Indycar Commentary - Where do we go from here?

[dironstarr]

Where do we go from here?

[Turn13]

Well written, fair and accurate, in my opinion. The only arguable point being whether or not TG intended to persuade or dissuade CART teams' participation in '96. I've been of the opinion that 25/8 was supposed to be an incentive, not a disincentive, for particiption.

...Tony George broke ranks, created the IRL and changed rules and formulas to dissuade the CART teams from coming back to the Speedway and the Indianapolis 500.

[Doc Austin]

All cart had to do was race and they could have been part of the 25 instead of the 8. It was an incentive to race.

[skypigeon]

Please, Lord, let the preceding two posts be the only ones in this thread about their subject, which with the series together is now officially irrelevant and pointless to ever discuss again... amen...

[Racemind]

Where do we go from here...

"... now that all of our children have grown up?"

(Was that the first thing that occurred to anyone else?)

[Mario4ever]

Well written, fair and accurate, in my opinion. The only arguable point being whether or not TG intended to persuade or dissuade CART teams' participation in '96. I've been of the opinion that 25/8 was supposed to be an incentive, not a disincentive, for particiption.

Funny. I had copied this very same section of the article to comment on here before I read the rest of the thread. It is my opinion that the 25/8 rule was created to encourage teams to join the IRL not to disuade CART teams from participating in the race. The 25/8 rule was designed to give preferential treatment to the fledgling IRL teams in qualifying for the 500. The thought being that it would take a significant financial investment (even with cost contolling measures) to commit to running in the new league, and for it to have a chance at success it needed a core group of teams that would participate at every race in the season. Since Indy is by far the richest race on the circuit, participation in that race, and the large prize money that is awarde was crucial to the participating teams. TG did not want to lock CART out, and never did. There were 8 spots reserved for them if they chose to compete.

While I never liked the 25/8 idea, I think I can understand why it was instituted during the IRL's infancy.

[Dmanus]

Funny. I had copied this very same section of the article to comment on here before I read the rest of the thread. It is my opinion that the 25/8 rule was created to encourage teams to join the IRL not to disuade CART teams from participating in the race. The 25/8 rule was designed to give preferential treatment to the fledgling IRL teams in qualifying for the 500. The thought being that it would take a significant financial investment (even with cost contolling measures) to commit to running in the new league, and for it to have a chance at success it needed a core group of teams that would participate at every race in the season. Since Indy is by far the richest race on the circuit, participation in that race, and the large prize money that is awarde was crucial to the participating teams. TG did not want to lock CART out, and never did. There were 8 spots reserved for them if they chose to compete.

While I never liked the 25/8 idea, I think I can understand why it was instituted during the IRL's infancy.

After living for 12 years or so under the cloud cast by the 25/8 announcement we now realize the actual cost to AOW racing. Hopefully with the merger the cost can somehow be justified and all the pieces put back together.

[Turn13]

Please, Lord, let the preceding two posts be the only ones in this thread about their subject, which with the series together is now officially irrelevant and pointless to ever discuss again... amen...

Sorry, 'pidge...

[Rick Jones]

Were do we go from here? We market the heck out of our series. We attract fans by keeping ticket prices reasonable and ensure that the racing is fast and close. We open up traditional Indycar markets once again like Michigan and Phoenix. We make all of the summer oval races night races so that fans look forward to watching Indycars on Saturday evenings when not much else is on TV this night of the week. We fortify the series with higher purses for the entire field. We grandfather the current chassis' to be an option once the new chassis' arrive to give new and low budget teams a cost effective option. We return to Atlanta in force and race on one of the NASCAR weekends to showcase our series, even if means dealing with the temporary stigma of being a support race for the good ol' boys. We embarce and support both the Atlantic series as well as the IPS series as our stepping stones to the open wheel big leagues. We add Eddie Cheever to the braodcast booth and let he and Scott Goodyear go at it like Bobby Unser and Sam Posey once did.
Obviously there is much that can be done to add to what we have, but what we have is a diamond in the rough!
Rick

[jonovision_man]

We throw the green flag, go racing with a nice plump grid of 20+ cars and we keep it that way.

We tell the story that IndyCar has turned a corner and is the hottest damn thing out there.

And we finally stop being scared of NASCAR and run commercials that show how much faster our cars are!!! Go toe to toe, let people know there's this thing out there that's a lot harder and better and faster... where NASCAR driver fear to tread...

jono

[reynard7]

Please, Lord, let the preceding two posts be the only ones in this thread about their subject, which with the series together is now officially irrelevant and pointless to ever discuss again... amen...

