2004 Schedule

[JBaiza]

[OldSchoolIRL]

I think the 1st 1/4 of the schedule is ridiculous!!! No series can be successful with month long caps in between races. Granted after Indy the schedule picks up, but something needs to be done with the first part of the schedule.

With the gaps in between the races, could this lead to some other races? I HOPE so!

[JBaiza]

Motegi is a TBA for the date. And who knows? There might be another anouncement before the start of the season.

[Brickman]

Feb. 29 Homestead-Miami Speedway Toyota Indy 300
March 21 Phoenix International Raceway
TBA Twin Ring Motegi Indy Japan 300
May 30 Indianapolis Motor Speedway 88th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race
June 12 Texas Motor Speedway Bombardier 500
June 26 Richmond International Raceway SunTrust Indy Challenge
July 4 Kansas Speedway
July 17 Nashville Superspeedway Firestone Indy 200
July 25 The Milwaukee Mile
Aug. 1 Michigan International Speedway Firestone Indy 400
Aug. 15 Kentucky Speedway Belterra Casino Indy 300
Aug. 22 Pikes Peak International Raceway Honda Indy 225
Aug. 29 Nazareth Speedway Firestone Indy 225
Sept. 12 Chicagoland Speedway Delphi Indy 300
Oct. 3 California Speedway Toyota Indy 400
Oct. 17 Texas Motor Speedway Chevy 500

[mvc]

Only sixteen races so far and huge gaps again at the beginning; not a good way to get some excitement going.

[indyracer56]

I like it.

A nice strech of races on network TV during the summer.

Looks good to me.



Plus, the news article says that all races will be broadcast live....that means that we get to stay up late to watch the race in Japan!

[BuckeyeDave]

With 16 for next year I fully expect Houston and Iowa to be added for '05 along with a couple of RC's. My guess on the RC's would be Road Alanta and either Mid-Ohio or Road America. By adding Houston and Road Atlanta they can then fill up those gaps in the pre-Indy schedule. That would then put the league at 20 races which would be the ideal amount and make for a fun racing summer!

[drtuba]

There's a gap of almost a month in September, too. I hope there's something added there.

Three races in three months leading up to Indy, with one of them halfway around the world, is no way to build up excitement. If there's going to be only three races before the 500, put them all in April and make sure one of them is the latest possible date before the Speedway opens its doors. Out of sight, out of mind...

[indyracer56]

Originally posted by drtuba
There's a gap of almost a month in September, too. I hope there's something added there.

Three races in three months leading up to Indy, with one of them halfway around the world, is no way to build up excitement. If there's going to be only three races before the 500, put them all in April and make sure one of them is the latest possible date before the Speedway opens its doors. Out of sight, out of mind...

Well, Nascar has zero races leading up to the Daytona 500, and it doesn't seem to hurt them at all, does it?

Maybe just start the season at Indy and go from there.

[Mackie]

Originally posted by OldSchoolIRL
I think the 1st 1/4 of the schedule is ridiculous!!! No series can be successful with month long caps in between races. Granted after Indy the schedule picks up, but something needs to be done with the first part of the schedule.

With the gaps in between the races, could this lead to some other races? I HOPE so!

There are only so many warm weather venues available, some that might work, like Atlanta, have failed to draw well. NASCAR is saturated in the South in the spring, they push the weather envelope hard to race every week there. Texas could work, but they have secured the first race after Indy and won't change. Besids, going there befor mid-April is weather iffy, NASCAR is there then anyway, and they have weather problems there too.

IndyCar will not return to WDW ever, no matter if many here want it or not. The west coast racing calendar in the spring is already over-saturated, with two major NASCAR events, IndyCar at Phoenix, NHRA at Pomona, Firebird and Las Vegas, a major motorcycle event at Fontana and CART at Long Beach, if CART saves itself, you can bet LB will be there.

That is 8 events in about 12 weeks. Las Vegas won't happen for IndyCars for years yet, there is no workable date except the BGN date the day before WC.

So, IndyCar is in a catch 22, they have to get the season opened or be forgotten, they can't wait much longer then early March, by then NASCAR will have held 3 events, they have only 3 venues, you do the math. As it is, they push the weather envelope at Motegi. before you come back with why not WDW, the park won't go later then January anyway, you can't run against 3 weeks of Daytona, 90 miles away in February, even if "the mouse" would let you. So even if you could run the overly dangerous WDW track, a January date would be mandated and you have yet another 30-day "gap!"

I would be interested in any suggestions you might have to solve an unsolvable issue before calling it "ridiculous," smarter people then us have been trying for years. Sometimes all you can do is all you can do!

[Doc Austin]

Mackie, if the IRL is going to have road racing no matter what, and play along for the sake of the discussion, how about taking over the cart St. Pete date? Decent weather, decent (for a street race) track, decent draw. More importantly......close to home.

[SactoIndyFan]

Originally posted by Mackie
. The west coast racing calendar in the spring is already over-saturated, with two major NASCAR events, IndyCar at Phoenix, NHRA at Pomona, Firebird and Las Vegas, a major motorcycle event at Fontana and CART at Long Beach, if CART saves itself, you can bet LB will be there.

I disagree living out here in CA. CA Speedway could host a race in March with decent weather. Why not have 2 races in Fontana, a March date that is the 400 miler and the 500 miler later in the year. Would be a nice complement to Phoenix in March...that way there are at least 4 races before Indy. Or even Las Vegas, the weather is pretty good in March for Vegas, lord knows when I have gone in March it has never rained or been too cold.

Mackie, I understand your point, but in California in the early spring, all there is is college hoops and the NBA.

[AlJRFAN]

Motegi is live , not sure if that is good or bad news!

[rev-ed]

Originally posted by BuckeyeDave
With 16 for next year I fully expect Houston and Iowa to be added for '05 along with a couple of RC's. My guess on the RC's would be Road Alanta and either Mid-Ohio or Road America.

I hope you're expecting to be disappointed. Don't look for R/A, RA or M/O on the '05 schedule. Got my doubts on completed tracks at Houston & Iowa as well.

[rev-ed]

Originally posted by JBaiza
Motegi is a TBA for the date. And who knows? There might be another anouncement before the start of the season.

Depending upon the Homestead testing this fall. . .