Silly Season 2014

[davidgarvin]

OK Boys, sadly, we have plenty of time, so let's get started.

Who actually has seats left to fill and who's going to fill them?

[crsfulk]

This should just about cover it...

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?181023-The-View-Fron-The-Hairpin-2014-IndyCar-Series

[Racing Steward]

My October 2013 Predictions
GANASSI (4): Dixon / Franchitti / Kimball / Kanaan
PENSKE (3): Power / Castroneves / Montoya
ANDRETTI (4): RHR / Andretti / Hinchcliffe / Munoz
KV (2): Bourdais / De Silvestro
SCHMIDT (2): Pagenaud / Vautier
RLLR (2): Rahal / Briscoe
COYNE (2): Wilson / (?)
SFHR (1): Newgarden
BHA (1): Fillipi
FOYT (1): Sato
ECR (1): Carpenter

I feel like Sage Karam will land with somebody full time and I have NO Idea where Jakes & Viso will land

Dragon: part time
Panther: Indy or Ovals ONLY

I think we have 24-26 cars full time. Roughly the same as this year. I predict Panther ends up Indy-Ovals only.

[Harbormaster08]

Indycar 2013:
-title sponsor pulls out early, no sponsor interest has been made public
-series marketing position still hasnt been filled, which should be the most important position to the series given its audience at the moment.
-one full-time team officially stopped attending races (Dryer).
-atleast 2 more full-time teams, I assume, are on the chopping block (Panther and Dragon).
-Can somebody make a list of competitive drivers who are out of a job right now that should be getting paid to drive?
-Indy 500 viewership was at its lowest point in history.
-The highest paid drivers in indycar is making around $1 million per year, most others who are actually getting paid are hoping to break a measly $500,000 (as a comparison, the top paid driver in NASCAR is around 10 million, i believe).
-two of the most well attended races in the series are dropped from the schedule, and a third could be imminent given Honda backing out of St. Pete sponsorship.
-two enormous sponsorship's have backed out of the series due to lack of viewership and therefore, poor ROI, which i might add is what drives sponsorship to begin with (HP and GoDaddy).
-Although good direction has been found in Barfield and Walker, the revolving door effect on CEO's of "new great ideas for the series" are de-railing the series just as much as the ownership who puts them in place.

Indycar 2014 silly season should, at some point in this off-season, include the question "is this series going to make it through 2014".

Apologies in advance for being the negative nancy here.

[crsfulk]

Indycar 2013:


Indycar 2014 silly season should, at some point in this off-season, include the question "is this series going to make it through 2014".

You must not have been paying attention for the last 18 years...

[lkchris]

The single most significant driver change in USA racing for 2014 is Juan Montoya replaced by Kyle Larson.

Should be the benchmark for Indycar.

[jkeener24]

Indycar 2013:
-title sponsor pulls out early, no sponsor interest has been made public
-series marketing position still hasnt been filled, which should be the most important position to the series given its audience at the moment.
-one full-time team officially stopped attending races (Dryer).
-atleast 2 more full-time teams, I assume, are on the chopping block (Panther and Dragon).
-Can somebody make a list of competitive drivers who are out of a job right now that should be getting paid to drive?
-Indy 500 viewership was at its lowest point in history.
-The highest paid drivers in indycar is making around $1 million per year, most others who are actually getting paid are hoping to break a measly $500,000 (as a comparison, the top paid driver in NASCAR is around 10 million, i believe).
-two of the most well attended races in the series are dropped from the schedule, and a third could be imminent given Honda backing out of St. Pete sponsorship.
-two enormous sponsorship's have backed out of the series due to lack of viewership and therefore, poor ROI, which i might add is what drives sponsorship to begin with (HP and GoDaddy).
-Although good direction has been found in Barfield and Walker, the revolving door effect on CEO's of "new great ideas for the series" are de-railing the series just as much as the ownership who puts them in place.

Indycar 2014 silly season should, at some point in this off-season, include the question "is this series going to make it through 2014".

Apologies in advance for being the negative nancy here.

Replace 2014 with 2017 and I think you're pretty accurate. I still maintain hope that things will turn around, but the bad news far outweighs the good at the macro level. We are still losing big sponsors, gaining no teams and struggling to find venues. Something has to change in the next two years or I fear we're cooked after the 100th running.

I'm still going to enjoy it until then.

[Will O'Hargan]

-Can somebody make a list of competitive drivers who are out of a job right now that should be getting paid to drive?

Oriol Servia.
Ryan Briscoe.

And even then, it's not like they are top tier guys.

[Buellboy]

I think JR Hildebrand has found a home at BHA/Barracuda and I think Panther will answer the bell in 2014 because racing is what they do and they will find away to stay in business.

