Racing Of The United States Variety

[Massa 0]

First note, I'll put it at the top in case whatever else I say goes long: Jenna Fryer is hearing that there will be no replacement to China. IndyCar has either accepted that IZOD is leaving anyway OR IZOD has said "it's fine" OR more likely, the money they are going to lose from IZOD is less than the money it costs to do a track rental on short notice OR even more likely, it never occurred to them that they could do what they did at Texas in 2011 and run a twin feature at Fontana (one on Saturday, one on Sunday) and call it sixteen for IZOD.

Craig, you're correct. The owners would form their own series if this series didn't last just to have something around the 500...and then that series would fail and the Speedway would form a series around the 500...which would fail such that the team owners...

In all conceivable reality, there will always be some meaningless, financially troubled series around the Indy 500. When there is no series, there is no Indy 500.

Now if you had a really enterprising bunch at IMS, and you don't, it's a very inbred organization of old friends and older family, you could try, in this weird theoretical world of impossibility, to revive the Indy 500 as a stand-alone. It would be contingent on a reason to believe that viewership and attendance would increase to old levels; there is absolutely no reason to believe that but...

$13,280,815 is the total purse for the Indy 500. Each of the other fourteen rounds has a purse of $105,000 for a total of $1,470,000. The Leaders' Circle payout for the other fourteen rounds ($80,000 per race for 22 cars) is $24,640,000 (plus extra; the other 3-4 cars in the field also get paid something that is undisclosed).

You could, in theory, offer a total purse for the Indy 500, as a stand-alone race, of $39,390,815+. The first step is to do the unthinkable and add a title sponsor to the race. Times change.

But then you get into the other steps: how do you make exposure from two weeks of Indianapolis on par with exposure for an entire season such that that the partners and IMS continue to put up all that money? In theory, there isn't a whole lot of exposure outside of Indy, and the vast majority of that money is coming from IMS for the non-Indianapolis 500 races anyway.

However, you would need a way to entice a lot more people to watch the Indy 500 than are at the moment. Is a massive, unprecedented cash prize for the winning driver and team enough? No, it isn't, people still don't care.

On top of that...what driver is going to race one race all year and then do nothing? It will be a bunch of old semi-retired guys going for a big payout...the Powers and Franchittis and Dixons of the world will all be in Grand-Am where they at least have a regular income (from a NASCAR subsidy not unlike the ones IMS provides to IndyCar teams).

In reality, no, they can't make it work. But there is a theoretical $39,390,815 associated with IMS and its partners covering a full season that, if somehow poured into one race, could enhance the show a bit, and could keep the race alive. The problem is there is no way to justify putting that much into the race, as awesome as it would be to pay the winner $15,000,000 and still have nearly twice the 2012 total purse to cover 2-33, and even throw a little money at those who fail to qualify.

But I'll dream...

[Massa 0]

And so then I wondered...what if you had an American Speedway Championship? The season would begin in June and end in May at Indianapolis. Each month would feature a week of practice and qualifying leading up to the following week, where a 400-mile race would be run on a speedway, all culminating in a season finale of the 500-mile race herself. I suppose you'd take December off so you'd have 11 rounds.

This, too, is an impossibility, but boy, that would be a fun series, I think, if you could get cars safe enough and fast enough. The series is short enough that NASCAR oval fans can care, every event has a big event feel which could lure some casual people in, there's a direct connection between the Indy 500 and the rest of the calendar, it eases the over-saturation of road racing in the U.S. by letting the F1 Grands Prix and ALMS and Grand-Am and all that fill the niche (which they already do more successfully attendance-wise in the case of ALMS, and in F1's case, with more American viewership, than IndyCar) while establishing some sort of link to get USAC guys, really talented young American kids with stories, into championship cars again...it can't be that horrible of an idea, can it? It's sort of like the original IRL idea, just done with actual world-class cars and with actual big events.

Perhaps it's a cross of Tony George's two ideas: his first idea, to have an oval racing World Championship sanctioned by what is now the FIA to run as a companion to F1 where the Indy 500 would follow a Disney model (i.e. Euro Disney, Tokyo Disney, Disney Land California, etc) and be a brand used for all sorts of overseas stuff, and his second idea, the IRL.

[Massa 0]

But that's all crap.

[Massa 0]

So thinking about the state of Indy racing made me wonder...

Is Brian France an idiot? I hope this never ever ever ever happens. But I'm just saying:

Tony George confessed that had the CART teams gone and raced at the first IRL race in 1996 (at Walt Disney World Speedway), that would have been the end of the IRL. No split. No change. On we go. But they were little babies and boycotted the IRL and the Indy 500 and Roger Penske has admitted to regretting that.

It seems pretty obvious, maybe in hindsight, that they really should have just run the IRL race, killed off all the IRL teams, killed off all the IRL's ideals, canceled the U.S. 500, and been one series again. But the owners totally missed it.

