Fans of IndyCar racing will likely witness a historic first Saturday evening at Homestead-Miami Speedway. I only learned of this factoid this evening.
Since the Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened in 1909, there has never been a season on the "Indy" championship trail quite like this one. This, the sport's Centennial season, will likely be the first to run to completion without an American driver having won a single race.
I can not speak authoritatively about the early years of IndyCar racing. However, I do know that Carl Fisher, the man pictured above and the driving force behind both the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Miami Beach, would not have allowed the cars that race at Indy to become irrelevant. Tony Hulman and Wilbur Shaw are in the photograph to the left. They, too, would likely be saddened by the state of contemporary IndyCar racing.
Tomorrow, IndyCar will crown a champion. Most racing fans in the United States will not care.
Perhaps some day IndyCar will once again have leaders such as Fisher, Hulman and Shaw - executives who possess acute business instincts and who care about the sport as they care about themselves. I am proud to know that individuals such of these are frequent guests and contributors here.
Beginning Monday, we shall endeavor to construct a plan that might honor the fathers of the Greatest Race in the World. We do not expect significant rewards for our efforts.
We write "As If".
Roggespierre
Roggie, you are unfortunately right. Maybe if 2 of the 3 drivers fighting for the championship were from the USA, you'd actually have INTEREST from somebody, besides the die-hards who would support Indy Cars even if monkey's were driving the cars.
ReplyDeleteAlthough technically Champ Car got this started back in 2006, when they had 0 American winners.
Of course, when 2 teams win 16 of the 17 races (and yes, I am already giving Homestead to either Penske or Ganassi even before its run) and neither one of those 2 teams employ a single American driver, its not really a shock.
As Davey Hamilton so correctly (and candidly) put it today, "You could put over half the current field in Dixon's car and win races". Especially when you start half of the races with a wind-tunnel/engineering/pit box advantage, that is impossible to ever make up on the track.
Here is the press announcement for the first "500."
ReplyDelete"Officials of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway today announced plans for an automobile race to be run May 27, 1911, in which American cars will be pitted against the best of Europe for a purse of $25,000. The contest, as announced will be for 500 miles, and is to be known as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 500-Mile International Sweepstakes."
Here were the specs: "Class E” race under AAA sanction, which included cars weighing at least 2,300 pounds with engine displacements up to 600 cubic inches.
Now, in 2011, put $25 million on the table ...
Rocketman53,
ReplyDeleteSimple rules, a prize worth the risk, an open invitiation to ALL.
You have it right!
I might to suggest to Roggespierre that these three might make a good starting point--to the forthcoming discussion.
osca