Centennial Indy 500 paying off big for Speedway

May 18, 2011
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The centennial running of the Indianapolis 500 won’t be sold out, but the stands will be close to full, said Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Jeff Belskus.

“It will look good on race day,” Belskus said. “Advance sales tickets are well ahead of last year.”

Due to the Speedway’s long-standing policy of not divulging the race’s attendance, Belskus wouldn’t say how many tickets have been sold, but he said ticket sales so far this year are nearly 7 percent ahead of last year.

“This is the best year we’ve had in terms of ticket sales in at least five years,” Belskus said. “There’s been a slight downward trend [in ticket sales] the last couple of years, but now we’ve turned the corner and we’re coming back.”

Belskus attributes this year’s increase to the excitement and additional promotions surrounding the Indianapolis 500’s centennial celebration as well as a rebounding economy.

That’s not all the good news for the Speedway.

Corporate entertaining this May is also up over last May, with all 123 IMS suites sold out for Carb Day May 27 and race day May 29.

“It’s been five years since all our hospitality inventory was sold out on those two days, so we’re very pleased,” Belskus said.

Belskus said corporate entertaining at the track has been trending up the last couple years, and he attributes that to an increase in the number of events and programs at the IMS.

“Things like emerging tech day and the celebration of automobiles has brought more people to the track and offered us a chance to do some networking and show people what we have to offer,” Belskus said.

Sponsorships for the Indianapolis 500 are up, too—more than 10 percent this year over last, Belskus said. He also expects revenue from merchandise, concessions and parking to see significant increase by the time race day is over.

With a 100th anniversary commemorative program, Belskus said program sales could be at record levels. The IMS this year struck a deal with Sports Illustrated to help produce and distribute souvenir programs nationwide.

All the increases likely add up to a multimillion-dollar revenue bump for the Speedway.

“The increase from the ticket revenue alone will be a seven-figure increase,” Belskus said.
 

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  • I read it on the internet, so it must be true!
    ChiefMay 18, 2011 1:48 PM
    I can get 10 seats in A Stand, all TOGETHER, today.

    Why buy seats when people stick free ones in the fence on raceday morning anyway?

    Indy used to sell out one year in advance before the IRL and without MotoGP or F1 or NASCAR either.
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    • Facts. A Great Indicator.
      Disciple of Indy CarMay 18, 2011 2:07 PM
      Wow...pretty quick on the trigger there, Chief. May just kills your kind doesn't it? So are you going to go ahead and buy the seats you say are available or just frantically search the website to concoct childish potshots? Jeff Belskus has a good handle on the important metrics, and all seem to be up. That flies in the face of your silly 'end is near' pontificating. Upward trends bode well for the next century.
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    • The real story is...
      Burl HatterleyMay 18, 2011 2:22 PM
      ....The Most Important Race In History, is not a sell-out. Repeat: Not a sell-out. And some fact checking, Anthony, doing a little leg-work, will reveal large swaths of unsold seats. Just go on-line, get on the phone, walk down there, do what ya' gotta do, and you will find the amount of available tickets as of today is very compelling. I called just today. And yes, as mentioned here by Chief, you can basically walk in on race day and never pay a dime.

      Discpiles "metircs" and "trendings" and upward gobbeldy-ggok fails, once again, to address the salient fact the sport does not register with the ordinary American sports fan and hasa base of approximately 300,000 fans in the country. Combine that with a descimated Indy 500 of minimal interest to anyone outside the Indianapolis area, and you have a sport going the bye-bye. That's the real story not mattr how much of a spin the talkin' Terry's and bean-counters or lazy reporting suggests. Dig deep and find the truth. Who would have ever thought IMS was actually a house of cards?
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    • Be Nice, Chief
      ThatGuyMay 18, 2011 3:06 PM
      Anthony is just transcribing what Mr. Belskus said. I believe that is the general limit of what local media does in respect to IMS and its properties.
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    • 10 seats in Section A
      DWMay 18, 2011 3:47 PM
      The 10 seats together in Section A are on the first 3 rows. Not exactly the best seats at IMS.
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      • tickets
        Mike OchsmolMay 18, 2011 3:53 PM
        The tickets may be down low but Chief is right! This is the 100th year. Why is it not sold out? Defender can spew all the bs he wants but the once mighty race has fallen since Tony had to fix things.
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        • INDY sellouts and today
          JeffMay 18, 2011 4:02 PM
          I have been going to INDY 500 since 1982 - and father, since 1956 - Times are different.

          Look at nascar -they aren't selling very well either.
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        • Look, I don't want to rain on your parade, but...
          ChiefMay 18, 2011 4:41 PM
          4.5 of the 5 days the track has been open have been rainouts. Maybe mother nature is telling you something?

