On the eve of the biggest motorsports weekend of the year I can’t help but reflect on what Indy Racing once was and could have been. *I know this is the NASCAR Insiders, but I want to talk about this.*
I have watched some of the coverage from Indianapolis this year and in my opinion it’s sad. I remember the days when the stands would be near full on qualifying days and there were 50 cars trying to make the field. This year and in the recent past the stands look like a qualifying day at Pocono and bump day has become almost unnecessary. And how about Versus? A great attempt but not such a great execution by a second tier network. Sure you argue, the actual race is on a major network, but it is one of the few.
For many, many years Indy Car racing was the pinnacle of motorsports in this country. Little kids dreamed of being Al Unser, Mario Andretti and AJ Foyt among many other legendary drivers. If you wanted to be successful in motorsports, Indy Car racing is where you had to be.
By the mid-1990s though the successes and strength of open wheel racing was starting to fade. NASCAR was seizing the opportunities and growth potential and they were expanding their reach and moving beyond their role as a regional sport.
One of the biggest impetuses for this shift was the discontent of one man. Anton Hulman “Tony” George. As early as 1991 the chief of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was attempting to take control of CART. In 1991 he made an attempt at purchasing the series. When that didn’t work he made demands. Among the demands were his displeasure with the way the series treated his race, the lack of American drivers and the dwindling number of circle track races. When CART refused to make changes George started his own series.
By the end of the decade NASCAR was a sports juggernaut while the IRL and CART continued to cannibalize each other and drive off fans. The competition suffered in both series as team owners struggled with what to do. In 2000 Chip Ganassi became the first major defection, opting to compete in that year’s Indianapolis 500 which was of course controlled by George and his IRL. Ganassi won that year. Roger Penske brought his team over the following year and won.
Both men opted to leave CART permanently in 2002, moving full-time to George’s fledgling IRL.
What followed was six more years of fighting, defections, two bankruptcies, a name change and some really poor business decisions. In 2007, 16 years after he first sought it, George was the proud owner of what remained of CART (or Champ Car by that point).
Last season marked the first season of the reunified series.
Now in hindsight many people had a hand in the failure of CART and demise of open wheel racing. Who in the world thought making CART a public company was the solution? I blame one person more than any other though. That person is none other than Tony George. Ultimately it was his greed that started the competing series and I think it will be his greed that will end the series.
In December he said if the league was not profitable by 2013, there would be no 2013. 16 years and countless amounts of money and now it all comes down to a 2013 deadline. It is mind boggling. I guess maybe it was more about the chase.
In retrospect thinking about the slow, sad demise it makes you wonder what CART without the IRL competing could have/would have looked like. After all this was the same period of NASCAR’s meteoric growth.
Just something to think about as you watch the Monaco Grand Prix/Indianapolis 500/Coca-Cola 600.
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on May 22nd, 2009 at 6:44 am
Journo. My sentiments exactly. Although NASCAR was coming into it’s own with better racing and down to earth participants, the France family still owes Tony George more than you can count.
Red
on May 22nd, 2009 at 7:10 am
journo – an excellent synopsis of the sad decline from the days of USAC. Unfortunately I see the same thing happening to NASCAR – arbitrary and capricious decision making; favoritism; pick on the little guy (see Robby Gorgon & Carl Long); and arrogant management that accepts no criticism.
These were the hallmarks of USAC in the 70’s before CART and Tony George. Tony just administered the final blow.
