One of the biggest issues has been exposure. Outside of the Indy 500, it's dang near impossible to find much of any mainstream coverage of IndyCar racing. How many races and championships did Target win with drivers like Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, and Dan Wheldon? Yet you never saw them featured in a mainstream TV ad. (I remember some ads with Alex Zanardi and Montoya, but that was, what, 18 or 19 years ago?) Of course the folks running the series have a bad habit of shooting themselves in the foot... like having an off season so long that you forget who won last year's championship. One of the most exciting races of any kind that I've seen in years was the IndyCar race at California Speedway in 2015... 80-some lead changes, 3 and 4 wide racing all day, it was more thrilling than anything you would see at Talladega. Unfortunately the race wasn't promoted, and the stands were practically empty. Yes, there need to be more ovals, and more American drivers, and the speeds could be lowered (say, to the 200-210 range on the superspeedways), but the promoters and sponsors need to get on the stick and make these drivers household names.
Amen Humpy!! Preach it to the Motorsports Gods, unfortunately i'm afraid they don't care enough to listen to people like you who see it for what it is.
they need to put a few roll bars over the drivers head to keep them more protected the racing all in all is dangerous and i get the open wheel type of racing but maybe build a oval chassis with roll bars over the head and build them also with less hp under the hood and it should save lives
I agree. It would be really cool to see them with cockpits similar to some of the fully enclosed cockpits used in NHRA Top Fuel. I'm not sure if it's going to provide as much protection as we'd all like but it might be a step in the right direction.
They already have a roll hoop. Out one over the driver and you risk serious injury or death. Just because you put protection over a driver's head does not mean fire magically no longer burns.
sounds to me like you would like the original IRL to come back. v8 olds engines in an indycar that would do 210mph max and sounded more like a cup car.
Humpy, In 2011 IndyCar did that, a grid of 34 Cars for the season finale and it ended in disaster. The Car are too faster, yes. The DW12 made more faster but with less downforce. IndyCar need to do a better work in the PR area, barely you see an IndyCar ad on TV. more publicity instead of 34 Cars every race.
This man (not you) is a complete idiot! There is a reason why IndyCars dont run on more ovals and that is because of the 2011 Las Vegas incident. If you want indycar to sell more seats, well here's my opinion sir. Have a better promotion team, less downforce, 800-900 v8 turbo engines (cause we all go for the sound of the cars) and have a better timeframe of a schedule. IndyCar now has the potiential with the DW12 and mark my words man, we will break Arie's record in a few years at IMS! Hope you have a great weekend :)
***** That's not why, it's because there's no demand for oval racing. They don't sell tickets even though everyone screams for more ovals for some reason.
Daniel Davidson I love seeing it on TV and I will be going to both the Pocono and Indy 500 this next summer. I love the ovals of indycar but if they want to go to some of the best courses. They need to go to the tracks such as Portland, Road America, Michigan (US 500 :D) gateway, and tracks like those. Ohh MAYBE richmond. I like what Robin Miller said about the 1.5 mile "bowls" cause they are not suited for indycar and me being a longtime fan I want to see speed go up while it being as safe as it is now. What was your first IndyCar/CART race?
I personally don't have any trouble seeing the cars on track. I watch both NASCAR and IndyCar (both on TV and at tracks), by and large I find the IndyCar racing to be much more entertaining and fun overall. When I attend NASCAR races the cars are slower (as Mr. Wheeler suggests), bigger (as Mr. Wheeler suggest), has more cars (as Mr. Wheeler suggests) and the grandstands are half full (same problem pointed out). Makes me think a big in IndyCar to be more like NASCAR, which is what I hear being said in this video, might not fix it's problems. IndyCar is and has been it's own worst enemy sense 1978 and counting. Certainly NASCAR is more popular but you'll always sell more Jack Daniels than Laphroaig Islay. I believe it's more of a developed taste.
i really think the indy guys need some bigger purses, the winners today make as much as truck series winners also need to add WAY more ovals, what part of "Indianapolis"car racing don't they understand?
The only thing thats actually going to fix Indy Car racing is going to be a major investment in young drivers, trying to get the best young guys away from NASCAR. Going back to Gordon, who spent his whole life dreaming of winning the Indy 500 only to go into NASCAR for the money instead, they’ve been losing talents like him and Tony Stewart to NASCAR because of the money. They need to take advantage of the fact that it seems like the only way you can get a NASCAR ride these days is to be some owner or legend of the past’s son and start driving programs that identify skilled youngsters and get them on a path to Indy car instead of NASCAR. How many young, working class drivers who would have made it in the 70s but dont have the money today to get involved in the sport are there? I’m betting a lot. It’s up to Indy to do the better job of attracting them, because right now they’re getting their butts kicked by a gang who cant shoot straight.
