IndyCar: Light Flickers at Penske & AGR

Apparently, management at Team Penske and Andretti Green Racing has figured out something that we've been trying in earnest to explain for the better part of a month.

The American public does not care and likely will not care about the present roster of drivers in the IndyCar Series.

According to Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star, the Penske and AGR teams have requested that the 2010 Indianapolis 500 take the green flag at its traditional 11am start time. But this isn't about tradition. It's about making it possible for NASCAR (sans-culottes!) Cup drivers, who U.S. race fans do care about, to race at Indy.

Cavin reported that Team Penske's Tim Cindric requested the change in a meeting between team owners and IRL management prior to the IndyCar event at Chicagoland.

Needless to say that we agree with the underlying logic of Cindric's proposal. Television ratings at Indy were lousy this year. Television ratings for the entire series have been lousy this year. The Indianapolis 500 needs an infusion of drivers that are in demand among consumers.

However, Cindric's idea is the wrong kind of solution. We are not prepared to admit that the Indianapolis 500 is subordinate to a run-of-the-mill Cup race. We would hate to see the Indianapolis Motor Speedway concede this point and move the start time when a much better solution is possible.

What might that solution be, exactly?

We suggest that IndyCar teams hire IndyCar drivers that might appeal to U.S. racing fans.

Teams are responsible for the IndyCar racing product just as Delphi is responsible for the products of its auto manufacturer customers. IndyCar teams like to think of themselves as customers of the series, but they're wrong. They are suppliers to the series - and if you're not convinced, then ask yourself who pays whom.

As suppliers, IndyCar teams are responsible for enabling the IRL to put a product on the track that appeals to end users (fans). Drivers are a fundamental component of that product. This is true at every IndyCar race, and particularly at the Indy 500.

Of course, IndyCar teams can't afford to hire NASCAR Cup stars. That is both a problem and another reason to make the next generation of IndyCar chassis and engines much, much less costly than the present specs.

We applaud Tim Cindric and Michael Andretti for recognizing that IndyCar racing is not competitive in the marketplace. That is why team financing is not correlated with the value of the racing product. Solutions will come with structural change, some of which the present IndyCar teams will certainly not enjoy.

U.S. race fans will tune in to Indy again when it is re-established as a destination - and not a diversion - for racing drivers that are accepted in the marketplace.

Roggespierre