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Hello all,
New member here, making my very first post. Actually, I’m a fairly new fan to racing in general as before this year I’ve only watched a handful of Indy 500’s. I don’t even own a car. To which, my screen-name (the trains used by NYC for the Lex. Ave line) is a tribute to a major corporate sponsor of the IRL and its product, of which I am a satisfied customer. As a mater of fact, I didn't start watching racing this year until the Indy 500. But I’ve been watching different kinds of racing since then, including NASCAR, Indy, CART, F1 and even some Sprint Racing. Out of all of them, Indy Racing is my favorite. So, I’ve been biding my time, learning what I can, getting a few first impressions and trying to come up with an appropriate screen name while waiting for the season to end before making my first post, which as I look back on it seems a tad long (the post, not the season), but it’ll do.
A couple of first impressions:
The IRL has a great formula of exciting, high-speed racing. I e-mailed the video clip of the end of the Chicago race to pretty much everybody I knew. Hopefully, it’ll convert a few more stick-and-ball/puck fans. The IRL seems like it’s on the right track as far as the racing itself goes, plus it’s got the Indy 500 and nobody else can say that. But, they’re going to have to make major changes in how it presents itself if it wants to succeed on a national level.
First of all, Disney’s IRL coverage is inexcusably terrible. Why in the world is the pre-race show 1 hour before the race and on a different network? Paul Page is OK, although network TV sports coverage should be better than just OK. The studio host (who’s name escapes me) can talk about 220mph-wheel-to-wheel-racing and make it sound boring, which is impressive. Scott Goodyear is useless. He has no idea of how to convey complex technical information in a manner understandable to laypeople or give me a greater understanding of race strategy. I’ve actually learned more about Indy racing from the PS2 game than I have from him. NASCAR coverage is so much better. I remember a description of “Vapor Lock” during the Sharpie 500 that led me to shake my head and ask “Why can’t I get a straight answer like that from the IRL crew?”
Speaking of NASCAR coverage, steal that “Behind the Leader” thing NASCAR coverage does. It’s a great idea for 2 reasons. 1. Sometimes the best racing goes on behind the leader and you don’t want to neglect reporting on it (but I don’t have to tell trackforum that
). 2. It gives exposure to sponsors of teams besides those who are running at the front. Right now, the only way for the sponsor of the 12th place car can get on TV is by starting 20th and that’s just bad for the IRL in general. Struggling teams need the most support.
Secondly, The IRL and its sponsors need to market the drivers MUCH better if they want to grow an audience. People are more likely to watch if they recognize the names of the drivers in the race. Living in NYC, I see NASCAR drivers hawking all sorts of products on non-racing TV and NASCAR ratings are actually getting respectable here. The only IRL figure I see on non-racing TV who is identified by name is Michael Andretti for Honda and he’s not a driver anymore. I've heard people on this forum lament the lack of recognizable drivers like Indy had in the past. While we should embrace Indy’s storied past, the IRL can only succeed by marketing the drivers they have now. I’ve never seen a Pennzoil ad with Sam Hornish Jr. and that’s just not right. I should be sick of that ad by now. Now that he’s with Penske, it’s not going to get any better as he’s obviously not going be in a national ad campaign for Marlboro. This hurts both him and the IRL as far as national exposure goes.
I’d also like to add that it’s ironic that some of the same people in the media who ignored the closest 1-3 finish and then the fastest race in history can’t show the Brack crash enough, but act like it’s the IRL fans that only want to see a wreck. Sad
Lastly, the way I figure it, I’ve got 2 choices if I want to go to an IRL race next season. Miami or Nazareth. My parents live in South Florida (because, as Jerry Seinfeld says, “they’re old, and that’s the law”) so I have a free place to stay and Nazareth is relatively close. So, which one is better for a first timer?
No sig yet, but I heard a quote from John Force about turning left on Windtunnel the other day that’s in the running.
New member here, making my very first post. Actually, I’m a fairly new fan to racing in general as before this year I’ve only watched a handful of Indy 500’s. I don’t even own a car. To which, my screen-name (the trains used by NYC for the Lex. Ave line) is a tribute to a major corporate sponsor of the IRL and its product, of which I am a satisfied customer. As a mater of fact, I didn't start watching racing this year until the Indy 500. But I’ve been watching different kinds of racing since then, including NASCAR, Indy, CART, F1 and even some Sprint Racing. Out of all of them, Indy Racing is my favorite. So, I’ve been biding my time, learning what I can, getting a few first impressions and trying to come up with an appropriate screen name while waiting for the season to end before making my first post, which as I look back on it seems a tad long (the post, not the season), but it’ll do.
A couple of first impressions:
The IRL has a great formula of exciting, high-speed racing. I e-mailed the video clip of the end of the Chicago race to pretty much everybody I knew. Hopefully, it’ll convert a few more stick-and-ball/puck fans. The IRL seems like it’s on the right track as far as the racing itself goes, plus it’s got the Indy 500 and nobody else can say that. But, they’re going to have to make major changes in how it presents itself if it wants to succeed on a national level.
First of all, Disney’s IRL coverage is inexcusably terrible. Why in the world is the pre-race show 1 hour before the race and on a different network? Paul Page is OK, although network TV sports coverage should be better than just OK. The studio host (who’s name escapes me) can talk about 220mph-wheel-to-wheel-racing and make it sound boring, which is impressive. Scott Goodyear is useless. He has no idea of how to convey complex technical information in a manner understandable to laypeople or give me a greater understanding of race strategy. I’ve actually learned more about Indy racing from the PS2 game than I have from him. NASCAR coverage is so much better. I remember a description of “Vapor Lock” during the Sharpie 500 that led me to shake my head and ask “Why can’t I get a straight answer like that from the IRL crew?”
Speaking of NASCAR coverage, steal that “Behind the Leader” thing NASCAR coverage does. It’s a great idea for 2 reasons. 1. Sometimes the best racing goes on behind the leader and you don’t want to neglect reporting on it (but I don’t have to tell trackforum that
). 2. It gives exposure to sponsors of teams besides those who are running at the front. Right now, the only way for the sponsor of the 12th place car can get on TV is by starting 20th and that’s just bad for the IRL in general. Struggling teams need the most support.Secondly, The IRL and its sponsors need to market the drivers MUCH better if they want to grow an audience. People are more likely to watch if they recognize the names of the drivers in the race. Living in NYC, I see NASCAR drivers hawking all sorts of products on non-racing TV and NASCAR ratings are actually getting respectable here. The only IRL figure I see on non-racing TV who is identified by name is Michael Andretti for Honda and he’s not a driver anymore. I've heard people on this forum lament the lack of recognizable drivers like Indy had in the past. While we should embrace Indy’s storied past, the IRL can only succeed by marketing the drivers they have now. I’ve never seen a Pennzoil ad with Sam Hornish Jr. and that’s just not right. I should be sick of that ad by now. Now that he’s with Penske, it’s not going to get any better as he’s obviously not going be in a national ad campaign for Marlboro. This hurts both him and the IRL as far as national exposure goes.
I’d also like to add that it’s ironic that some of the same people in the media who ignored the closest 1-3 finish and then the fastest race in history can’t show the Brack crash enough, but act like it’s the IRL fans that only want to see a wreck. Sad
Lastly, the way I figure it, I’ve got 2 choices if I want to go to an IRL race next season. Miami or Nazareth. My parents live in South Florida (because, as Jerry Seinfeld says, “they’re old, and that’s the law”) so I have a free place to stay and Nazareth is relatively close. So, which one is better for a first timer?
No sig yet, but I heard a quote from John Force about turning left on Windtunnel the other day that’s in the running.
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