33 cars eh? Is Humpy paying for the extra 10 teams? Does he think these teams grow on trees or something? C'mon man, you gotta be smarter than that. Even when a team wants to start, the engine deals won't allow it. Shank couldn't get an engine for 2012 and eventually dissolved the team. When I was 12 I became a NASCAR fan. When I was about 23 I became an IndyCar fan...Hmm what happened in NASCAR around 2004 that would piss off NASCAR fans? I went to Pocono and Baltimore IndyCar races this year. Both awesome events! IndyCar is so open compared to NASCAR. As for the racing..ANYONE who says NASCAR provided better racing is flat out delusional. IndyCar racing is the best racing there is right now. No Aero BS NASCAR drivers are always bitching about. No Hendrick lovefest.No stupid "Chase." The only NASCAR races worth watching is the Truck Series these days. I mean the Cup series sis till better than those awful F1 parades but still. I started watching IndyCar when it was the IRL and only ovals. These days I find the Road courses more enjoyable. They just need BETTER ones. Not shitty parking lots like Houston. They need Road America. They need Road Atlanta. Hell, even COTA would be awesome(and a better race than that snorefest F1 put on). They need the ovals that were designed for IndyCar like Phoenix. The biggest problem with IndyCar is not on the track. It's the idiots who don't know how to market it. I don't give a crap where the driver is from. My favorites are Hinchcliffe(Canadian), Newgarden(American), Pagenaud(French), Wilson(British) etc. They have in Hinch and Newgarden..guys that have more personality than everyone in the NASCAR garage combined. They should have no problem selling these guys!
Indycar is just fine but they need to be on TV! (ABC or NBC.. not ESPN2 or NBCSN). And maybe 2 new young guns with great cars to win races and be the new american heroes (~~~ Daly / Rossi / Karam / Brabham / Pigot / Clauson ~~~)
Dallaras are too fast? Have you gone senile? What's wrong with Indycar? It's not CART. That's what's wrong with it. Now it's become a piss poor imitation of CART.
I can see them just fine from the granstand
Your absolutely correct Humpy!
Bigger and slower, so in other words, NASCAR. Pure genius, Humpy.
Off track marketing made Nascar. Do not see much off track IndyCar marketing. I think that is a bigger issue.
One of the biggest issues has been exposure. Outside of the Indy 500, it's dang near impossible to find much of any mainstream coverage of IndyCar racing. How many races and championships did Target win with drivers like Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, and Dan Wheldon? Yet you never saw them featured in a mainstream TV ad. (I remember some ads with Alex Zanardi and Montoya, but that was, what, 18 or 19 years ago?)
Of course the folks running the series have a bad habit of shooting themselves in the foot... like having an off season so long that you forget who won last year's championship. One of the most exciting races of any kind that I've seen in years was the IndyCar race at California Speedway in 2015... 80-some lead changes, 3 and 4 wide racing all day, it was more thrilling than anything you would see at Talladega. Unfortunately the race wasn't promoted, and the stands were practically empty.
Yes, there need to be more ovals, and more American drivers, and the speeds could be lowered (say, to the 200-210 range on the superspeedways), but the promoters and sponsors need to get on the stick and make these drivers household names.
Amen Humpy!! Preach it to the Motorsports Gods, unfortunately i'm afraid they don't care enough to listen to people like you who see it for what it is.
they need to put a few roll bars over the drivers head to keep them more protected the racing all in all is dangerous and i get the open wheel type of racing but maybe build a oval chassis with roll bars over the head and build them also with less hp under the hood and it should save lives
I agree. It would be really cool to see them with cockpits similar to some of the fully enclosed cockpits used in NHRA Top Fuel. I'm not sure if it's going to provide as much protection as we'd all like but it might be a step in the right direction.
They already have a roll hoop. Out one over the driver and you risk serious injury or death. Just because you put protection over a driver's head does not mean fire magically no longer burns.
sounds to me like you would like the original IRL to come back. v8 olds engines in an indycar that would do 210mph max and sounded more like a cup car.
This basically boils down to “make open wheel races like stock car racing.” That’s kind of insane. It’s not the same.
The Indy 500 had 60+ lead changes.
The Daytona 500 was single file for 90% of the race.
Guess what I'm spending my money on.
Humpy, In 2011 IndyCar did that, a grid of 34 Cars for the season finale and it ended in disaster.
The Car are too faster, yes. The DW12 made more faster but with less downforce.
IndyCar need to do a better work in the PR area, barely you see an IndyCar ad on TV. more publicity instead of 34 Cars every race.