          What she's telling me is of the 11 possible days for on-track activity in this condensed Centennial era Indy 500 of May 2011, 6 days are left (and that includes carb day and the race).

          Now, according to my public school education that means attendance has suffered considerable hits on a daily basis for 5 DAYS. Kinda runs counter to Speedway propaganda doesn't it?
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        • great sales
          fw mikeMay 18, 2011 4:43 PM
          If you don't have something positive, don't post. Reading these comments about the way things used to be is ridiculous. Would you prefer the speedway just give up since it isn't sold out? Buy tickets and enjoy the day, or don't.
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        • Here's an example
          ChiefMay 18, 2011 4:48 PM
          Where is B14? Is that first 3 rows?

          Stand : Stand A Section / Box : B14
          Row / Seat : C : 5-8 B : 3-8
          Ticket Price : $85.00 Quantity : 10 Total Price : $850.00

          Time of search: 4:45 PM May 18, 2011
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        • Indy a regional/local event now
          Burl HatterleyMay 18, 2011 5:27 PM
          In truth, the Indy 500 is now a fairly big-time local event/regional maybe. It is not on the national radar screen with the exception of media outlets who feel compelled to dutifully report the goings-on...usually in the miscellaneous agate of my local paper. On radio and TV, I see nothing about the race, contrary to Discipe's fictitious view.

          But I will give you this. If they knock 100,000 seats out of the place, and replace it with trees, grassy knolls, etcetera...and reduce the whole thing down to a week, Sunday-Wednesday for practice, quals on Thursday, Carb on Friday, parade on Saturday, and race on Sunday, and accept the fact it is a large local event for a smal, niche sport, it may be able to continue. Almost in a vintage racing sense. I think they'll eventually go this route and score 80,000 people on race day. TV will be in the 1.5 to 2.0 range and on well, smaller cable outlets, MAYBE ESPN.

          The Indy 500 is no longer a national event. It is, akwardly, a local event, handicapped by foreign-everything. Odd and unusual.

          No way this race has any lasting national significance or importance with the sporting public any longer. It's hey day concluded around the mid-90's, it held on ok for awhile as people gave the IRL a chance, and has been plummeting in irrelvance for the past five years. Today, this year, now, May 2011, it is finished as a national event. It is a semi-popular local/regional with a unique history as something that once was.
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          • The Merry Month of May: Driving Haters Nuts for Over 15 Years
            Disciple of Indy CarMay 18, 2011 6:39 PM
            In 1911, there were only 46 states. The Indianapolis 500 was up and running before the Titanic sank. The NHL was not formed until 1917. The NFL came along in 1920. Also in the 1920s: Radio and movies with sound. TV did not come along for years. First casinos in Las Vegas? 1941. Formula 1 conglomerated in 1946 (and Bernie Eccelstone was presumably a cranky old man then as well). Bill France used the 500 as an inspiration to build Daytona after he founded NASCAR in 1948. The NBA was born in 1949.

            The point? The Indy 500 has been around longer than most forms of entertainment we now take for granted. The legacy it has should be respected. The fact that obsessively immature, bitter malcontents still take irrational potshots at it still amazes me. It remains the race to which many aspire and all know about.

            In other words, it has been around 100 years and will be around long after we're all gone. Even the green with envy children. A far more classy approach might be according the respect this great institution has earned.
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          • But but but
            ChiefMay 18, 2011 7:12 PM
            The IRL has the worst TV ratings EVER in 2011. All the other sports are doing just fine....maybe Disciple is sayin' the 500 is just long-in-the-tooth?

            And seriously, just how bad was it the past 5 years?

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          • Hmmm. Tough Choice.
            Disciple of Indy CarMay 18, 2011 8:25 PM
            Well, let's examine this. Actual business people think of the 500 differently than obsessed Internet comment section squatters. This is confirmed by the FACTS that:
            -Ticket sales are up
            -Corporate suites are sold out
            -Sponsorship spending is up again
            -All camping except the Coke Lot is sold out
            -Revenue is up in the 'multi-millions.'

            So who should smart people pay attention to? Actual professional business people or bitter squawkers in comment sections?

            Hmmmm. Tough choice indeed. LOL.
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            • Anthony, Perhaps You Should Get Up To Speed on The Impending End of IMS
              Disciple of Indy CarMay 18, 2011 9:09 PM
              Anthony, your fine report flies in the face of the dire 'end is near' scenarios of the IMS/Indy Car-obsessed. Just today one of the more vulgar loudmouthed regulars claimed:

              1. Roger Penske made a serious offer to buy IMS, but attorneys for IMS gave Mr. Penske a lot of runaround so he got angry and walked away from the deal.
              2. The big reason Tony George was re-added to the board of Hulman & Company was to attempt to take the company public, and that new board member Jerry Throgmartin is on the board to facilitate the process.
              3. The aforementioned Internet squawker claims IMS is in dire financial straights and cannot commit to more than one year at a time for MotoGP.
              4. The Hot Wheels setup has been reworked so many times that it is out of control.
              5. NASCAR is pulling out after this year's Brickyard 400.
              6. IMS is begging F1 to come back.
              7. IMS claims Austin is almost out of money.
              8. The new Dallara will not be ready next year.

