Indy Car Series: The Good News Keeps Arriving

Things that put a smile on my face are sponsored Indy Cars. That happened today to a guy who really deserves it. Will Power will pilot the Penske #12 with Verizon sponsorship, and this time it is full time. That is outstanding and ensures another quality effort for 2010. The Verizon folks have a nice web page devoted to this and their other motorsports efforts with Penske.

A driver who had a pretty pronounced sophomore slump was E.J. Viso. Word has it he will be returning with a new team next season, and that is also great news.

Sponsor activation…two words all racing fans should like these days!

IndyCar Success Means Not Repeating cart Mistakes

Anthony Schoettle is a columnist/blogger for the Indiana Business Journal, and he has made an attempt to evaluate recent moves made by the new management at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Anthony also speculates about what might happen going forward.

The first and most obvious move was the jettisoning of the livelihoods of about 40 people. Whether that was a sound move or not depends upon who you talk to. Losing a job always stinks.

So what about other promised changes in the off-season? Anthony believes big changes are on the way. Ticket prices to the MotoGP were cut, and you can go on race day only if you would like. Those two moves seem certain to put more bodies in seats on the main day. Almost too much common sense is being used.

Anthony still makes comparisons of today’s IndyCar to yesterday’s cart/champcar; specifically in the area of team propping. Mr. Belksus wants to do away with subsidies. Schoettle believes that one of the things that killed champcar. In reality it was their boycott of Indy and refusal to accept it as the sole reason for their existence. Long term it does not make sense to offer welfare to teams willing to accept it. Short term, given an economy that is the worst it has been since the 1930s, it is a necessary evil, particularly when the series enriches itself with a quality title sponsorship. Without quality teams you have no series. What Belksus and crew should facilitate is a definitive lower overall operating cost structure.

Another prediction is that Belskus will be swayed by the voodoo short term on-paper gain economics of road and street courses and ultimately dump most oval races at great, exciting venues such as Kentucky, Iowa and even Chicagoland. If Belksus and crew are sincere about learning from history, that approach is not really different than putting a loaded gun to your temple and pulling the trigger. Every single fan group of Indy Car has been alienated at one time or another since the mid-1990s, and that type of twisted equal opportunity might seem poised to screw everyone.

Schoettle also believes Belksus might slice the month of May by a week. Why? It has already been sliced enough. Why not employ the same strategies successful Major League Baseball teams enjoy? Push special, targeted promotions and make each day a special occasion for the widest possible variety of fans. The month of May in Indy is sacred. Anyone who screws with it is doomed to fail. It needs to be a full month, and it is incumbent upon Belksus and crew to make it worthwhile to go. Shutting the gates would be a cheesy copout. The month of May is the centerpiece and reason for existence of the entire track.

Schoettle’s sentiments seem eerily similar to cart enthusiasts stuck in 1995. His talk of Belksus inheriting an oil slick is arrogant. People who directly or indirectly blame Tony George for any and all perceived problems are myopic. If the economy of North America was not in the tank we would not be reading such sentiments; just the same brand of irrational hatred of Tony George twelve year olds and/or privileged ownership not allowed to cook their own hot dogs inside the track concocted in 1995 and tried shoving down our throats non-stop ever since.

My belief is that Belksus and crew should go forward and continue redeveloping the entire surrounding area. Make IMS a year-round destination resort. Someone also needs to play an eminent domain card for the vicinity surrounding the 30^th Street side of the track. That entire area cannot be bulldozed quickly enough. Creeping blight will eventually hurt the track.

The sheer potential of the legendary track makes re-investment as sound as ever. The one practice Mr. Belksus must keep alive is the notion that continuous reinvestment in the physical plant pays off. Not doing that results in the average ISC track, and there really is no comparison.

NASCAR Drivers: Ugly and Illiterate?

The other night on Wind Tunnel the obligatory IRL mercy hump was reserved for 53 minutes into the program. Dave included Terry Angstadt speaking wearing his ill fitting IZOD jacket in front of the hastily erected sponsor laden banner.

The rah-rah included congratulations on the IndyCar sponsorship by IZOD, and every current talking point.