on May 22nd, 2009 at 7:22 am
Journo
I AM NOT A WRITER BUT A RACING FAN
Love yours and Tc’s blog
For me it is a must read everyday
But you need a lesson in motor racing HISTORY
Back when autos were first raced all cars were open wheelers
Go to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn MI
See the first car Ford built
It had no fenders
As to the demise of Indy Car racing
look at NASCARS past
As to what could happen in the future, you have to study the past
At one time NASCAR had competition, the USAC Late Model Series
They butted head to head
USAC being in the North
NASCAR the south
ONLY WITH THE DEMISE OF USAC LATE MODEL SERIES
DID NASCAR TRULY SHINE AND COME INTO ITS OWN
Some drivers ran both series, the “hook” being who paid more
This brought about the current situation of show-up money to the top teams
I am looking forward to Sunday
The GP
The INDY 500
and the Coke 600
I was at Indy in 1968,
You had different cars
Different engines
It was exciting
It was a circus of speed
I have never been to a NASCAR CUP race
tried many times, but due towork,heath or financial reasons did not make it
In fact was to meet some friends in Charlotte last w/e and stay till this coming monday
but financial reasons had to back out
I wonder where motor sports is heading
Maybe we will all be racing on simulators
with a fanbase spread out over the world
We could be there now
We (being IRL, GP1, and Nascar) all run the series with the same tire, and same car
the only difference being in IRL has s a series engine
The only other differamce being the “driver”
In sym racing
you need no pit crew or engine tuners or chasis builders
I hope it never happens
But on another note
TThursday USA Todayhad a picture of the NASCAR race at Richmond this year
It had a doom and gloom story about auto racing demise and the picture showed the empty seats at Richmond as did VS at the INDY time trials
Racing is not as exciting as it once was
This years Dega race, except for Carls fence deal was excing
as was last years race where Carl tried a move on JJ to take the lead, but failed
This years ALLSTAR race had a very excing last 10 laps
but few other races in any series get us, the fans pumped up
Let me get off my soapbox
I love your work
I respect your opinions
Thanks
Ron
on May 22nd, 2009 at 7:24 am
Um, if you really want to look at the beginning of the end, look at 1979. Tony Hulman had recently died and most of the USAC people died in a plane crash coming back from Trenton. The owner then formed CART to do things THEIR way, the same they had done in CAN-AM … which had died because of the way they’d run it. Things began to slowly erode, though there was a gloss and sheen that hid it. The owners would rather give a European a one-year shot than help a driver than help a young American driver who wanted to spend his career driving in America.
Look, when Jeff Gordon was the defending national sprint car champion, his boss took him to MidOhio to get him introduced to CART people. No one would even talk to him.
Tony George has made mistakes, but blaming him is the same as blaming a doctor for amputating a limb with gangrene.
on May 22nd, 2009 at 9:56 am
HOW TRUE. Tony George did’nt know when to leave well enough alone, and I think, still refuses to believe how wrong he has been. His ego makes the United States look small, and of course, it will contribute most to his demise in American business. Too bad, because open wheel racing was fun to watch before Tony got ahold of it. Now it’s F-1 or nada.
on May 22nd, 2009 at 10:03 am
Yea it is definitely sad and greed from both Tony and CART owners supports the addage that two wrongs don’t a make a right. CART in it’s hey-dey saw staggering speeds at Indy topping out in 1996 at almost a 240mph average lap. That’s 250’s on the straights.
Unfortunatley, IRL is now just another 1 chassis and 1 engine spec series w/ over half the field being “pay-to-race” drivers or Go-Daddy spokes models. Unless they get back to multiple competition pkgs and fields full of real drivers 2013 will be here before you know it.
Trust me here NASCAR fans, spec series (i.e. COT) is ok for short term and thru tough economies, but bad long term growth, mfg participation and fan interest. IROC was the only spec series that worked, but eventually fell to the wayside. A real shame too.
I personnally like the VS coverage and will miss them on race day and have to watch ABC.
I miss the days of a Robbie Gordon, Andretti and Stewart doing the 500 and 600 in the same day/night.
on May 22nd, 2009 at 10:04 am
2013 – The year the Brickyard 400 becomes the Indy 500.
on May 22nd, 2009 at 12:12 pm
TC and Journo I don’t quite know how you would pull this off and maintain your anonymous status, but an absolutely awesome piece on your blog would be an open invitation for someone like Robby Gordon, Stewart, John Andretti, Foyt, Scott Pruett, Paul Tracey, Franchitti, Hornish, yada, yada, yada (basically guys than spent time on both sides of the fender fence) to tell us all the truth and their real feelings about what they would prefer to race. Setting the issue of money and politics aside of course. Maybe they will read this and do it anonymously themselves.
I’m guessing Jeff Gordon’s stint in Tradin paint (Chevy Monte Carlo vs Williams BMW) left him thinking “man this would have been the ultimate”…at least for a little while.
on May 22nd, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Personally I liked the Indy 500 better when the IRL first started and I watched American drivers live out their dream by racing at Indianapolis because I really don’t care about foreign drivers who have no respect for our event and are here because they brought a suit case full of money with a sponser. Like they way that Emerson Fittapaldi refused to drink the milk in victory lane and drank orange juice. I’ve been to 2 Indy 500’s in the 70’s now I have had season tickets in Charlotte for the past 20 years and would not trade the 600 for the 500. I have been to all the Brickyard 500’s and I enjoy the place but it is not the same and the CART/ IRL unification has not helped it as long as it stays the way it is.
on May 22nd, 2009 at 3:18 pm
A gamble for sure. Personally I think at the time George was trying his best to keep oval track American racing teams alive when the big European money was putting teams without an endless budget to compete in a higher stakes game much like Formula One. I hated the standardization of engines, still do, I think NASCAR is going down the same road with COT. People want to see someone come up with an edge in the machine, otherwise we just get to see Kyle Busch win. ARGHH!!!!!
on May 22nd, 2009 at 5:25 pm
The split killed open wheel in America. The reunification breathed new life into the series, but the TV contract just put th final nail in the coffin. Its too bad, considering the VS was willing to make the investment in additional programing that ESPN never could.
