Detroit's Belle Isle is IndyCar racing's Rasputin. There are many reasons to hate it. Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to kill it.
According to Paddock Talk, the annual parade through Belle Isle could return to the IndyCar schedule in 2011. Roger Penske would be the promoter once again.
Meanwhile, Indy 500 Champion Dario Franchitti is lobbying to have an IndyCar race through New York's Central Park. That might actually be pretty cool.
Nevertheless, for better or worse, the parade toward a primarily road and street racing series remains unabated.
Roggespierre
Supposedly, the 2011 IndyCar schedule will be released in August. From memory I believe it was published at about the time of the Indy 500 last year.
ReplyDeleteIf it is true that the ISC contracts at Chicago and Homestead are in their final years...perhaps other venues as well...the scramble may be on.
SMI might not recognize enough incentives to offer venues either. Perhaps what we are seeing is every possible plan on the table, so that a full schedule can be cut and pasted together in any sure way available.
Detroit would be about the last choice, unless you're a big power broker with a personal stake.
Andy
Part-time manhole cover welder.
Why won't any of our amazing owners go out and promote a oval race?
ReplyDeleteI mean, we hear all the time from the CART minions at various message boards about how much the sports car/road racing bred owners in the sport just love them' some oval racing. And the only reason why CART didn't have more ovals on their schedule all those years was because there weren't any out there for them to race on.
Ganassi wants this. Penske wants this. Andretti wants this.
Just like old times again. Will Bernard turn into their puppet, like John Frasco and Andrew Craig and Chris Pook and Joe Heitzler did before? Who exactly is running the ship of this thing? With TG, you knew it was him. Now? Debatable.
Oh goody !!! Are we appealing now to the upper east side of Manhattan??? Makes me want to wear my CB-GB's t-shirt!!! If this continues....can I interest anyone in some property on the west side of Indanapolis? Was once a great race track, but makes for an ideal shopping mall development. If interested..please contact Mari Hulman for a price quote. Hurry...this property won't last long!!!!!
ReplyDeleteoldwrench
soon to be full time real estate agent!
Oldwrench,
ReplyDeleteBruton Smith or The France family will keep IMS humming along, if and when The Hulman/George sisters decide to sell.
And IMS is still a great race track. Its just been ruined by the morons of Formula Car Indy Racing.
Indianapolis and 18 road/street races. That is what some in our sport want this to eventually become. TG knew this in the early 90's. He knew his family's track and his family's race would eventually be compromised and weakened by the rest of Indy Car racing. Its happened and it has. And there appears to be no turning back now.
At least we have that prestigous AJ Foyt Oval trophy to give out to whichever Penske or Ganassi driver proves to have the best wind-tunnel/shaker rig created car. America will be on pins-and-needles to find out if Scott Dixon can out-point Ryan Briscoe for the crown. Ohh, the humanity!!! Just like Ward versus Rathmann!!! (And no CART fans, that wasn't Mario Ward versus Hideki Rathmann).
"Formula Car Indy Racing"
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty good, it could work.
How about "Formula Unified Car Indy Racing"?
F.U.C.I.R.
Prolly work for some geeks out there.
Andy
If this is "Formula Car Indy Racing does this mean I get to play with the kids at SCCA again? Oh goody!! That means the rule book gets re written 20 times a season because some of us who can think must be penalized for those who can't. If that is the case...Rp would you just take me out back, tie me to a tree and read me stories of socalisim. By then my brain will be total jello!!!
ReplyDeleteoldwrench
rubber room candidate
Wah, Wah, Wah. You babies make me sick! Always complaining about something. That seems to be your lot in life, especially you, Trick and Roggespierre, two losers who have probably been banned elsewhere and have now migrated together to be miserable. If you don't like the series as it is, don't watch and don't talk about it. That should be simple enough for even you Mensa candidates to understand.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous: BBBBBBAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!! Have a nice day and keep on watching that "spec racing" !!!