Dave drew Terry into NASCAR and IndyCar comparisons, and Terry ran down the list about what makes IndyCar a unique story. He went out of his way not to denigrate NASCAR in any way, but did make a comment about IndyCar drivers being good looking and articulate. As opposed to what? Not that in NASCAR? The comment struck me as oddly funny. Perhaps we should be happy Paul Tracy is not full time. To me Paul is the ‘Ricky’ (of Canadian ‘Trailer Park Boys’ fame) of the series.

In the car today, I heard Michele Rahal talking about Danica Patrick on Fox Radio. The hosts were probably supposed to be chatting up what looks like another championship in a row for Jimmie, but the main focus of the conversation seemed to be Danica’s planned part time venture into ‘stock’ cars. My only hope is that she treats it as a novelty, takes the money and gets better in IndyCar next season.

IndyCar is here to stay.

Where Will You Watch IndyCars on Television?

IndyCar fans should root in unison for the proposed Comcast purchase of NBC Universal to actually occur. As a content provider, Comcast is very serious about delivering quality programming across a wide demographic swath. That is obvious given their current cable channel offerings in addition to Versus, including regional sports channels, E!, G4, Golf and others. Once married to NBC Universal channels, the lineup would be formidable.

From a purely selfish standpoint, that type of broadcast/cable marriage might well be good for the Indy Car Series. Versus and ESPN have an agreement that allows sharing of IndyCar programming, and ABC gets to cherry pick a selected number of races. I am in favor of changing that assuming Comcast buys NBC. The Indy 500 on NBC would, I believe, draw bigger numbers. The cross promotion opportunities for all other IndyCar events are limitless.

When IndyCar signed the agreement with Versus they were widely chided by those predisposed toward hatred of the brand as making a bad deal. All along IndyCar kept reminding people to keep their eyes on the long term, not the short term. Those taking the short view are, sure enough, disappointed by lousy numbers. NBC Universal in the picture? The landscape begins to change.

It is my belief that IndyCar brass is plugged into such a growth mindset now. Despite their foray into dumping bodies to become lean and mean, this may work out.

Indy Car Not Immune to Economic Woes

One of the more harsh realities of employment today is getting laid off. It happens with alarming frequency as our once great country rushes toward transforming itself into a third world nation. It is difficult to find anyone who has not either been laid off at one time or has had to be the person to facilitate layoffs.

As the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indy Car re-works itself into a business-first entity, significant layoffs have begun. All those affected have best wishes for the future. The economic reality of not selling enough tickets to two of the three big races held at the big track has begun to take its toll. The same sort of activity happens on many racing teams every year at seasons’ end.

I wonder whether the economic impact of selling seats for less has been considered. Frankly, IMS has consistently been the best bargain in motorsports despite recent additions like cheesy ‘surcharges’ added to the price of a ticket. I would prefer they just raise the price and tell me why. The last time I rented a car in Indy the total price was over 30% taxes and ‘surcharges.’ I hate ‘surcharges’ but appreciate reasonably priced admission.

Realists understand the need for leaning out to maximize revenue. In my actual employment I led a staff of fourteen this time last year. The week before Thanksgiving last year featured a demand that I cut all but five. Fourteen hour workdays for the remaining staff followed, and that has become the norm. Such is life in corporate America, where people are no longer viable people…just expendable pieces.

Best of luck to those involuntarily separated from their livelihoods. Also best of luck to IMS/IRL in their efforts to mold the future in ‘lean’ mode.

Santa Defender Indy Car Gift Ideas

It is not too early to begin thinking about holiday shopping for family and friends, and this year features some exceptional deals for real racing fans.

If you Google/Bing/etc., the words IZOD for Indy Collection, there are a lot of branded items Macy has that are quite nice. Great stuff is on the way as well as revealed by a fellow blogger: http://16thandgeorgetown.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-izod-indy-clothing-line.html

You can always stop by IMS gift shops and get some good deals.

Here is another great gift idea: Race tickets. There are good seats available at every track except Barber, which is close to sold out. Indy Car racing is second to none. Pick one of any of the locations around the country where races are held and make a family day of it. Get off the Internet and out to a race with more than just yourself.

I will see you there! Happy holiday shopping.

