It’s difficult to imagine the start of the 2012 IndyCar Series season going much better for CEO Randy Bernard and his staff.
Following the death of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon, and heading into this season with a new chassis and engine package, there were many questions about the open-wheel series.
Doubters in Bernard’s leadership abilities weren’t difficult to find this past off-season and more than a few folks were saying this could be a make-or-break year for the 16-year-old series headquartered in Indianapolis and the man who was hired two years ago to lead it.
So far it looks like Bernard and the series are making it just fine.
There are certainly issues to sort out and lingering questions to answer. Namely, will there be 33 cars ready to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 next month?
But in any year when a series has new equipment, and as a result has fewer spare parts than usual, it’s expected that the number of competitors will go down. The number of racers on the track usually rebounds within a year or two.
Few IndyCar followers forecasted this off-season that there would be 26 cars on the grid for the first two races this year.
The new car, named for Wheldon, has had far fewer problems than many predicted. And the noticeably larger sidepods are much
better than the old car at displaying corporate logos and messages.
Chevy has more than matched long-time IndyCar engine maker Honda's speed to create true competition between engine manufacturers,
and Lotus, while it has had its difficulties, is getting up to speed faster than many expected.
But one of the series' biggest tests will begin when the oval part of the season begins next month. A major and very high profile hudle comes at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A big indication of how the new chassis and engine will perform at the series’ biggest race will come Wednesday as the series tests its new chassis and engine at IMS.
Before IndyCar Series and IMS officials get too worked up about Indianapolis, it’s important to note that crowds—both in terms of fans and corporate hospitality—at the first two races (in Florida and Alabama) have been strong and anticipation is building for this May and beyond.
Series officials are already unveiling new races beyond this season, including an announcement last week that the series is headed for Houston next year. That bodes well for the long-term future of this series, which has yet to turn a profit.
There’s also speculation the series will extend its deal at Barber Motorsports Park at Leeds, Ala., where the series raced Sunday. Despite talk of overseas races, Bernard and his staff have emphasized that North America is and will continue to be the series’ most important market.
Sunday’s race—the third for the series at Barber—drew 52,879, just a bit below the inaugural race. It’s important to note that capacity at the park-like Barber is not massive. Race organizers were thrilled with the 81,378 who turned out for the weekend’s activities despite stormy weather.
“I’m extremely pleased,” said Gene Hallman, an Alabama-based sports marketer who helped run the event. “It exceeded our expectations. You’re always concerned in the third year there’s a certain sense of complacency that sets into the market, and the newness wears off. We actually saw a resurgence. And corporate support was up.”
During a less-than-ideal economic time, it’s notable that Hallman also said corporate support for the race in Alabama was up.
Before the series comes to Indianapolis, it has two more strong markets to race in. Road races will be held in Long Beach on April 15 and Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 29.
Then all eyes turn to Indy. The first oval for this revamped series and its new car face another hurdle to clear.
It may be the biggest hurdle of all. And it’s also the biggest opportunity to capitalize on.
Back to Top
IBJ Conversations
112 Comments
Add Comment
All eys on Indy. Rubens Fever! Catch it!
Maybe Jean Alesi will get that ride. Nothing says "Indy" like an old F1 driver from 11 years ago!
Welcome to what everyone already knew. Things have been going this direction for about 2 years now and if they keep having races like Sunday, they will keep getting better.
Hurl - Love the use of the term "nitche sport." The NFL, and NBA, by definition are filling a nitche as well but I wouldn't put Indycar on that level yet (even though the Indy 500 draws over 3 Superbowls in one day). Thanks for the compliments though.
Super Bowl= For all intents and purposes, a national holiday.
Indy 500= A fading but still relatively quaint and popular sporting event attended by some around 275,000 people. That is not bad at all for a sport that is so unpopular with the average American sports fan, other events do not even make it into many sports pages.
IndyCar Racing is off to a great start for sport hardly anyone even notices.