[Razzzor]

Indycar 2013:
-title sponsor pulls out early, no sponsor interest has been made public
-series marketing position still hasnt been filled, which should be the most important position to the series given its audience at the moment.
-one full-time team officially stopped attending races (Dryer).
-atleast 2 more full-time teams, I assume, are on the chopping block (Panther and Dragon).
-Can somebody make a list of competitive drivers who are out of a job right now that should be getting paid to drive?
-Indy 500 viewership was at its lowest point in history.
-The highest paid drivers in indycar is making around $1 million per year, most others who are actually getting paid are hoping to break a measly $500,000 (as a comparison, the top paid driver in NASCAR is around 10 million, i believe).
-two of the most well attended races in the series are dropped from the schedule, and a third could be imminent given Honda backing out of St. Pete sponsorship.
-two enormous sponsorship's have backed out of the series due to lack of viewership and therefore, poor ROI, which i might add is what drives sponsorship to begin with (HP and GoDaddy).
-Although good direction has been found in Barfield and Walker, the revolving door effect on CEO's of "new great ideas for the series" are de-railing the series just as much as the ownership who puts them in place.

Indycar 2014 silly season should, at some point in this off-season, include the question "is this series going to make it through 2014".

Apologies in advance for being the negative nancy here.

Gosh I love your positive outlook. This series (in it's many forms) has been around solidly since 1916. Even WWII only slowed it for a few years, The Great Depression and the recent financial crisis didn't kill it.
The racing this last season, and in the last decade, has probably been the most competitive it's ever been. I really don't think Indycar is so far down the hole that it won't even make it past 2014. Just enjoy the sport for what it is, it'll still be going decades from now.

And let's not forget from 1996-2007 we had enough teams, sponsors, drivers and viewers to have two full series competing against one another!!!

If anything, Indycar can only improve... Nascar can't, it already dominates viewers and eventually some of them will get sick of dedicating 4 hours a week (more if they sit through the utes and nationwide) to see which random driver (yes you might as well pull a name out of a hat with Nascar) wins the next of an insane 35 races, of which 25 almost don't even matter.

[Jakester]

Indycar 2013:
-title sponsor pulls out early, no sponsor interest has been made public
*Izod pulling out 'early' is a loss. It would be a bad move to publicize interest before the signing is done (if there is interest)
-series marketing position still hasnt been filled, which should be the most important position to the series given its audience at the moment.
* agreed...this is a major flaw for Miles
-one full-time team officially stopped attending races (Dryer).
* Attrition happens, it's a tough sport. Can happen every year, even when things are good.
-atleast 2 more full-time teams, I assume, are on the chopping block (Panther and Dragon).
* A little early to predict their doom just yet...lots of silly season left.
-Can somebody make a list of competitive drivers who are out of a job right now that should be getting paid to drive?
* Pretty good answer already in thread, not that many.
-Indy 500 viewership was at its lowest point in history.
* true
-The highest paid drivers in indycar is making around $1 million per year, most others who are actually getting paid are hoping to break a measly $500,000 (as a comparison, the top paid driver in NASCAR is around 10 million, i believe).
* And top F1 driver dwarfs NASCAR.
-two of the most well attended races in the series are dropped from the schedule, and a third could be imminent given Honda backing out of St. Pete sponsorship.
*Bummer. St Pete promoter says race will go on...doesn't appear to be "immenent" doom
-two enormous sponsorship's have backed out of the series due to lack of viewership and therefore, poor ROI, which i might add is what drives sponsorship to begin with (HP and GoDaddy).
* Sponsors do come and go, even in good years; but replacing a sponsor is tougher now. Note GoDaddy has been replaced (probably for less money).
-Although good direction has been found in Barfield and Walker, the revolving door effect on CEO's of "new great ideas for the series" are de-railing the series just as much as the ownership who puts them in place.
* been that way for years

[BuddyCarSeries]

Indycar 2013:
-two enormous sponsorship's have backed out of the series due to lack of viewership and therefore, poor ROI, which i might add is what drives sponsorship to begin with (HP and GoDaddy).

Even though this need to be in The View Fron The Hairpin - 2014 IndyCar Series HP didn't leave because of lack of viewership. They've been changing how they do sponsorship and IndyCar was just one of the ways they've been cutting cost. Now I know you can say "well if they felt like they were getting their moneys worth they wouldn't leave" not always the case. I've seen many companies just rearrange their business, or a new manager come in and want to make his mark.

[Mikemat5150]

I think JR Hildebrand has found a home at BHA/Barracuda and I think Panther will answer the bell in 2014 because racing is what they do and they will find away to stay in business.

From what Miller and Pruett have been saying it seems like they're leaning towards giving Fillipi the nod. He was running very well at the tracks he did.

[shakespeare]

From what Miller and Pruett have been saying it seems like they're leaning towards giving Fillipi the nod. He was running very well at the tracks he did.

I do believe Fillipi is better than JR at the RC/SC stuff, but it's not a slam dunk. JR would have an edge on the ovals, so it's difficult to say who would finish higher in the standings in 2014. Hildebrand would probably be more appealing to potential sponsors, and there are three races in CA, his (and Herta's) home state.

Now that the team has had a good look at both, I'd be interested to find out how the team regards each driver's feedback. Anybody know anything?

[in the marbles]

I'd like to see conor daly with rahal. i think that would be a palatable transition for rahals current sponsors, assuming they get the national guard.
I'd also like to see hildebrand with ed. america f**k ya! (i think it will probably be a split ride with someone in reality)
Id like to see karam full time, but i just have a feeling he will get a few races with andretti at best.
Interested to see where simona lands, i think she stays put, but i would LOVE to see someone like foyt, who cant afford a 2nd ride of theyr own, snake simona (no pun intended) and her sponsor money from kv.