Hey maybe ALMS can add a indy car class in 2013 LOL.
on May 22nd, 2009 at 8:58 pm
I used to go to see the Indy cars race at Pocono when I was a kid. It was a great show, and I met many of my heroes – Foyt, Andretti, Rutherford, Unser (Bobby, not Al). It was a grand time. Everyone was friendly and accessible. And the races were sponsored by Schaefer beer…
CART was formed. Foreign drivers became prevalent. More and more of the races were eliminated on the ovals, and road courses became the norm. My interest waned. Open wheel went all ‘wine and cheese’, which was decidedly NOT where it had been through the 60s and 70s.
That’s why it has lost a lot of it’s popularity.
If I want to watch ridiculously fast open wheel cars on road courses I’ll watch F1, where at least there is some differentiation between the manufacturers.
Why have wine and cheese when you can have Dom Perignon and Beluga Caviar?
Tony George had the right idea with the IRL. Open wheel racing on closed circuit ovals with two chassis manufacturers and multiple engine suppliers. The races those guys put on at Texas, Richmond and even the one year they ran at Dover (what an extreme example of vehicular carnage) was far more entertaining than the races at Long Beach, Surfer’s Paradise or Road America. And of course, he controlled the Indianapolis 500.
What CART proved is that leadership by committee does not work in racing at the highest levels. Neither NASCAR nor the F1 series would be as strong as they are without the benefit of the benevolent dictatorships that run them despite their obvious flaws. Hopefully Tony George will give his fledgling open wheel series the time and iron fisted attention that the France family and Bernie Ecclestone have given their respective series.
As for the TV contract that Indy car is stuck with, I personally haven’t been disappointed by either the personalities (It’s Bob Jenkins and Jan Beekhuis for chrissake!) or the coverage. Do you honestly think ESPN/ABC would devote so much airtime to open wheel? I don’t even think SPEED would. Sometimes being the big fish in a small pond is a good thing (even if you’re not that big and the pond is really small). Besides, it’s not like VS is a new network, it used to be the Outdoor Life network (OLN).
For a race series to succeed, it must have one vision. Hopefully, American open wheel racing has that now.
on May 22nd, 2009 at 11:30 pm
The politics involved is terrible. I miss the old days when different engines, different chassis, and real innovation was part of every team’s effort. Today, with aero so firmly entrenched, they can’t even pass. What’s to watch?
on May 23rd, 2009 at 12:09 am
Well this article brings up a good question, is the Indianapolis 500 still the best motorsports race? So far it still is in my eyes, however with every passing year, it seems that the 24 hours of Le Mans, Daytona 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix are not only caughting up, but for one or two of them, it passes it on the list.
Four days of qualifying for this years Indianapolis 500 was a nightmare to watch, what a waste, one or two days is all its worth if that, thats sad…like I said, I still believe the Indy 500 is the best race all season, but that slowly going away…followed by teh 24 hours of Lemans, Daytona 500, Monaco GP and the Dakar.
And yes, I blame Tony George too…by the way, since you mentioned NASCAR, do you think NASCAR will get rid of the Brickyard 400 due to tires and an owner that will not do anything? Again its Tony George and I blame him too, open wheel racingh may just be over, what will the Indy 500 be without open wheel racing?
on May 23rd, 2009 at 4:03 am
It is sad the way it turned out. Nascar is ok but the open wheel racing is great.
I watched Michael Andretti qualifying at Road America the year before the split and I could not belive how fast he was in turn 1. I am not a big road track fan but a place lice that really separates the good drivers from the ok ones.
USAC days of Indy were so good. The turbines, Offy’s Chevy’s… What a joy to really be able to support a manufacturer or team.
Everything is the same now and boring. Luck is the determining factor who wins and not making any mistakes.
NASCAR COT really sucks for a competition point of view as do the restrictor plate tracks. I would love to see a top driver run away with a 2 lap victory. Ya, it may be a little boring but it is exciting too.
Lucky dog is a joke…
make them pass the leader… in todays racing there would be a ton of cautions if they do that.
I just hope USA racing never becomes as antiseptic as F1.