But if guys like Miller are right and they have about 300,000 followers, that isn;t bad. At least they have some fan base. Small, but loyal. You have to give them that.
The Indy 500 is sort of yesteryear, but it still has charm for a faded glory event. I like it.
Fading, by definition, means "going away." It has been noted by Miller that attendance for your "fading event of yesteryear" has seen a steady increase in attendance over the last 4 years.
I also like your interjection of the word "quaint" for what remains to be the worlds largest single-day sporting event. By that standard, the Mona Lisa is a nice drawing.
The Indy 500 is a nostalgia event. Low TV ratings and very little interest outside Indianapolis make it a quaint, albeit, nationally-televised (still), feel-good family tradition, sort of event. Quaint. Fun. Midwestern. Good times. That kind of quaint. About four hours or so of TV once a year. Forgotten the next day by all but the small-numbered harcores.
I'll bet not 1 in 20 people you pass on a non-Indianapolis street can tell you when the race is even held.
The St. Pete TV audience dropped 25% from last year, and that 0.9 rating on ABC is surely a good sign that things are way more awesomer than ever in the bizarro world of the .1rl. :roll:
Source: http://pressdog.typepad.com/dogblog/2012/03/final-tv-rating-for-indycar-st-pete-slides-to-09.html
Noody else is watching. I want to hear the excuses from the gomeratti about the fact the Barber race didn't even get coverage of any sort in some newspapers across the country. None. Nada mention. As if the race wasn't even being held in that sort of they-don't-cover-the-SCCA-Regionals-either kind of way because that is small-time, folks-gettin'-together to race some cars kind of stuff, that is not major league and of little to no interest with 99.9 percent of the population.
Indycar racing is teensie. And it is fading away. Face up.
Let's see:
St. Pete 0.9
Barber 0.25
Not good. Not good at all. But all the rage about the Brazil race, I mean the wter cooler talk is deafening, that ought to bring the number up to an average 1.0 right?
Again, I have a friend in advertising for a major coporation who told me a couple years ago his company said in order to sponsor something like IndyCar, they would need to see consistent 1.0s, preferably 1.5s, to get ROI.
I have the perfect race for the IndyCar Series: Hillclimbs!
More likely, the series gets through what I think will be a dismal 2012, "downsizes" to a base 10-12 races in 2012, not the dreamstate 19-20 RB is smoking, and with about a 20-21 car field as standard.
I think that scenario works, give or take, until 2016, the year of the 100th Indianapois 500. That's four years of what is essentially a ride-buyer-based, psuedo-professional club series with one, big, famous race, that hits its zenith in 2016 and goes away.
It is that or can the whole series concept, and make the Indy 500 an invitational historics race. It is already invitational anyhow.
It would be much more cost-effective to structure a basic-rule, historic open-wheel Indy Car event at IMS, the Indy 500, that has, at most, two or three other semi-pro "support events" held around the country to foster and promote the main event. Something that is nto so much a "series", but rather a "showcase" to fill out the remaining calendar year. Example: A Mid-July historics "Grand Prix" Indy Car event at Mid-Ohio as a support race to a sports car event. Or a 100-mile Historics Dash at Kansas in support of the NASCAR truck race.
Old Lola's, Reynard's, and McLaren's, along with a rule book that allows for designers to essentially build cheap, copy cars of the same and others like old Parnelli's and Watson's, with a spending cap of say $250,000 for an entire race-ready operation, I said "operation" not just the car, and the "500" could still be a 190-200 mph, annual 3.5 to 4 hours thrill.
Drivers alreayd get hurt and die in the cras we have today. Don't tell me abotu safety. It is a dangerous sport. Even historics.
The future of the Indy 500 is historics and two or three showcase events. Nostalgia, tradition, and the quaintness of the "500" is all it has left.
They'll still get 200,000 to 250,000 annual family tradition folks in there.