So in present day, IndyCar is on its last legs, and the Indy 500 is all it has.

Why, then, has NASCAR never just said "you know what, let's run the Coca-Cola 600 at noon Eastern time?"

Instead they run it at night, after the 500. If they put it on at the same time as the 500, that'd be it. The actual end. No more IndyCar, no more 500, over, done, bye.

I would hate if that happened and I'd never watch another NASCAR race again if they did it.

But why didn't they? I guess IndyCar isn't much of a threat to them, so it isn't worth it. They'd also lose the Brickyard 400, and Bruton Smith, the track owner of Charlotte, would lose a few IndyCar dates.

So I mean, yeah, my question isn't totally real...I kind of get it...I really only wanted to raise the irony that NASCAR is the only thing keeping IndyCar alive right now. NASCAR could end it all next May if they really felt like it.

I'm glad they haven't felt like it yet.

[Massa 0]

The drivers have asked Beaux Barfield to go back to the old-style restarts where they accelerate a million miles before start finish and the leader gets a 30 second lead coming to the green.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20120622/SPORTS0107/206220319/IndyCar-Drivers-want-oval-restart-zone-moved-back-Turn-4?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|IndyStar.com|s

I admit the starts are ugly with all the rubber-banding (not knocking Dixon but he's the master of this), but this is just getting dumb...restarting on the straight was a much better move. Barfield's a huge dumb*** as it is, and a bigger one if he starts changing stuff.

And the real dumb*** schedule Iowa for 10 PM Eastern time. Who is going to watch an Indy race 10 PM on a Saturday night?

Oh, and, the lead-in? The heat races tape-delayed. So you have zero lead-in. After the race is Indy Lights. Putting six hours of IndyCar programming all in one block is just stupid...spread it out. Spread out the exposure. You condense it all and no one is going to find it.

I quit. I quit after every article but eventually I'll quit for real.

[Massa 0]

Cool Justin Wilson story about his dyslexia:

http://www.foxnews.c.../#ixzz1yXwueLa7

EDIT: Ah, ****, I posted an IndyCar article, I have to declare I'm quitting IndyCar now.

[Grabthaw the Hammerslayer 4]

I like Indycar.

There I said it, I feel better now

[HandyNZL 1]

^ Stranger Danger!! Stranger Danger!! ^

[Grabthaw the Hammerslayer 4]

I know you watch it too....

[Massa 0]

Well for one of you who did watch...did Will Power flip someone off and drop an f and an s on TV or...?

It sounded from what I heard that last night was the kind of circus that would have tested my patience.

[HandyNZL 1]

No...Power came down on Servia and his inside rear hit Servia's front wing and around they both went, with Servia's momentum tee-boning Power.

Servia jumped out of the car and gesticulated at Power, first with the international symbol for "what the ****, are you blind?", then he gesticulated towards his groin and used the international symbol for either "I want to have relationships with your sister", or "I think you are a complete d#ck"...can't be too sure.

Afterwards, Power admitted full culpability, and said he was very sorry. He also went to say sorry to Servia.

Franchitti, whose engine went up in smoke on the warm up lap was in the commentary booth at the time, said of Servia "he's hit everything apart from the safety car, and he never goes to apologise"

[Massa 0]

Was it Servià or Viso? I heard the story with Viso, but that story also had Will giving the bird to Viso, and not the other way around. My head hurts. I need to give up on trying to follow all these series and cut back.

[Massa 0]

Ah, okay, here we go:

It looks like Viso gestures at Power and Power flips Viso off in response and Viso grabs his crotch in response.

[HandyNZL 1]

Ah Viso...yes that's the one....my failing memory....

[Massa 0]

Well I just saw the points and I bet you're failing memory wouldn't forget a championship year from Dixon and with the two guys ahead of him being complete clowns from time-to-time and their teams being a lot worse in the pits, I figure Scott's the favorite now...

I figure, too, that I need to find a race to watch this weekend. Not a good selection. They put nothing good on this weekend and then pack my local guy in a Nationwide race on Friday, ALMS on Saturday, and F1 on Sunday. Spread this stuff out.

[Massa 0]

I accidentally caught this on Twitter, despite my best efforts to avoid Indycar : The schedule will stay at 15 races. Bernard asked Road America to put up $1,000,000 to sanction a race on nine weeks notice. Bernard needed Road America a lot more than Road America needed them and so they will run 15 races. Fontana, in turn, is now a 500-mile race instead of a 400-mile race, which makes Indianapolis a bit less special, I think.

But I'm just a Debbie Downer so whatever.

[Massa 0]

So the big controversy this week?

Nelson Piquet, Jr. celebrating with a Brazilian flag because he's, well, oh, I don't know, maybe he's...no...it couldn't be...but I guess...it must...I can't believe it...he's from...Brazil the country?! Well I thought he was from Brazil, Indiana!