ReplyDeleteoldwrench
annoyed with the brain dead!!!!
The only way this happens is if one of the Big 3 comes to the series. Why else would you bother bringing back the universally-derided Detroit? There certainly isn't any more money there now than there was in 2008. That would be the only reason this happens.
ReplyDelete--Demond Sanders
Wrench, I'm confused....again
ReplyDeleteI don't know if we're babies or Mensa candidates. But the Jello shots are on me.
Andy
All F.U.C.I.R.'d up.
Demond: Will the taxpayer be paying for this idea too? I see your point but I think that is a little too much. These guys can't run their own companies so I wouldn't be wanting to give them more taxpayer money for more of this stuff. Would you?
ReplyDeleteAndrew: Good question? I am glad I am one or the other because a least SOMEONE will be paying attention!!! Jello shots huh??? Can we get a tall blonde to serve them to us???
ReplyDeleteoldwrench
blonde gelatin mensa person
I love the "if you don't like it then go away" stuff from the CART II minions.
ReplyDeleteGuess what Slim? EVERYBODY HAS ALREADY GONE AWAY! Maybe we should ask you, why the hell are you still watching? All the smart race fans left a LONG time ago (or only tune in for the Indy 500). The rest of the sport is boring and unappealing to the masses. Its only the delusional souls who either want CART back (which they almost have) or are jealous or hate NASCAR, that are still hanging on. You know, the .4 or .5 out there in America.
BTW, Tony Kanaan is having a blast tonight at Eldora. Maybe getting away from Princess Spoiled Brat and the owner's kid and that mess of a team he is with in Indy Car, is refreshing for TK. Being with a bunch of drivers who actually have fans is probably a change too. Hope Bernard and some of the Indy Car brass that went got a eyefull. That could be a part of your fanbase. They used to be. They are still there. The drivers are still there too. Its formula Indy Car that left them, not vice versa.
But we have as much chance of seeing a dirt oval back on the Indy Car schedule (which we used to see back when Indy Cars were king in this country) as we do seeing Chip Ganassi and Jimmy Vasser scouting talent at Raceway Park or Springfield.
That was righteous, for TK to go and represent.
ReplyDeleteGlad to read he is enjoying himself.
Andy
Can I get an expert's interpretation of these numbers please? I am not understanging the 0.3.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/139903
Andy
Viewers/Viewers per HH/HH*100 = Rating
ReplyDelete518,000/1.4/114,900,000 (National households)*100 = 0.3 (0.32) NATIONAL rating
518,000/1.4/73,000,000 (Versus Network households)*100 = 0.5 (0.51) NETWORK rating
note: the 1.4 viewers per household varies based on genre of program, time of day, etc… I don't have the exact metric used, so the above numbers aren't exact.
Thank you John, the expert crunching was quite needed. I had read "0.56 overnight" elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteVersus seems delighted at this rousing progress. Gotta go, my sink is dripping.
Andy
with fans like this, who needs enemies?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteI am not interested in Internet message boards, although I have not been banned by any of them.
Here, we discuss the direction of IndyCar racing. Some believe that the present direction is a huge mistake. Others disagree. Many are divided on the subject.
I am not interested in being a cheerleader for a product that I believe will fail. If you believe that the present direction is a good idea, then I invite you to explain why.
As we learned from 1996 through 2007, people have every right to attack a racing series that they do not like. Websites were created for that exclusive purpose. This one, however, was not.
I welcome your opinions regarding IndyCar racing.
Best Regards,
Roggespierre
I ran across this old posting and since I lived in Indy/ and have been to Speedway several times, I feel qualified to speak on issue. It would be a great race to run on the Bell Isle course in the Motor City. I believe the drivers find it quite challenging. I am now a resident of the D and would love to see the races here again it is one good time. Only real men/women/racers come to the D. Not for the faint at heart! Where's your heart boys!...
ReplyDelete