That's the sport today. Accept it or just sell the whole thing off, close it, and call it a great hundred years.
Indycar is dead. It's over. The teams are folding, people aren't coming to the races, and they will cancel the Indy 500 and turn it into a "historics" race. I expect your prediction to come true very soon.
Thank you for that blast of reality, Hurl. I must have been teetering the edge of lunacy while watching tiddly winks.
Many thanks!
The rest of the races are irrelevant, as evidenced by the lack of interest in oh, say, the 2012 Barber race, witnessed in person and on TV by approximatley 350,000 nationwide. Add the three people who listen to the radio netork because they are the three members of the Mike King and Donald Davidson the Gomer Chowder Club and Marching Band, and you have 350,003. Oh, and the one guy who listens because he geeks on Davey Hamilton. So, 350,004. My bad.
2011 St Pete = 1.3 TV rating
2012 St Pete = 0.9 TV rating
2011 Barber = 0.34 TV rating
2012 Barber = 0.25 TV rating
Seem odd that with all the new car hoopla and momentum from 2011 that ratings would be DOWN...but they are.
Any IMS/IRL/Indycar prognosticators care to explain why? Also, Word has it that attendance was down at both St. Pete and Barber.
Now, word out of the Indystar has the new cars will be SLOWER than last years at the speedway AND less than the traditional 33. How come? Please, can anyone explain all this to me?
I did watch the Barber race. The track was nice. But the ugly cars are just an eyesore. And the driver's are nobodies. I know who Helio and Dario are. And Dixon, I remember him. But who are these other guys? Simon Silvestro or somebody? I thought it was a guy. Turns out its a girl. I knew they had Danica but who is this? And whatever happened with Buddy Rice. He wasn't in there. Oh, and I did recall Marcos Andretti. He is still young. Seems pretty good. Whatever happened to his brother is it, John? He was cool.
I would beleive everything they have to say.
They fail to comment on why car counts are up this year. They also fail to recognize that live attendance was up for Barber. They fail to mention that Indy attendance has been climbing consistently.
Theres some perspective for ya.
Night kids...
Check yer facts...Barber attendance DOWN in 2012 for race day...TV Ratings DOWN 25 to 30% IN 2012. Car counts up because of grants afforded to Speedway from stimulus money, that's right, money from your pocket and mine paid for some of the new ugly new cars you see.
Plus, they are slower cars and less of them are going to be at Indy. Sorry....LESS cars than traditional 33. Another two failures for the speedway.
I think they'll get 33 cars, Chief. They'll field S & P's out of pocket. Stephan Gregoire is waiting by the phone for his orders. Foyt doesn't take orders. He will just stupidly play becuase that is all he has left. They always own Bruno something. And Tomas Scheckter will most likely show up to continue his buffonery. New ugly, cars will be found for them to play race car driver with for 50 laps.
J, you are flailing away. Have some pride.
B. There will be 33 participants in the Indianapolis 500.
C. IndyCar is presently a profitable entity.
Any questions?
The last private plane I was in was to/from Birmingham last weekend. Randy Bernard was not on board. Randy and I have never been on the same private plane together. We did, however, share the first class cabin of a Delta regional carrier on an EMB 190 from IND to LGA last year, however. We have also not shared a group lunch since shortly after he began his current position.
Any other pointless troll questions?
Thanks!
B. 100 years of historical reference.
C. John Oreovicz sources from IndyCar on ESPN.com on March 22.
The fact remains that the ratings for the first two Indy Car races of the year are down.
Where are all these fans? Or are you willing to admit they are not really there?
Ok, we'll await you 30-plus years of "field experience" in explaining the numbers. That way I can share them with my old college pal who is actually in marketing for a major corporation. One that was once approached by a WoO team and an ICS team for some sponsorship money. They turned down both. It should be noted the suits who heard the presentations were more impressed with the WoO team. The little'ol WoO team, they said, had humility and class. It was just that the WoO demo didn't really match the product. The ICS team, my pal stated, was very professional, but also aloof and arrogant. Now why I am not surprised?
