Soon To Be Infamous ‘Direction’ Rumination

 Indy Racing is at a crossroads. Nearly 15 years into its life, the future of the series could take several dramatic turns. Here are the possibilities as my admittedly warped brain sees them:

 

-Indy Racing could remain a relatively small niche series with awful television ratings, the single most unprofessional, neglectful, abusive broadcast ‘partnership’ in the entire history of sports television with the NASCAR-focused Disney folk, and the most ineffective marketing since New Coke despite the gold mines that are Danica and next generation Andrettis and Rahals. On the other hand, some of the recent new blood could continue maximizing momentum currently pushing the series along at a faster pace than in many recent years.  

 

-Now that ALL the shamed cart/champcar foxes have slithered back to the Indy Racing henhouse and key management positions are being increasingly filled by those who worked for the twice bankrupt entity, Indy Racing going forward could resemble the cart of old in increasingly disturbing ways. My primary worry is not necessarily that such a direction is being pursued. The concern is being able to make that direction work from a profitability and acceptance standpoint. cart/champcar spent a dozen years propagating some of the most vile anti-Indy propaganda ever concocted and Indy racing did not help its own cause much by ‘aw shucks-ing’ their way through their first six or seven years. When the cart/champcar approach blew up in their arrogant faces, they crawled back one by one to the center of the sport. Their business model failed. Twice.

 

It is difficult to believe it would now suddenly work simply because the words ‘Indy Racing’ are now attached, although those words definitely enhance possibilities. Frankly, it is downright creepy to realize that right in front of our faces the Indy Racing Series, literally built on great ovals, is tossing them overboard one by one and replacing them with gypsy-like street carnivals in far flung places like Alberta.  That is insulting to many fans on a variety of levels.

 

-Bruton Smith’s recent implied threats; i.e., ‘race at my tracks or don’t race at all’ are kind of quaint in their redneckish bluster, but do present interesting opportunities. The cart/champcar brigade open disdain of anything oval is well known. They do not like paying to fix crash damage. They believe the solution is NOT to race at ovals and instead opt for mostly temporary circuits that result in slow, bad racing with mostly limited sightlines.  Smith, despite his rapidly advancing age, is a real force in racing and has offspring involved in succession. Playing ball with them may present more growth opportunities than attempting what have been mostly unsuccessful linkages with the France family. Tactics they use are clear. In their mindset NASCAR needs to be at the top of the heap at all costs.  

 

-Incorporation of even a notion of radical innovation could also shape the future. The current ‘green movement’ is a force worldwide. Indy Racing has, correctly or incorrectly, embraced Ethanol, and that is at least a start. As new chassis and power plant combinations become long overdue, a really golden technology opportunity unfolds. Think beyond mere existing technology such as motors or turbos attached to them. Get bold. Why should thinking be limited to internal combustion? Why not make rules that lessen chassis cost but create opportunities for alternative aerodynamics? This generation needs more out of the box thinkers. Andy Granatelli is still alive and well (and round), but where is the Andy Granatelli of this generation? We need to find him quickly. 

 

 

Here is the best advice I can muster for future evolution:

 

1.  Get rid of ABC and ESPN once and for all. Do not wait. Do not hesitate. After this season, bag the final year of the deal. Coverage and promotion is abominable and has restrained potential growth. They do not deserve to have any part of Centennial Era involvement despite a 40+ year lineage. The people who actually understood Indy Car racing and treated it with respect are either dead or replaced with short thinkers devoid of clues. It is a shame professionals like Jack Arute have to try and carry that albatross. The answer going forward is as easy as NBC.

 

2.  If short sighted ownership continues hiring primarily foreign road racing formula drivers, the venues preferred by the drivers and owners will be road and street courses. Having Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal in the series is a huge benefit despite their fondness for non-ovals. They are Americans. There are many more of them in this country waiting for opportunities. They need to be hired. At the risk of being called a xenophobe, my thoughts are that the field should be at least 75% domestic. International flavor is essential, but should not dominate the grid in terms of participation.  

 

3.  Oval centricity is essential. 65%, minimum. Variety is necessary as well. Richmond is as important as Texas. All sizes should be represented, including sub-milers, 1-milers, 1.5 milers, 2 milers and Indy. 65%. In a 21-race calendar, I want 14 ovals. Not 7-7-7 or any other similar configuration. Street courses should be limited to a St. Petersburg/Long Beach bookend. Two. Only quality natural terrain road courses such as Watkins Glen should be included. Five of them, maximum. 

 

4.  Make sure the ladder is meaningful, preferably with two official rungs. Indy Lights and Indy Light-ers. Keep the cost of entry reasonable and develop stars by running at ALL the same tracks as the A-team.  

 

5.  Encourage entry by quality ownership. Roger Penske will not live forever. Neither will many of the others. Ensure continuity of quality lineage by making sure folks like Jay Penske are comfortable, but find five more just like John Barnes and get them involved as well. Find passionate folks along the lines of the Byrd family or Tom Kelley or Joe Truscelli and make it possible for that type of owner to get involved again. Those people are out there but will not participate if it costs tens of millions of dollars every year. Has anyone else noticed that as costs have increased the quality of the racing has decreased?  

 

6.  Decrease costs. That may seemingly conflict with the notion of innovation, but does not have to. Loosen the rule book and let’s see what shakes out.  

 

7.  Market relentlessly. That means taking everything being done now and quadrupling the effort. Then doubling that. Then understand you are just beginning. Do something that has more credibility than Gene Simmons. Not that Simmons is bad; he provides a component. That should not be THE component.

 

Indy Racing has rarely, if ever, acknowledged widespread alienation of a fan base fractured when cart began its boycott of Indy Racing in 1996. Fourteen years later most of those fans continue to blame Tony George for their misery. Whether they are just or unjust in their prodigious bleating is not relevant. The feelings are real. Worse, that may be a mistake that gets repeated as Indy Racing continues to alienate those who bought into the oval-centric vision only to see that rapidly falling by the wayside. The lesson, if any, is to pay attention to fans. They buy the tickets and watch on television.

 

8.  Don’t poach sponsors from teams. Develop a marketing organization that not only tries to find sponsorship for elements of the series, but facilitates opportunities for team participants that do not have the marketing strength of a Penske or a Ganassi.  

 

9.  Use common sense in all business dealings. Many involved in the management of Indy Racing piss people off without even realizing they do. That alienates actual and potential business partners. Future commerce gets compromised.  

 

10.  Watch your back at all times. Most of those previously associated with cart/champcar can never be trusted.  Always use caution around these people, or you will find knives in your back, your wallet missing and some raw tenderness involving a nether orifice.  

 

Above all, and this is most important, keep the fans at the top of the thought processes. At some point, that concept got lost.

 

Indy Racing. It continues to have a nice ring to it. We should not allow it to get screwed up.