IndyCar Barber Buzz

The truth is obvious to those who wish to see it.

The Indy Racing League will stage an event at Barber Motorsports Park in 2010 because the contracts include either explicit or implicit government guarantees that everyone - league, track, promoter and contractors - will be paid.

Daily attendance will be capped at 30,000. So it would seem that drawing a large audience is not a priority - although the crowd will likely be deemed "phenomenal." A writer to Curt Cavin's blog at the Indianapolis Star now suggests that selling tickets might not be too high on the list, either.

The IRL is a market failure. That is why it needs APEX Brasil. That is why it is seeking subsidies in Baltimore. That is why it will continue to lose events at facilities that are expected to turn a profit. And that is why it sold a race to ZOOM Motorsports, the Barber promoter that is backed by the governments of the City of Birmingham and the State of Alabama.

Those who sell products that are rejected in the marketplace have no choice but to seek non-market solutions.

Terry Angstadt is indeed a fine salesman. He is the architect of what could well be the first publicly underwritten IndyCar event at a permanent racing facility.

Bravo!

Roggespierre