Ok, Oh Mighty Defender of the Dying, explain away...
The television and entertainment universe today is more fragmented today than at any point in history. More than 1985. More than 1990. More than 1995. More than 2000. More than 2010. Traditional models clumsily attempted by mostly ignorant Internet critics are invalid and without merit.
The nonsense I am reading is akin to me grabbing a wrist, counting the heartbeats, then publicly declaring myself a cardiologist.
12+ overnight estimates are vanity numbers. They serve no other purpose. As soon as one of you Internet television executives gets a look at meaningful data that is actually used in the commerce of advertising (it will cost you thousands of dollars by the way), and more importantly the ability to discuss them with even a minimal amount of comprehension, then we can discuss until the cows come home.
Until then my prediction is that we will have to put up with clueless, pointless hysteria borne of sheer ignorance another 14 or 15 times this season.
NUMBERS don't add up ANY way you slice it Defender.
Oh, just heard the Chevy has been garaged, lotus didn't bother because they are saving engines for LB and Brazil, and speeds barely at 217mph at IMS test today. Fail. More missing of the target for the ICONIC driven...
I mean, your "A" and "B" are clearly malarkey.
But if your "C" is this unsourced statement by J.O.: "Bernard is the hardest-working, most aggressive and visible front man that Indy car racing has ever had. His first two years on the job were not easy, but noticeable progress has been made and INDYCAR turned a profit in 2011 for the first time in its 18-year history." - then I must question it, as it's highly dubious. Especially seeing as your bestest buddy, Ole RB, is on record here at IBJ as saying that the series won't be profitable in 2011. RB said: âI believe we could be profitable this year if we really wanted to,â Bernard said. âBut this is no time to cut corners. We must lay a solid foundation for the future.â
And he said that BEFORE having to cough up for Firestone to stay, before taking the reduced sanction fee from Edmonton, before the self promoted losses at Milwaukee and before the EPIC FAIL of Vegas 2011. As a matter of fact, IBJ reported that Ole RB had a $12,000,000.00 hole to plug BEFORE all the EPIC FAIL that took place in 2011.
Source: http://www.ibj.com/the-score/2011/01/26/indycar-ceo-reverses-course-on-profitability-prediction/PARAMS/post/24853
Go ahead and call me and your buddy ole RB liars...
Face it, D, your series is in serious jeopardy. The suck just gets suckier. Too funny.
I like it and you know why? Winning and losing is simply sport in its most basic element. The rest is dressing. IndyCar is losing.
Did your l'il industry pal give you any tangible indication about how it actually works beyond the obviously incoherent 'D is full of dookie' taunting?
Also, for sixteen years I have been hearing about what serious jeopardy 'my' series is in, and yet it survives. When is your latest prediction about when the end will actually come? LOL.
Say, why don't you and your l'il pals all pool your money and buy yourself some Nielsen Media research like the professionals? I know that would definitely cut into the liquor kitty but would it not be worth it to prove 'ol D wrong? Think about it.
You have NEVER been able to substantiate your claims, therefore I must conclude you provide incorrect information here. Just like all the other times...north of $20M, sellouts of indy in 2011, HUGE tie-ins of superbowl and NBC related to Indy 500, it all true, just just pull it all out of thin air. Paid IRL propagandist...and YOU know it.
If most of the 280,000 (your estimate is predictably low by the way) are within targeted demographic areas then the attractiveness of sponsorship using television as a component is enhanced. And the 12+ overnight estimates you so vociferously pound are only used so that Internet television executives can delude themselves into believing that actually know something about the television advertising business. To me, that persistence is among the most humorous content available on the Internet.
'You have NEVER been able to substantiate your claims, therefore I must conclude you provide incorrect information here.'