Mega dittos!! I think we all need to move on from what was Champcar and what was the IRL and focus on the new series and get it back to what it once was if that is possible.

[reynard7]

Were do we go from here? We market the heck out of our series. We attract fans by keeping ticket prices reasonable and ensure that the racing is fast and close. We open up traditional Indycar markets once again like Michigan and Phoenix. We make all of the summer oval races night races so that fans look forward to watching Indycars on Saturday evenings when not much else is on TV this night of the week. We fortify the series with higher purses for the entire field. We grandfather the current chassis' to be an option once the new chassis' arrive to give new and low budget teams a cost effective option. We return to Atlanta in force and race on one of the NASCAR weekends to showcase our series, even if means dealing with the temporary stigma of being a support race for the good ol' boys. We embarce and support both the Atlantic series as well as the IPS series as our stepping stones to the open wheel big leagues. We add Eddie Cheever to the braodcast booth and let he and Scott Goodyear go at it like Bobby Unser and Sam Posey once did.
Obviously there is much that can be done to add to what we have, but what we have is a diamond in the rough!
Rick

I understand what you are saying, and agree with most of it, but I don't think Nascar will EVER let indycars race at one of there events now that there is one series. We are once again there main rival, where with two series we were not much of a threat.

[Z28]

Were do we go from here? We market the heck out of our series. We attract fans by keeping ticket prices reasonable and ensure that the racing is fast and close. We open up traditional Indycar markets once again like Michigan and Phoenix. We make all of the summer oval races night races so that fans look forward to watching Indycars on Saturday evenings when not much else is on TV this night of the week. We fortify the series with higher purses for the entire field. We grandfather the current chassis' to be an option once the new chassis' arrive to give new and low budget teams a cost effective option. We return to Atlanta in force and race on one of the NASCAR weekends to showcase our series, even if means dealing with the temporary stigma of being a support race for the good ol' boys. We embarce and support both the Atlantic series as well as the IPS series as our stepping stones to the open wheel big leagues. We add Eddie Cheever to the braodcast booth and let he and Scott Goodyear go at it like Bobby Unser and Sam Posey once did.
Obviously there is much that can be done to add to what we have, but what we have is a diamond in the rough!
Rick

Yes and no.

Marketing and promotion is job one. It is going to have to shown to me that the people who have not been willing to do that for the past 12 years are now going to get the ball rolling then prove capable of rolling that ball. I want to get back to the large market of Phoenix and I want to get back to the large track in Brooklyn cross promoted with Detroit.

Can't run all the Summer races on Saturday night not only because not all the tracks have lights but the night races get no press coverage. They end too late to be mentioned in the Sunday paper, end too late to be mentioned on the 10 or 11 o'clock local news, same for Sportscenter, don't get big space in USA Today on Monday because Sunday was a full calendar. Saturday night is the lowest TV viewing it's where shows go to die and the lowest ICS ratings of the year now. They do the best job they can now of not conflicting with NASCAR races and for a series short on popularity that's the best bet today.

I don't know about allowing the old chassis to remain eligible. If the new design isn't much different, and slightly faster maybe. If the older chassis are faster somehow and the well funded teams don't opt to buy new ones, the chassis manufacturer takes a hit and the lesser funded teams won't have the old ones to buy nor be able to afford the new ones. One solution is fewer points for the older chassis which penalizes the smaller teams for being smaller.

Never ever going to run with Cup and I doubt using Nationwide as a support for the ICS. Plain flat out not going to happen.

Before it became apparent that Forsythe was keeping the Atlantics I would have said add them to the mix of the ladder but now, there's too much of a risk for anything with his involvement.

Broadcasters don't matter, the races and the series determine how high the ratings are. Two monkeys and a mime in the booth wouldn't hurt the ratings if the series was popular and Madden and Summerall couldn't raise them now.

[Turn13]

Marketing and promotion is job one.

True, but even that's not an exact science, not at the scale that's needed. But, what the hell, I'm not much in favor of the alternatives (either folding, or fenders).

Madden and Summerall couldn't raise them now.

Aw, who knows what might do it, popularity can be a funny thing. Steady and competent professional marketing needs to be established, but the main thing, and the one thing that not just anyone can replicate - the exciting and historic context of Indy Car racing - well, that's in place.

[NSRSBoiler]

The 25/8 rule was the worst idea ever. Indy is supposed to be the fastest 33. Not only did he ruin that idea, but he alienated alot of the teams that had been there for many years.