Racing fans in the Midwest have a phenomenal opportunity to see t
he Indy Cars for not too much money this weekend. The Mid-Ohio course has long hosted Indy Cars in various iterations, including champcar for many of the years of their juvenile, counterproductive Indy Racing boycott.
Thank goodness all that abject foolishness is behind us. In these days of tracks being run by mostly NASCAR-oriented thugs; e.g., Kansas (an otherwise marvelous IRL venue), Mid-Ohio stands out mostly because those who run the place do not feel compelled to overcharge or nickel and dime fans to death and you can carry stuff in. It is within fiscal reach for an average fan to gain admission to all areas, including the garage area. A lot of racing fans make it an entire weekend to enjoy all the great racing, including ALMS, and that is the right way to go.
Although not an oval, this challenging natural terrain road course offers many choice vantage points for wandering and/or camping spectators. The official Defender recommendation is: ATTEND.
This will be your last chance until after the Alberta mercy hump that comes up next. After that diversion with Las Vegas resident Paul Tracy and the Canadians in the homeland he left, it is more real live genuine American oval racing on the magnificent, not-a-bad-seat-in-the-house Kentucky track. Notable for that race is the return of Sarah Fisher in her self-funded team with primary Dollar General sponsorship. That is fantastic news, and all fans should hope the sponsorship morphs into something more permanent.
Finally, a recommendation for Indy Car management: Why not make plans (if you have not already) to attend The Institute for Media and Entertainment and the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management presentation of a high-impact branding program for media and entertainment executives. It is an opportunity to learn from the very top marketing faculty in the world while networking with important industry colleagues. It occurs November 17-19 in New York City (well after the season closes). Topics include master branding, positioning and how to build and reinforce your brand system across multiple platforms.