As previously stated should you and your l'il buddies choose to cough up a few tens of thousands of dollars you too can see relevant Nielsen Media research and pontificate to your hearts content. Until then, I will continue to be entertained by the mostly ignorant depravity foisted by your kind.
'Just like all the other times...north of $20M, sellouts of indy in 2011, HUGE tie-ins of superbowl and NBC related to Indy 500, it all true, just just pull it all out of thin air. Paid IRL propagandist...and YOU know it.'
What I know: IndyCar's previous television deal did exceed $20M. The 2011 Indy 500 sold all available tickets. HUGE Superbowl tie-ins was your concoction that you ended up projecting to me. Paid IRL (uh, they changed the corporate entity a couple of years ago...try to keep up) propagandist? Now THAT is funny.
The DW12 ran a top lap of 218 today at IMS*.
NASCAR lapped MIS "tire testing" at 216 in a car that is roughly twice the weight of the DW12.
Tony George is still fired.
You're welcome.
Great work IMS and crew, we all knew theis was how it would turn out.
Defender, TV ratings (the vanity kind) are important because it tells us if folks are watching. Your DEEP ratings do nothing but split that into demographic groups so advertisers can target the groups more specifically through marketing.
0.25 and 0.9 are pathetic ratings for a series that is riding a new car, new era, new momentum etc. The Vanity ratings ARE important no matter how much you try to explain them away....
Here is the answer. Get ready....
0%.
You're welcome.
Well, understand this: The word "rating" refers to the percentage of viewers who watch any given show or time period based on the total number of people watching TV.
Here is the answer. Get ready....
For St. Pete on ABC = 0.9
For Barber on NBC Sports Network = 0.25
Both are between 15 and 30% LESS than the TV ratings from 2011 at the same tracks and same channels. That means LESS people are watching INDYCAR. Pretty simple huh?
You're welcome.
'Quick question: What percentage of the American public watches 2012 Indycar TV broadcasts?'
It is a niche sport, as it has been for most of its life except for brief periods, mostly in the 50s and 60s.
'Well, understand this: The word "rating" refers to the percentage of viewers who watch any given show or time period based on the total number of people watching TV.'
True. The numbers you cite, however, are referred to as 12+ overnight estimates. Those particular numbers are used as the basis for exactly 0% of television ad buys, which is the purpose of 'ratings' actually used in the commerce of television advertising.
'Here is the answer. Get ready.... For St. Pete on ABC = 0.9 For Barber on NBC Sports Network = 0.25'
Fantastic. You are able to add and subtract. School evidently was not a complete waste. Nowthen, back to the actual real world and not the fantasyland where you are your l'il friends dwell....other than Internet taunting, what actual purpose do your numbers serve? They are not used in the commerce of television advertising. They are not used as the basis for spots purchased in Indy Car. All you have is, essentially, cutesy finger wagging. Weak sauce.
'Both are between 15 and 30% LESS than the TV ratings from 2011 at the same tracks and same channels. That means LESS people are watching INDYCAR. Pretty simple huh?'
Simple concepts for simple minds. What catastrophic or otherwise negative consequence do you envision as a specific result of these numbers? How much less advertising revenue will be the consequence? Give me more specifics and fewer 2nd grade playground antics, son.
IndyCar seems a bit nerdy to me. Once it was avant garde and cool. No longer.
And who are these drivers? Nerds. Sad.
Racing season must have started.
D gets to post in every ratings thread BS mystical comments about 12+ this-n-that, insulting EVERYONE on the board that doesn't pay for the magic beans that gives one this "knowledge".
Absolutely zero credibility, and he refuses to Defend his baseless claims, yet they'll be in every ratings/business thread.
The same applies here, no one believes you without a link. I'm surprised Anthony allows you to post blatant falsehoods wihout something to back it up. And 30 years in the business and "a client I have been consulting for" doesn't cut it.
Yep. The season has started. Looks like someone didn't work very hard on his bovine scatology game in the offseason. I was hoping for some new deflections this year.
