An Rx for IndyCar’s Ills

Today, Will Power won his fourth consecutive pole for the St. Petersburg Grand Prix, the annual opener of the IndyCar season, which beckons the philosophical question, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” Just 20 years ago, IndyCar, then known as CART, was the premier motorsports series in the world, and that included the global circus of Formula One. Now, thanks to a divisive split engineered by Tony George, IndyCar once again starts a season awash in a sea of irrelevance. It’s a long race back to the top, but the prescription for IndyCar can be really simple.

It’s TV, stupid

Perhaps no sport is as much a live spectacle as motorsports – the sights, sounds and even smells bring the event to a roaring life, and most every fan who goes to a race becomes a fan for life. Simply, there’s no sporting event like a day at the racetrack.

However, IndyCar won’t grow racing to fans at the track alone. Success is dependent on TV for two purposes: 1) selling the sport to fans who have yet to attend a race in person, and 2) bringing in sponsors and their marketing dollars, the funds of which are crucial for all motorsports, as funding equals speed, in turn equaling competitiveness. 

Key for IndyCar is finding one single network family for its series, and a network that can broadcast not only the race, but qualifying sessions and perhaps even practices. Currently, fans have to jump between NBC and ABC to find IndyCar. In this era of nearly countless entertainment options, if it’s not easy, it’s often ignored. The IndyCar brand can only grow with a partnered affiliation with its broadcaster.

Variety is the spice of life

IndyCar is essentially a formula-spec series, with a single chassis for all teams, the status quo for the last several years. Car development, and hence differentiation by teams, have been limited pretty much to shock absorbers and mirrors.

I nearly fell asleep writing that sentence.

The introduction of Chevrolet engines last year, to battle alongside long-time series runner Honda, was a start. Differentiation means unequal cars, and unequal cars means overtaking on the track, good for those in attendance, and great for those watching on television.

 IndyCar needs to develop technical specifications and invite constructors to design and build chasses to a set of common rules. The heyday of CART saw three chassis builders and multiple engines, allowing for a variety of “mix and match” possibilities, with competitiveness up and down the field, and storylines carried throughout the season.

Close the gap

With nearly six months from the last race of 2012 to the first race of 2013, any momentum created last year has disappeared quicker than a scheduled pit stop. NASCAR only takes a three month break and benefits by opening its season with its crown jewel, the Daytona 500. Formula one likewise takes a three month break, but is buoyed by an off-season of constructor and car development news, along with three organized, multi-day test sessions.

IndyCar needs to both close the gap between one season and the other and create a reason for news to hit, much like player trades and drafts in other sports. One is easier than the other, of course, and running the last race in October and the first in February would be a good first step.

A new track experience

IndyCar can learn a lesson from the NHRA drag racing series, the motorsports series with perhaps the most loyal fan base. The secret? Everyone at an NHRA event can walk through the paddock and watch the crews prepare the cars and motorcycles.

A long-standing tradition in most motor sports series is the prevalence of “knucklers,” those fans holding onto a chain link fence, their knuckles on the other side, peeking at a part of the race where they desperately want to be. 

It’s not realistic for every fan to be able to walk through the garage on race day, but walkabouts on Friday of race weekend, and even Saturday after qualifications, would give fans a more complete experience and an opportunity to rub elbows with their heroes, much less post awesome photos to Facebook and other social sites. It’s all about growing the sport.

A big deal

The Indianapolis 500 is the crown jewel of the series, although it’s popularity has also waned over the past two decades. This year, more superspeedways return to the race calendar. Like the horses do, IndyCar and its horsepower should create a “triple crown” or “grand slam,” and offer up a staggering monetary award for anyone who can sweep all the races, like $5 million, and lesser amount for the driver who scores the most accumulated points in the select races, say $1 million. It’s a storyline that covers multiple months, garnering attention for a sport and series that much needs it.

So, there you have it, a short five-step prescription to fix the ills of IndyCar. Time is short in the sports universe, and the time to move fast, like the cars, is now.

Run hot laps on Twitter @RayHartjen