I wasn’t in attendance at yesterday’s “State of IndyCar” presentation in Indianapolis and had to follow the Tweets of the bloggers that were there. As 4 p.m. ET rolled around, I was expecting a relatively long, formal presentation to emerge through the 140-character-long bits of news.
Then I started seeing the word “confetti” on the posts. And from there, it became clear that this presentation was going to be something more akin to a pep rally that just happened to have some announcements mixed into the glitz. I suppose that IndyCar has a bit more to be happy about these days, so I’ll let it slide.
But after the smoke billowed from the fog machines and after the bagpipe-backed introductions, things got down to business. As I listed yesterday, there’s a lot of alterations that we’ll have to keep track of during this upcoming season. Some of them — like the following five — are more important than others.
1. Double-file restarts on ovals
Early reaction from the driver corps is mixed at best about this new rule. Danica Patrick’s going along with it for the sake of boosting excitement and interest for the fans. Others, like Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves, have their misgivings due to the potential for more crashes. IndyCar president of competition Brian Barnhart acknowledged those worries during his portion of the presentation, but emphasized the points of added “value to the entertainment of [their] show” and that “at this level of racing,” the drivers should be able to handle it.
I agree with Barnhart’s sentiments. Anything that can help the “show” should be tried or at least considered. But I also find myself listening to Castroneves’ belief that the new rule shouldn’t be installed at Indianapolis, the toughest track on the schedule. He’s worried that the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 will degenerate into a wreckfest and nobody wants that. Maybe Texas is a better place to start.
Check out More Front Wing’s interview with Barnhart for more insight on this matter. Well worth a read.
2. 105 percent rule on road/street courses
Maybe this will finally put a stop to the embarrassing backmarkers that have been involved with the series in the last several seasons. It’s one thing to be off the pace of the leader, but it’s another to be a complete hazard to fellow drivers. Several pilots have gone over that line recently and kudos to the series for finally doing something about it. Tightening the pace on road/street circuits will raise the level of competition, which is pretty key for IndyCar as it tries to package its drivers as the “most versatile” in the world.
And if you’re upset that I didn’t take this chance to rip Milka Duno, I’m sorry. Besides, the Twittersphere does that well enough already. Ain’t that right, you #parkmilka types?
3. Comcast-NBC merger almost complete
And with that from IMS Productions’ Robby Greene, the “IndyCar on NBC” dreams of many fans got a little bit bigger. The series has been told not to finalize deals with broadcast talent until after the merger, so perhaps NBC’s thinking about bringing in some of their own guys if they indeed want to carry IndyCar events. Meanwhile, Versus (owned by Comcast) could easily wind up turning into “NBC Sports Channel,” which would be much better as a brand to draw in viewers. Or perhaps, we’ll see a third option: IndyCar moving the bulk of Versus’ events to other NBC Universal properties instead (we’re looking at you, USA).
Either way, ABC/ESPN has the right of first refusal if another network wants to broadcast races. And we assume they don’t want to give up the Indianapolis 500. So perhaps the possible path of an ABC-NBC-Versus split will be the one IndyCar takes after 2012, when ABC/ESPN’s contract with the series ends. It’d certainly be a more beneficial TV schedule than the current one.
4. One tire set per segment in RC/SC qualifying
This will throw yet another wrinkle into the already compelling “knockout” qualifications at IndyCar road and street course races. Teams will still be able to choose between the regular “blacks” or the option “reds,” but once they’re on for the start of a segment, they’re on until the end. However, the race-day requirement that each team must run at least two green flag laps on a set of “reds” still stands, so there’s another bit of strategy for them to deal with.
Considering how important qualifying is on a road or street circuit, it’ll be critical for teams to choose their tires correctly or they’ll be out of contention before race day.
5. Marketing to the next generation
While it’s great that IndyCar will attempt to push itself toward the short-track/USAC fans and the NASCAR fans — there’s a good opportunity to grab some of the crossover fans on both fronts — it remains imperative that the series cultivates its next generation of fans. That’s why I couldn’t help but grin when IndyCar marketing director Kasey Coler disclosed that the series will make itself more open to the young karting culture. One of the major initiatives that Coler mentioned was having the top 10 drivers from all major karting governing bodies come to Indianapolis for a day of instruction from IZOD IndyCar Series drivers. That’s perfect.
Another thumbs-up goes to the new plan of having garages open to kids age 9 and older at all events outside of Texas. Who knows what can be sparked in the mind of a young child when he or she sees an IndyCar up close or gets an autograph from a driver?
Building up young fans is one way to ensure that IndyCar will have a bright future.