The correct answer is ZERO.
Try wrapping your brain around that and worry about any/everything else later.
Comprende?
In contrast, Indycar is averaging 0.525 TV rating for it's first 2 races and scored a 0.25 rating for last Sunday's race in Alabama. For reference, the Indy 500 averages 4.2 TV rating for the past 3 years, the lowest in it's live broadcast history since 1986.
It's not *commerce* nor demographics that simple fans want to know about....no, it's just about popularity, as opposed to everything else available on TV at the same time. I DO NOT care about marketers, or how they wish to spent their advertising dollars, nor what triggers them to spend 'em.
The *12+* vanity rating does serve a simple purpose....simply what is popular and what is not. YMMV, draw your own conclusions as Defender/Disciple changes his name here to be able to support the claims he can't support. I rest my case.
If the average joe happended along and waded through the repetitive, barely literate, obsessed rambling of the IndyCar Internet critics, they might expect the series to be on its last legs. Obviously that is not the case.
What is most interesting to me is the level of obsession you cute little critics have. If IndyCar is so bad, why do you pay so much attention to it? That defies logic. The same type of logic defiance borne of sheer ignorance about 12+ overnight estimates, which are not used in the commerce of television advertising. Use of them as some sort of barometer about 'what is popular' is largely an Internet phenomenon by the ignorant, most of whom craft their own reality out of twisted fantasy.
Perhaps our next basic lesson should deal with television universes and how foolish those who do not have clue one about them look when they attempt to average apples and oranges.
This seems too good to be true....near ZERO viewership but sponsors seeing demographic Nielsen data still pour $$$ into the series. There must be something else I'm missing here....this is how they market in the bizzaro world.
That's quite a leap you've made there, Chief. Not entirely surprising. You are very good at leaping to such conclusions.
'This seems too good to be true....near ZERO viewership but sponsors seeing demographic Nielsen data still pour $$$ into the series. There must be something else I'm missing here....this is how they market in the bizzaro world.'
Your ignorance about how national television advertising buys and sells inventory is obvious, yet you continue to dig yourself deeper into the same hole. The demographic makeup of the IndyCar television audience can, in fact, be effectively packaged and sold to advertisers. This is most often done as part of a package of complementary programming offerings. Why not find a community college class in broadcasting somewhere and enrich your knowledge?
Actually confirms even more my contention that the vanity 12+ national rating do prove something. Indycar is unpopular.
To discourse at length in a pompous or boastful manner.
A key attribute to those that sell. To pretend to understand technical subject matter and sell it to others even dumber then oneself. LOL.
I have yet to hear Roping Randy or Jeff Belskus say ratings don't matter. I think I will wait to hear from credible sources instead of "consultants".
Pointing out the fallacies in your arguments and in Indycar's lack of plan going forward sure puts a knot in your shorts. It is most delightful to see. Bloviate indeed.
How many times can the Disciple repeat the same old thing over and over without ever giving any single number?
I guess what he means is when the numbers that don't count go way down, the actual numbers that do go way, way up.
By golly, it is a mathematical phenomenon!
Indy is pure magic...do not watch the hands.
2010: 0.40
2011: 0.34
2012: 0.25
Vanity 12+ ratings show a falloff on Versus/NBC Sports Network. HaY, maybe there's something wrong with the Nielsen's?
Please try to communicate points intelligently. We thank you.
Oh, how it is fun to watch the demise.
Or is it simply that approximately only a population equivalent of say, Corpus Christi, Texas or San Bernardino, California in a nation of around 300 million or so spread from sea to shinign sea are watching the races? In other words: 0.00075 percent of the population, give or take a guy from Shelbyville here and a couple of middle-aged guys from Plattsburg there, all tuned in to see the shiny-new, edgier/hip/cool spec cars with a grenadier's dream for an engine snake around a motorcycle course playing F1 complete with a Rubens and maybe even a Jean?