This man (not you) is a complete idiot! There is a reason why IndyCars dont run on more ovals and that is because of the 2011 Las Vegas incident. If you want indycar to sell more seats, well here's my opinion sir. Have a better promotion team, less downforce, 800-900 v8 turbo engines (cause we all go for the sound of the cars) and have a better timeframe of a schedule. IndyCar now has the potiential with the DW12 and mark my words man, we will break Arie's record in a few years at IMS! Hope you have a great weekend :)
***** That's not why, it's because there's no demand for oval racing. They don't sell tickets even though everyone screams for more ovals for some reason.
Daniel Davidson I love seeing it on TV and I will be going to both the Pocono and Indy 500 this next summer. I love the ovals of indycar but if they want to go to some of the best courses. They need to go to the tracks such as Portland, Road America, Michigan (US 500 :D) gateway, and tracks like those. Ohh MAYBE richmond. I like what Robin Miller said about the 1.5 mile "bowls" cause they are not suited for indycar and me being a longtime fan I want to see speed go up while it being as safe as it is now. What was your first IndyCar/CART race?
if Tony George didn't sign a 10 year contract with Versus near the end of his tenure screwing the series' exposure..
I personally don't have any trouble seeing the cars on track. I watch both NASCAR and IndyCar (both on TV and at tracks), by and large I find the IndyCar racing to be much more entertaining and fun overall. When I attend NASCAR races the cars are slower (as Mr. Wheeler suggests), bigger (as Mr. Wheeler suggest), has more cars (as Mr. Wheeler suggests) and the grandstands are half full (same problem pointed out). Makes me think a big in IndyCar to be more like NASCAR, which is what I hear being said in this video, might not fix it's problems. IndyCar is and has been it's own worst enemy sense 1978 and counting. Certainly NASCAR is more popular but you'll always sell more Jack Daniels than Laphroaig Islay. I believe it's more of a developed taste.
I'm 10, I enjoy IndyCar racing, but on TV. I went to an IndyCar test at Pocono, and it was boring.
i really think the indy guys need some bigger purses, the winners today make as much as truck series winners
also need to add WAY more ovals, what part of "Indianapolis"car racing don't they understand?
The only thing thats actually going to fix Indy Car racing is going to be a major investment in young drivers, trying to get the best young guys away from NASCAR. Going back to Gordon, who spent his whole life dreaming of winning the Indy 500 only to go into NASCAR for the money instead, they’ve been losing talents like him and Tony Stewart to NASCAR because of the money. They need to take advantage of the fact that it seems like the only way you can get a NASCAR ride these days is to be some owner or legend of the past’s son and start driving programs that identify skilled youngsters and get them on a path to Indy car instead of NASCAR. How many young, working class drivers who would have made it in the 70s but dont have the money today to get involved in the sport are there? I’m betting a lot. It’s up to Indy to do the better job of attracting them, because right now they’re getting their butts kicked by a gang who cant shoot straight.
33 cars eh? Is Humpy paying for the extra 10 teams? Does he think these teams grow on trees or something? C'mon man, you gotta be smarter than that. Even when a team wants to start, the engine deals won't allow it. Shank couldn't get an engine for 2012 and eventually dissolved the team.
When I was 12 I became a NASCAR fan. When I was about 23 I became an IndyCar fan...Hmm what happened in NASCAR around 2004 that would piss off NASCAR fans?
I went to Pocono and Baltimore IndyCar races this year. Both awesome events! IndyCar is so open compared to NASCAR.
As for the racing..ANYONE who says NASCAR provided better racing is flat out delusional. IndyCar racing is the best racing there is right now. No Aero BS NASCAR drivers are always bitching about. No Hendrick lovefest.No stupid "Chase." The only NASCAR races worth watching is the Truck Series these days.
I mean the Cup series sis till better than those awful F1 parades but still. I started watching IndyCar when it was the IRL and only ovals. These days I find the Road courses more enjoyable. They just need BETTER ones. Not shitty parking lots like Houston. They need Road America. They need Road Atlanta. Hell, even COTA would be awesome(and a better race than that snorefest F1 put on). They need the ovals that were designed for IndyCar like Phoenix.
The biggest problem with IndyCar is not on the track. It's the idiots who don't know how to market it. I don't give a crap where the driver is from. My favorites are Hinchcliffe(Canadian), Newgarden(American), Pagenaud(French), Wilson(British) etc. They have in Hinch and Newgarden..guys that have more personality than everyone in the NASCAR garage combined. They should have no problem selling these guys!
Indycar is just fine but they need to be on TV! (ABC or NBC.. not ESPN2 or NBCSN). And maybe 2 new young guns with great cars to win races and be the new american heroes (~~~ Daly / Rossi / Karam / Brabham / Pigot / Clauson ~~~)
Dallaras are too fast? Have you gone senile? What's wrong with Indycar? It's not CART. That's what's wrong with it. Now it's become a piss poor imitation of CART.
He is so far out of his element, I can't even begin to describe his ignorant "analysis".