirs goes up. You're not answering any questions, you're merely pointing out the obvious. Even NASCAR is struggling to hold onto a declining fanbase after a number of years of growth.
That pretty much depends on the owners of the series.
Just as long as it's not the car owners. Been that route.
"You just don't know what Indy Means" Al Unser Jr.
Indy car had been the other route before too, with the current family running things. That wasn't working out either.
Last edited by Indyknut; 06-22-2012 at 05:08 PM.
The current family is still running things.
Without them and their cash, there is no sport left.
The question now becomes, how much longer do they want to "run things". And if they decide to go back to running the race and track they truly care about, who takes over running the rest of the sport....if anyone.
The obvious is the problem...I've answered every question posed to me...some just don't like the answers...not sure I do either...I have no solution to the difficulty AOW finds itself in...evidently I'm not alone...
It's not a lame dig, it's an accurate one. Attendance at Bristol dropped like a rock because there weren't enough crashes. The fans spoke, the banking gets changed, wrecks will increase, fans be happy.
Since I didn't like your response I'm going to throw chicken bones and empty beer cans at you. Unless Junior wins.
You're going to have plenty of time to stockpile chicken bones and beer cans.
I don't remember the channel or the track, but I saw an ad on TV for a NASCAR race and they specifically mentioned pack racing.
I don't know if they always have, or not, but it caught my ear this time.
"The series may be hesitant to say it, but the day is here for everybody that loves IndyCar racing to link arms and help each other out. Anybody who doesn’t want to do that needs to find something else to do with their time.”
-- Eddie Gossage, President, Texas Motor Speedway, ICONIC Advisory Committee & TrackForum member
Who would want the rest of the series? Unlike 1979, there's not much meat on the bone. The Hulmans would literally have to give the thing away to find a buyer. It's going to take a lot of money in order to regrow this sport and even if the Hulmans don't want to spend it, the next owners would. The next owner wouldn't have the advantage of income from Indy. Who would sanction the 500 and the rest of the races? The Hulmans don't seem comfortable unless things are done their way and if everything revolves around their one race, they're happy, the next owners may need for that to stop. How would that work?
One thing is for sure. The first Indy 500 in 1911 wasn't the start of auto racing in this country. There was already semi-organized racing happening and those were the guys that showed up at Indy. It remained that way until the track closed for racing in 1942. Racing outside of Indy restarted in 1946 when the Hulmans took over. The need for an outside racing organization was so great that Tony Hulman created USAC when it appeared AAA was going to close up shop. I'm sure he asked himself, "where will the cars come from for my May race if AAA shuts down. The sport began dying on the vine sometime after that. They failed to do what Bill France or Bernie Ecclestone did with their race series, by not growing the sport but letting it just run it's course. It worked great when there was no competition but that changed. By the 70's the sport was in real decline but again, they did nothing. Now, after expending hundreds of millions to re-gain control of the sport, they put a budget in place making it impossible to grow the sport despite the fact it's in desperate need. The Hulmans seem to want ownership of OW racing, at least the series that runs at Indy, but they just don't know what to do with it when they've got it.
IMO, as unrealistic as it sounds, it would be in the best interest of the sport if the Hulmans would just get completely out of it. Sell IMS and the series to somebody that will do something with it. It's painful to watch it all, INDY 500 included, die slowly on the vine.
For Sale: IMS
Asking:
North of $650 million, with IndyCarSeries, 1 billion dollars without.
This is the eventual outcome expected by many. Finding a buyer is appearing to be impossible.
What Happened?
Who's got next?
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