Which is afoot there, fair insider, because I do hear things are quite rosy in the IndyCar series from the likes of you otherwise. Contrarain data confuses as to just how the 218,000 represents upswing..
A. Not going out of business. Twice.
B. Not having to buy their way onto television.
Want specifics? Pool your money and NMR will sell them to you.
A. Not going to have any. Ever.
B. Has to buy a ticket or watch on televison.
Want Specifics? For FREE entertainment, read his posts.
And that is funny to the rest of rational thinking society.
ICS* attendance is down.
The DW12 is scary unstable in traffic per Marco.
Engines are grenading in practice, what does that hold for the Indy 500*?
The good news is Tony George is still fired. Twice.
But one thing these cars are bofo ugly. Really they make F1 comparison and F1 car is bofo. I think like Burl or whta have you here try to speak, the cars were suppossed to be all that. but man, they are bofo. My one bud here in college, he thought it was an F1 car and i go. no Indy 500 car, he was all thinking Indy 500 was the NASCAR 400 race or what have you actually. He's 21 so whatever and all but he too, think the car they run now is bofo.
I still watch tho because it better than NASCAR and what have you.
But I think the new car is too bofo for the new fan if they try to get him.
"We killed somebody running 225 so maybe we need to start at 215 and figure things out." -Tony Kanaan
from http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-andretti-hits-2186-at-indy-test/
The question is, with the new dufus car causing Marco to poop pant again, will they kill another? The dufus car is unsteady and slow and most of the drivers in the series are semi-pro.
Since ratings don't matter I dont know why Speed would even bother bringing them up. LOL
In the next few years, I believe we will see some forms of racing disappear altogether (IndyCar except maybe a one-off Indy 500 thing), and sports car racing return to almost entirely amateur. Local tracks will continue to close, as will some major, large speedways. NASCAR will survive, but as a strictly third-tier series with a small following akin to Major Indoor Soccer or pro tennis. Many teams and drivers will be part-timers.
Auto Racing has a long, glorious run. Now it is in its Autumn.
Racing was cool for many years with young people. No more. Face it. Auto Racing is dying.
I agree with PPK. Racing as we know it is on the way out.
I'm in SoCal right now. In fact, I will be one of the few at Long Beach. It is Wednesday night in SoCal. Buzz? Zero. It is though the IndyCar Series does not exist. NOWHERE, outside a couple local weather forecasters talking about rain in LB,is there a mention of IndyCar. Nowhere. Not on TV or radio. Nada. Nyet. Get?
In fact, now that I think about it...one of the forecasters called it the "car races."
So come back when you have FACTUAL evidence your series is even remotely relevant. Maybe this weekend. Probably not. Hopefully at Indy.
Series is near dead, dude. Old Man Penske's latest ramblings confirm that.
I take that as someone would actually have to have ratings to post to take advantage of the PR. Indycar, not so much. Right Duhfenderer?
Will the ALMS cars still be faster than the DW12 at Long Beach?
My interest is not as storng as some here, but I do watch the races. Lately, they seem odd. Maybe it is the ugly car. It looks like a kid's toy. Bad all around.
And now I hear the Long Beach Grand Prix may not get a huge crowd like it used too?
Burl is right. I live in SoCal. Nobody hear seems to even know there is a race. Right now it is all Dodgers and Angels, some Lakers, and KIng's hockey. My colleagues at work didn't even know there is an Indy Car race this weekend, 30 miles from here. "Isn't that in Indianapolis every year?" was the question from my co-worker. But they knew when NASCAR was here last month.