It would have been cool if Danica made it all the way to her nemesis pits in last years 500. I would liked to see her laying on her backside on pit road. She is a backmarker with money. Michael ought to dump her.
on May 23rd, 2009 at 4:04 am
It really is bad I can not watch either in China…
on May 23rd, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Indy’s troubles should be a lesson to NASCAR. People aren’t going to NASCAR races like they did, and the decline in attendance can’t be attributed only to the economy. If that was true, then ratings would be up. Sadly, the NASCAR product is showing signs of age, over-exposure and mediocre product.
Indy racing, meanwhile, is showing something of a renaissance. Nothing major yet, but the show is better, the racing is improved and attendance is growing for the first time in ages. The patient isn’t 100 percent healthy yet … but don’t count them out.
I’ve been to Daytona (once), Charlotte (once) and the Brickyard (once). I love NASCAR. But I’m into the driving, not the publicity machine that makes stars and “personalities” out of average athletes and emphasizes “trading paint” over real racing. And, like it or not, the skills Indy drivers demonstrate by AVOIDING contact at killer speeds is, lately anyway, a more exciting show than NASCAR.
Too late for this race, but I’m making plans to attend Indy next year.
on May 23rd, 2009 at 4:19 pm
that is the most idiotic thing i have ever seen put online
ARE U KIDDING ME THE INDY 500 IS STILL THE LARGEST SINGLE DAY RACING EVENT BAR NONE
THE CROWDS SAY IT ALL not your mindless ramblings
nascar will be long dead before indy goes
heck even at the split indy had more people at the track than ANY nascar race the complete stupidity here is incredible
indy 500 has been climbing back up while nascar declines
i seen ur best daytona and it does not compare to the crowds at indy
on May 23rd, 2009 at 4:23 pm
the indy 500 dont need the irl
it was alone before and can do it again
on May 23rd, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Tony George and Brian France are complete jackasses. They both inherited major American racing legacies that they didn’t earn and have been running major league auto racing in the USA into the straight into the ground.
While NASCAR still appears to be “too big to fail”, I agree with you Journo, the IRL’s days are numbered. The final nail in the IRL’s coffin is when (not if) some of the few, remaining IRL sponsors decided to pack-up Danica Patrick and buy her a Sprint Cup ride. Brian France will welcome her with open arms, since she will help fix is failing “Drive for Diversity” program in one easy step.
on May 24th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
As a former Hoosier who has been to many qualifying days, and met many, many drivers, I place the blame for the downfall of open-wheel racing in the US squarely on Tony George. His greediness probably has his grandfather spinning in his grave. The mid-eighties to the mid-nineties was a magical time in Indy car racing. Rick Mears, Emerson Fittipaldi, Little Al, Nigel Mansel, Arie Luyendyck, Scott Pruitt, Danny Sullivan, Bobby Rahal man I could go on and on. Those were drivers.
Whenever I drive by 16th & Georgetown it gives me chills. Driving thru the tunnel, you have to honk your horn, it’s tradition. It makes me sad seeing what a mockery Tony George has made of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”
on May 24th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Yet another sad race at Indy. Poor driving. poor coverage, many cautions, no race rythym and 3-4 hrs taken up of my time. Had Helio’s IRS saga not been a part of the storybook, no one would have paid much attention. When asked of Penske how this ranks? No way could this spec race be as gratifying as a race won w/ a Penske chassis and an Ilmor engine.
on May 24th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
I have to agree that the split caused by Tony George has really hurt open wheel racing in the US. The influx of non-US drivers hasn’t helped, but then again Indy always had a few non-US drivers around but they didn’t dominate as they do today.
Tony George’s plan of having a “less costly” series has not come to fruition. It’s still hugely expensive and only the biggest teams (Penske, Chip Ganassi, AGR) can be competitive even though the equipment is supposed to all be the same.
I think what really spanked the racing format was when George announced that 22 of the 33 spots would be “reserved” for drivers who ran in the IRL series. That move made people like Penske (and his well-known drivers) stay away. Had George simply said “if you want to race at Indy, here are the specs” and didn’t “reserve” 22 slots for drivers that many never heard of, perhaps things would be different today.
Watching today’s race was amazing–empty seats in the infield behind the pits.
IndyCar has a long way to go to get back to where open wheel racing once was.
on May 24th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
are u all lost did you see the fans
did u see the race like the guy on fire and still races
after being engulfed
and the crowds please tell me any race who have to crowds
not even the storied daytona compares
the indy 500 is still the greatest race and always will be
and when u talk about maket share if u add radio well then its a joke
indy 500 is known WORLDWIDE enough said
on May 27th, 2009 at 7:46 am
indy 500 tv rating 4.0
coca cola 600 3.5
you where saying?? hmmmm???
i thought so
on May 27th, 2009 at 8:16 am
Hey Kirk, the Indy 500 may have earned a 4.0 rating, but the Coke 600 earned a 3.5 and they didn’t get the race in!