              Why is the only source for such information Internet squawkers? Perhaps you and/or your professional inside sources should check this out.

              LOL.
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            • Tony is still fired
              Brett in IndyMay 18, 2011 9:56 PM
              Defender/Hooter/AlexHoppes/Disciple fails to mention that the website the 8 points a "vulgar loudmouth regular" posted on was one of the many sites that Disciple is banned from. Do you care to share with Anthony the reason you were banned from Smackforum? I didn't think so. Buh bye.
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            • Nothing to Hate
              Burl HatterleyMay 18, 2011 10:44 PM
              Discipe doesn't get the fact we do not hate the IMS or the "500" Mile Race. Contrary. We are simply putting forth the irrefutable evidence the old gray mare ain't what she used to be. Not by a long shot. And guess what, Discipe? She ain't returning.

              Some things just die out, Discipe. It's hard for all of us that the once great Indy 500 is one of them.

              And as for your corporate suites mumbo-jumbo, you fail to see the forest for the trees like so many in the IRL. John and Jane Q Racefan from Plattsburg and Peoria do not identify with that sort of thing. Never have, never will. The tassle-loafered, wine tasters and movers and shakers are seen as well, tassle-loafered wine tasters.

              This sport was built on guys towing their cars to the track and sleeping in the back of the van, be it owner, driver, mechanic.

              Cheese Fondu snackers from the glass tower, rooting for the Bertrand's because they wrote a fat check, is why all the seats are shiny, Discipe. Nice try. Back to whatever else you got...
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            • Conjecture
              ChiefMay 18, 2011 11:03 PM
              I have offered more FACT supporting my "long-in-the-tooth" claims than the conjecture Jeff Belskus provided and was lapped up by Speedway Apologists.

              I demand Jeff Belskus provide attendance numbers to support his claims or EVERYONE will accept them as INVALID.

              And, if they're doing so well, why is Disciple writing about the speedways facilities problems like sewage and no grass being cut? Disciple, you also guaranteed a sellout...I claim BS on the both of you.
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            • Non Existent Web Advertising
              ChiefMay 19, 2011 7:38 AM
              With the exception of the Indy Star, there is NOT even any web advertising for the 500 tix OR the Versus OR ABC race broadcast! I read the racing sites on the web...not even Trackforum, the IRL's designated forum!

              This how pathetic this marketing attack has been. WHY are they letting this wither on the vine?

              Why is IMS trying to kill this from within? I thought Defender/Disciple said they were getting "$80 million" in ad revenues in to the coffers....

              I estimate the speedway has wasted $800 million overall saving this sport with no TV ratings and falling attendance #'s, and now with NO real partners and NO real marketing or advertising plan. Last nite 3.5 HOURS of NBA Finals action...NO INDY/IRL ADVERTISING. During two hours of American Idol...NO INDY/IRL advertising.

              I love this sport and the 500 too....BUT I hate what it's become. FREE INDY...
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            • Exposure of Charlatans
              Disciple of Indy CarMay 19, 2011 8:39 AM
              Uh, kids...you do understand the great race will once again draw hundreds of thousands of paying customers again this year for a 100 year old event that will dump a couple of Super Bowls worth of economic impact into the coffers of the middle of the state, right?

              That it will get really good television ratings, and will continue long after all of us are gone, right?

              Listen, this little kiddy jihad of yours is really cute, but try taking the view of actual adults. You know, reality? It is quite a concept.

              Do you not imagine that if there was any fire with the smoke your ilk is blowing that some professional news gathering organization; e.g., IBJ and/or Anthony with his knowledgeable inside contacts, would sniff it out? What I have seen from most reputable organizations is nothing as sinister, even given the 'split' agendas many could not see beyond.

              Here's a question for the critics...how many times have you been to the track this month, and where are your seats for the big race? If you are like most of the cowardly critics I already know the answers.
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            • Really Good TV Ratings
              Burl HatterleyMay 19, 2011 9:12 AM
              Disciple, please define "really good TV ratings" as say a comparison/contrast to Indy 500 telecasts from 1986 to 2006 time frame. AND as compared/contrasted with the NBA Finals. Just a couple random lists of your coveted "target key metrics" TV ratings ok? Simple assignment. I know you can handle it. We want to see those really good TV numbers.

              Also, a couple hundred thousand will attend the Indy 500, not hundreds of thousands, unless you are talkin', Talkin' Terry Talk, which is just all Talk. Your defenses of this dying institution smack of desperation.