That is really saying something. I think Randy Bernard has a HUGE problem.
http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/2408/longbeachj.jpg
BEST NHL PLAYOFF OPENING NIGHT IN NBC SPORTS NETWORK HISTORY
NEW YORK - April 12, 2012 - The NBC Sports Group's opening night presentation of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday - featuring two games on NBC Sports Network and one on NBCUniversal's business channel CNBC -- resulted in the following viewership records and milestones, according to official national ratings data released today by The Nielsen Company:
÷ The most-watched NHL playoff opening night ever for the NBC Sports Network (formerly VERSUS)
÷ A 29% average rating increase on NBC Sports Network vs. last year's opening night
÷ A 12% average rating increase for all three games on NBC Sports Network and CNBC compared to last year's opening night
÷ The most-watched opening night playoff game in NBC Sports Network history and the most-watched opening night playoff game in 10 years for Flyers-Penguins,
It is though the IndyCar Series does not exist. Or at best is just an afterthought. It no longer has the panache of a main event but rather just another "car race" at the "Long Beach car races this weekend".
Long Beach Grand Prix as an Indy Car race prestige is long gone.
Two hours of morning news today and not a single mention of Indy Cars. Not one.
In fact, I would venture to say the few people who care in SoCal are more interested in the ALMS cars. They seem to be getting the attention.
The pooor little ugly IndyCars are not even mentioned. Not even once. ALMS rules.
I say drop the IndyCars at Long Beach. The interest in the cars in nil.
Again, repeat, two and half hours of morning local TV news on three different channels now....not a SINGLE mention of the word "Indy Car", and just one mention of the "bif race on Sunday" being sunny after the weather goes through.
Maybe Danica Patrick will win the Long Beach Grand Prix this Sunday and Indy Cars will get major mentions.
WOW, them are some good ratings for the NHL. A good friend was watching the hockey called me to angrily complain that the IRL was advertising LB with none other than CART race footage!!!
We also hear that free tickets are being given away by using F1 cars in the advertising materials for the Long Beach race!
Is the Indycar series that embarrassed in their 16 year lineage and faux racing at CART tracks that they can't use their own likenesses in advertising materials? Man, the Indycars SUX!
Let's just hope Danica can win Sunday and get the series some much-needed attention.
Simon Pagenuad and EJ Viso just don't seem to be drawing them in to watch the bulbous-mobiles.
I once heard the praises for how much Versus, Comcast, DirectTV and now NBC Sports Network was gonna SAVE the IRL.
What happened? Who is Indycar leadership gonna blame it on now? Bwahahhahhaha...I know that answer...anyone BUT themselves. $799MILLION and counting.....
Watched that ALMS race on ESPN2, and just watched Nico Rosberg take his first win in F1 from China on SPEED.
No .1rl on the schedule for me, or I'd wager hardly anyone else.
"So what's the fix?
"NBC has to advertise more, it's as simple as that, if they care about IndyCar," Power said.
There was an overwhelming sense of frustration throughout the paddock this weekend at the Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix over the slumping television ratings. Although attendance was up at both events, the television ratings are dropping. The season opener at St. Petersburg drew a .9 on ABC, and many complained the network did a sub-par job in presenting an entertaining program."
http://www.wthr.com/story/17452669/indycar-suffering-through-slumping-tv-ratings
"Okay, I've said the last I'll say about this silliness. It is what it is. It's just a shame, however, that a series still on the ropes like IndyCar is being run by numbskulls."
http://thestar.blogs.com/autoracing/izod-indycar-series/
There is an overall lethargy about the IndyCar series and fan interest is so-so. The sports cars are actually the big draw. That and the celebrity race. People seemed very interested. The IndyCar race has a main event vibe but I maintain the entire field could be replaced with ALMS drivers and most fans would not know the difference.
The race was average at best. I sense this series is dying. But who knows? It is a far cry from yesteryear. A very far cry.
But, but, but our resident media insider says ratings don't matter? They are just used by youthful CART fanatics to try to throw dirt on the series formerly lead by Tony George before he was fired by his Mother. Twice. LOL.
Say it ain't so, Discipe? Didn't Randy get your memo? And to think you even Bombardier with him. Didn't you tell Randy not to worry while name-dropping and schmoozing on those cozy, insider flights?