And since you think open wheel racing is so healthy, lets look at the TV ratings for the previous three IRL races this season:
St. Petersburg: 0.3
Long Beach: 0.5
Kansas: 0.15
Yikes! And let’s look at one other comparison:
2009 Indy 500 (IRL’s biggest race): 4.0
2009 Daytona 500 (NASCAR’s biggest race): 9.2
You were saying?
on May 27th, 2009 at 10:32 am
irl is always been a joke the ony race should be the indy 500
ill be glad when it goes back to just indy500 and brickyard 400
and as for the daytona 500 if you count ims radio
your lil daytona DOES NOT PLAY well for rest of world
EVERY ONE IN THE WORLD KNOWS INDY SOOO SORRY
you comparison is laughable at best if fact its an outright joke to try and compare the two one has worldwide following the other well you know u still have dixie
on May 27th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Earth to Kirk, Earth to Kirk. What is your native tongue? Certainly not English I assume.
I can’t quite figure out your point. You like the Indy 500, hate the IRL and hate NASCAR from what I gather. Fair enough, but CART sadly is not coming back and the Indy 500 will only have the IRL. You say “that is the most idiotic thing i have ever seen put online”, yet you seem (from what I can see) to agree with Journo’s title “The Sad Demise of American Open Wheel Racing”. T or F?
For me, it is very sad indeed and less greed, less “paying” drivers, more chassis and engine combos is the only way to reverse the tide.
on May 27th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
4.2 Overnight Rating For Castroneves’ Indy 500 Win
correction i said 4.0
second i did not say i hated nascar i love the brickyard race
im just partial to the track always have been
and i am SICK TO DEATH of idiotic morons that says its dead
on May 27th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Kirk we never said the track, or open wheel racing for that matter, were dead. But the IRL doesn’t pale in comparison to what CART & USAC used to be. And while the Indy 500 is still a big draw, it still wasn’t a sellout this weekend. There is no denying that.
Journo wrote the post as an exploration of the demise of open wheel racing. He wasn’t attacking the series or the track. And I actually think its a testament to the track that the race is still as big as it is, even though the series is an after thought.
on May 27th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
To me the Speedway deserves much more respect than it is receiving. I think we can all agree on that….correct?
While I haven’t been to the Brickyard 400 (yet), I have been to a single 500 (the one it took three days due to rain and the first of the IRL normally aspirated engines…..arrrgh) and a single F1 (unfortunately the Michelin tire debacle race). So w/ all of the malaise on my visits, I can still truly appreciate that hallowed ground. Just please please get some real race cars, real drivers throughout the field and real tv coverage on race day (VS did ok in my book).
Helio’s story is compelling, but aside from that and Danicamania, the IRL has little to offer the gearheads that watch beyond the 500 and into the Summer.
Indy is not dead, but rest assured, w/ so many other things tugging at our time and wallets on Sunday before Memorial Day the 500 urgently needs the whole series to be a serious draw.
on Jun 20th, 2009 at 12:28 am
IRL is dead. NASCAR I’m sad to say has gotten to big and too expensive for its own good.
Formula one had the right idea on trying to bring down the cost of competing unfortunately it hurts the big manufacturers who have been around since its inception. I am fully backing USF1 in their attempt to break into the Formula One grid. Its highly lucrative and Americans should back a team like USF1 because Formula One is truly the pinnacle of motorsports. Naturally aspirated engines win this competition hands down.
on Oct 5th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
On 10/5/2009 I saw a reprint of a Dave Despain Wind Tunnel broadcast in which the numerous callers-in tossed about hundreds of ideas for unlimited engines, aerodynamics, fuels, coachwork, tires et. al.
Why not just run large displacement Supermodifieds like in New England and the rest of the Northeast?
I grew up in Indiana and yes back then the Indy 500 drivers were all gods. NASCAR was strictly a regional thing although Richard Petty and others were noteworthy.
But NASCAR became a huge success but only because USAC and later Tony George made major errors which destroyed “the greatest spectacle in racing”. The France family is not “without sin” themselves but TG HAS been the Great Destroyer no question about it. And he’s beyond redemption re: the IRL.
Bring in the big block Supers with 4 speeds and you’ll have one awesome epic of a race again just like back int he wild & crazy 1960s.