30
2009
Danica Signs Three Year Deal to the Delight of Several
An article by reidcrandall
What happened to the Indianapolis 500? Growing up, it was such a big deal. People all over the city would hang “Welcome Race Fans” banners. There would be parties to watch the race at houses with satellite dishes that had the east or west coast feed. Today, hardly anyone in Indy even seems to get excited anymore.
Today, as Danica Patrick signs her new three-year deal with the Andretti’s, keeping her from bolting to NASCAR for at least the near future, there is hardly a peep from the sports media. All of the websites have the obligatory press release, of course, but there is very little discussion. What is a racing series to do when their biggest star is better known for her magazine spreads and the commercials she is in than her racing?
Unfortunately, the series seems to be in a bit of a catch 22. Only a few drivers are competitive because of the complete lack of sponsorship dollars. No one wants to watch a race where only a few drivers compete, and the series has virtually no television ratings (the questionable switch to Versus from ESPN for broadcast doesn’t help, either). So when a race draws barely into the thousands live and less than 300,000 on television, what sponsor would be crazy enough to give scarce dollars to an under-performing team? No teams are improving.
There are maybe five cars that can compete in any given race (and Danica, the series “star” usually does well to make the top three), compared to 15-20 cars in NASCAR. Believe me, I think there is some pretty good racing among those five cars. But that doesn’t mean that it’s going to draw.
The sport is going to have to find an infusion of cash from someone who doesn’t need a return on investment right away. They need to develop at least one more, if not two more competitive teams. And they need to realize that they can’t engineer stars from spare parts. They are going to have to lure some of the great drivers, new and existing, away from the bright lights of NASCAR.
Without something new, and I know many people have been beating this drum for the better part of a decade, I fear that this once great event, and the series that bears its name will continue to fade into oblivion, a footnote of American sports culture. you need more than several to be excited when your biggest star decides to stay.
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You mean, like Izod?
There are two major changes that IndyCar needs to make – fortunately for them, they are both related. One, they need to reduce the costs associated with fielding a car. There is enough young talent out there to fill larger fields during the season (and give us a real "bump" day at the 500), but there's not enough money to support additional teams.
Two, they need to get back to multiple engine manufacturers and multiple chassis. Long gone are the days of Buick and Mercedes power meeting with Lola and Reynard chassis, or even the Dallara vs. G-Force "battle" (heh) of previous IndyCar seasons. A wider variety of car choices would bring added intrigue to the racing. We originally were slated to get a new car formula starting in 2010, then 2011, now I believe it's been pushed to 2012. That's too far off; there might not be a series by then. On the bright side, if the initial interest from manufacturers is any indication, we at least should see a return to multiple engine manufacturers. The biggest debate right now is on the formula – traditional V8s, turbo 4's, or some mixture of the two?
I don't get into the technical aspect, but I would agree that reducing costs would help them field more cars. The problem would be the quality of those cars. Would they have 40 cars and a real bump day at the 500, but still only have 5-6 that can actually compete? I don't know.
I also think that the Izod sponsorship is great, but it's not exactly 'mainstream,' I suppose would be the word. The fact that they got a sponsorship with Izod raises questions as to the market that corporate America feels that they can reach through the IRL. Does the average race fan wear a lot of Izod? I don't know. My personal take on the Izod brand is that it is marketed toward a bit more… uppity crowd.
I love the Race. I go every year. It will never be what Nascar is. That's just not going to happen. The IRL is alive because of one race, the 500. Without it there wouldnt even be a league.
Why will it never be what NASCAR is? That which once was can be again. Open wheel racing in the US has been the King of motorsport on more than one occasion, and not even as long ago as you might think. In the early 90's, CART was even big on the international stage. Nigel Mansell left F1 as the reigning champion to race in CART. That's huge.
Granted, I don't see it happening anytime in the foreseeable future, and it will take a lot of work, but it's most certainly possible that some day open wheel will exceed NASCAR. Of course, given the fragmentation that faces the sports landscape these days, even the largest phenomenon will likely never be as large as they once were.
I passed out reading your reply comment. Too many big words and a frenchman. NASCAR> INDYCAR for our lifetimes. Doesn't mean I like it that way. Just what I believe.
Thanks, that's helpful and insightful.
Ummm….. Mansell is definitely British
It's nice to think things can go back to being how they once were, but in this case I highly doubt it. In America, nascar will always trump open wheel racing. Myabe not internationally, but in this country it doesnt stand a chance. Open wheel racing will never be big again, the NBA will never return to the popularity of the 80's, Notre Dame isnt Notre Dame anymore and nobody cares about the Olympics. These are the days we live in.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marb…