A Worthwhile Gathering in The Racing Capitol of the World

Many folks who are in the safety business will be conducting a Safety Conference trade show in Indianapolis on December 1^st. This is the first one ever held and the list of stars in that field is very long and illustrious, including:

• Robert Hubbard, who invented the HANS device.
• Dean Sicking, the Nebraska professor who created the SAFER barrier
• Dr. Terry Trammell, who has put broken race car drivers back together for a long time.
• Representatives of every major series in the world.

It is fitting that the first will be held in the city that introduced many safety features to the sport that are second nature today. How would you like to be a fly on the wall for that? I have a feeling this will be time very well spent and the folks who will be there all in the same place can definitely advance the safety aspect of the sport.

By the way, a lot of us have been thinking about the rescue of the Milwaukee Mile by the former promoters and John Menard. That venue needs to go back on the 2010 schedule, particularly given the feet dragging about another god-forsaken temporary circuit in Brazil.

Racing Weekend…Indy Car Still in the News

The racing weekend featured NASCAR limping along as they wind down their far too long schedule in front of a lot of empty seats at Texas, where Kurt Busch played a fuel economy game to outlast those who ran out of fuel in their winged ‘cars of tomorrow.’ Jimmie Johnson is still out in front in the points race, but fan favorite Mark Martin is closing in.

The biggest topic of conversation seemed to revolve around Indy Car driver Danica Patrick, who may be set to dip her toes into the lower rung NASCAR series a few times in 2010.

Here are a couple of items to keep your eyes on this week:

1. The attempt by Comcast to take over NBC/Universal seems closer than ever. This deal could get very interesting.
2. The Milwaukee Mile, the legendary 106-year old track thought to be on death’s door, is getting new life. The Giuffre brothers, who promoted events there between 1983 and 1991, are back in the picture along with John Menard and others. The ties of the money men to Indy Car and NASCAR could bode well provided debt is resolved. Indy Cars need to be at that track preferably the week after Indy.

Get out and look for Indy-branded IZOD merchandise. That quality sponsorship deserves the support of fans hungry for meaningful growth. Hopefully new cars and new stars are not far behind.

The IZOD IndyCar Series. It Rolls Off The Tongue and Hopefully Into The Mainstream.

The IZOD IndyCar Series has a really nice ring. After going without a title sponsor for most of the decade, the series has one prepared to spend money and actually use substantial parts of the rich century old history of the brand. The line of clothing tied to the sponsorship and Centennial Era appeals to virtually every demographic group. IZOD appears to be a partner who is serious.

This great news has occurred in the off season while other series continue having problems. A1GP appears finished and NASCAR is struggling with smaller crowds and dwindling ratings. Formula 1 has seen a manufacturer exodus away from that series. While IndyCar is not without problems, the opportunities afforded with a quality title sponsor are greater. The series needs new cars and new stars, and an infusion of cash and marketing muscle that has already begun makes the future much brighter.

So congratulations to the series and welcome aboard IZOD. Just one small suggestion: Change the creative on that ONE television spot. It continues to live on your web site and has grown stale. It is now a tune out factor. Get creative and mix things up.

IndyCar fans and those who claim not to be but who really are have been clamoring for a meaningful title sponsor for years, and that wish is reality.

Fantastic.

White/Yellow/Red/Checker Flag for Milwaukee…And No Indy Cars

The thread to which the oldest continuously operated race track in the country has been clinging became even thinner this week. An investor group interested in promoting races at the Milwaukee Mile could not reconcile the owed debt and announced they are out. The whacko politics of that particular track has been a point of ridicule for years, but that joint has been around for 106 years.

Those who are focused on just hating Tony George as the cause for any problem in racing today miss the big picture as usual. There are not a lot of truly legendary tracks left, and way too many have been bulldozed. It appears that unless someone can pull a Tony Hulman in 1946 out of a hat, it is also in line for a disappearance.

Each day this week has featured a tidbit of good IRL news, and one of the best is a distinct possibility that Ryan Hunter-Reay, an American and the face of IZOD’s one and only commercial that eventually drove everyone nuts by the end of the season, will hook up with a good team for once. AGR needs to recapture the formula that say them in victory lane a lot before this past season, and many say a deal between Mikey and Ryan is imminent.

Danica will still be there for the forseeable future and so will Tony Kanaan and Marco. The addition of Hunter-Reay would definitely enhance the squad.

On tap for Thursday: Indy Car announcements. Supposedly bigguns. Hold on to your stockings.