Meanwhile, when Brad Keselowski celebrates his wins with a huge United States flag, he is a hero and a patriot and a wonderful man who supports the troops and loves America.

Sometimes I'm embarrassed to watch NASCAR. When the fans are criticizing Piquet for celebrating with a Brazilian flag, that's one of those times. You either say you don't want anyone to celebrate with flags, U.S. ones included, or you let them all be proud of where they come from. Silly silly silly.

[HandyNZL 1]

Hi Debbie...are you hot?

[Massa 0]

Huge news:

Matt Kenseth, the current points leader, has driven the #17 for Jack Roush since 2000 (he did a one-off race in 1998 for Bill Elliott and failed to qualify a Roush #60 later that year, was a relief driver in 1999 for an injured Bobby Labonte, and did five races in 1999 in the #17 Ford that was technically owned by Robbie Reiser).

In that time, Kenseth has won 22 races, the 2003 championship, and two Daytona 500s, including the one this very year.

But they're parting ways after 2012.

They've had sponsorship issues this year and so a new ride beckons for Kenseth in 2013.

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. will drive the #17 in 2013.

Rides open to Kenseth could include the #20 at Joe Gibbs, the #22 at Penske, and the #56 at Michael Waltrip Racing.

That's exciting.

[Massa 0]

And another big piece just fell...Ford confirmed that Matt Kenseth will not be in a Ford next year, so it won't be Penske.

Pretty sure he's going to Joe Gibbs.

[Massa 0]

USAC at the Milwaukee Mile from 2006...look at how much these guys are turning the wheel to the right...and those are the cars that are handling well. The finish wasn't too great but there are some great battles, especially between 8:20 and 9:00, and you know which driver I'm a big fanboy of.

Note that the Michael Lewis in that race is not the Michael Lewis in the F3 Euro Series. However, the Michael Lewis in F3 did race USAC, and his father, Steve Lewis, owns the cars of Dave Darland and David Steele in that video.

USAC raced at Iowa last weekend with Indy. As soon as they put the videos up on their YouTube account, I'll get them here. I'll only say that two names mentioned in that 2006 video won the races (Silver Crown and Midget).

Want a time comparison? IndyCar qualified through heat races, so that makes it a little tough, but:

IndyCar fastest practice lap: 17.299 (182.091 mph)

Indy Lights pole time: 19.668 (160.159 mph)

USAC Silver Crown pole time: 21.544 (146.212 mph)

USAC Midget pole time: 22.637 (139.153 mph)

Going that fast in something that tiny takes real guts...but it's also incredible how far apart IndyCar and USAC have grown.

[Massa 0]

The NASCAR race at Road America saw a viewership increase of 33% from 2011 to 2012. I am assuming Danica Patrick having her best race of the season helped that, but it's good to see ratings increases for road races. I'd love for NASCAR to add more road courses, personally, so if the numbers can start to justify it, awesome.

[Massa 0]

A lot being said about Michael Andretti buying a NASCAR team, housing it in Evernham's garage, and buying the Dodge engine program from Roger Penske.

On Wind Tunnel, it was mentioned that they'd field a two-car team, with one driver being an IndyCar driver.

Of course, it could be a former IndyCar driver we're talking about, but I'm pretty sure they meant a current one (what an awful idea...does anyone learn...you can't go from open-wheel to Sprint Cup...you couldn't go from Sprint Cup to F1 or Indy either...).

Anyone want to guess? I'll throw out four candidates...the three guys who drive for Andretti Autosport and one other...

Ryan Hunter-Reay: He's racing the SRT (essentially Dodge) Viper in ALMS this year. He has an obvious Dodge tie back to his Barber Dodge days, too. They obviously remembered him since they put him in the Viper. He was trying to get a NASCAR ride with Robby Gordon a few years ago.

Marco Andretti: Let's face it, the guy's not going to do much in IndyCar. He was rumored to be going to NASCAR back in 2006. Dodge might want the Andretti name. Who knows? He's young enough to try, fail, and go back.

James Hinchcliffe: He'd have the easiest time getting sponsors and Dodge has a huge initiative to support Canadian drivers because, well, Dodges are built in Canada. Of course, a lot of their support is for Québécois drivers, and Hinch is an Ontario kid. They sponsor the Nationwide race in Montréal, have a program in the Canadian Tire Series, and back Canadians like Andrew Ranger, Maryeve Dufault, and...

Alex Tagliani: He's already been backed by Dodge in his NASCAR excursions over the years. He finished second in last year's Nationwide race at Montréal and even has a win in NASCAR, the Canadian Tire Series at Edmonton some years back.

[HandyNZL 1]

Has to be JV, yeah? Former everything. The guy would be mega!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Grabthaw the Hammerslayer 4]

All while getting chills from the voices of Paul Page and pit reporter Gary Gerould...

Your chills, are they multiplying? Are you losing control? Well's that's cos the power that you're supplying.....

Its electrifying....