              Anyhow, a look at those TV numbers please.
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            • They Don't Let Facts Get in the Way of an Agenda, Do They?
              Disciple of Indy CarMay 19, 2011 9:32 AM
              Any comparison of numbers between the modern day and 2006 is well beyond pointless. No one in business does that. The other thing actual professionals do not pay much attention to are 12+ summary numbers published by sites such as zap2it. Professionals also do not subjectively pick comparison examples to bolster a pointless argument either.

              What matters in real life are trends over the past two to 3 (max) years, and demo-specific numbers. In the context, Indy Car is doing just fine. Ratings in targeted demographics are trending upward.

              Would you like to see the breakouts? Please ask someone who has paid for them for permission to see them. Perhaps you will find someone willing to share that proprietary data.

              Also, why would you want to compare NBA finals numbers to Indy Car numbers? While demo targets are pretty much the same, the predominant composure of viewing ethnicity is not really comparable.

              Look, I appreciate your simplistic views of such things, but look at it from the viewpoints of professionals; i.e., the folks who actually buy and sell the advertising. Here is what their actions show: Advertising revenue is UP. Corporate sponsorship is UP. Corporate suites are SOLD OUT. Want to dumb it down? ALL camping vehicle slots are SOLD OUT except for fringe areas in the Coke lot. Ticket sales are UP.

              I know it must be hard dealing with a 100% inaccuracy record, and I know how quaint it can be to try and spin a yard to match your cutesy little agenda. Try maturity for just a few minutes and see where that gets you.
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            • Typo Correction
              Disciple of Indy CarMay 19, 2011 9:34 AM
              Typo above: First sentence should read 'Any comparison of numbers between the modern day and 1986 is well beyond pointless.'
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            • John is funny
              Mike OchsmolMay 19, 2011 9:51 AM
              John you are a funny guy! You waste a lot of time defendering something that shouldn't have ever needed to be defendered. Please Tony take the place public so we can all see the books. You wanted to fix things and maybe this time you can get it right and go bankrupt just like that evil CART did after they went public. Please do it now!
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              • I'm Out for Now
                Disciple of Indy CarMay 19, 2011 10:04 AM
                Listen, I'd love to stick around and continue having pointless arguments with the haters, but being an actual adult racing fan in May I am headed out to the track again today, and intend to be there until 7 or so tonight. Perhaps we can pick up the tit for tat again later. Enjoy the hatin' in the meantime. It's just so gosh darned cute.
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              • See you at the 100th
                Dude From TennesseeMay 19, 2011 10:04 AM
                I have followed IRL only mildly in the past. This year I had some Penthouse tickets fall into my lap and could not be more exited. I think the sport could grow in the future if someone would promote it. I only follow NASCAR a little (mostly because of Fantasy Sports) but at least with NASCAR it's easy to find out something about the drivers. I have no clue about most of the Indy guys, but the racing is much more exciting. Like the guy said before me, there is little to no advertising for the 500 here in Tennessee or any attempt to get these racers names and personalities out there for that matter. I see more buzz about the party in the Coke lot than the race itself (only because of Art Mann and YouTube). Still... I can't wait to camp in the Coke lot and sit in seats I have no business being in. I'm going to a weekend party there just happens to be a race at in my opinion. PROMOTE YOUR SPORT PEOPLE!
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              • Cowardly critics???
                CarterMauritiusMay 19, 2011 11:19 AM
                Once again it is the Defender/Disciple way to put down a commentor by calling them a cowardly critic.

                I guess he still has not understood that a lot of race fans are not cowards for not going to Indy. They are just race fans that liked what they had in the past and would love to see it again in the future. Many fear we will never see it again, especially under the guidance of IMS and Hulman-George ownership.

                Again...the racing product is the problem. Why should I or anyone go to Indy to watch what they don't like...spec racing? So, that makes one a coward?

                All the name calling and put downs are truly the tools of the real coward.

                Now, I shall sit back and wait for the inevitible "your series died twice" BS which totally ignores the facts about the racing product and goes right back to the split issues that one Defender/Disciple can never seem to move on from.

                Now tell me...who is the mature one?

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              • It's funny that this is a big regional event
                GA FanMay 19, 2011 12:35 PM
                Cheif and Burl, it's funny that you guys think this is just a regional event, I live in GA and there are several places around here that are planing viewing parties. Places in 'Bama are also putting together viewing parties. You gotta know that the Indy 500 IS a HUGE international event. One in which millions of people will be watching not only here in the US but also internationally as well. Not to mention that there will also be roughly 250,000 to 325,000 people at the track. That's a big event. And you say that attendance is down over the last 20 years, yes -- but so is the economy. Attendance is visibly up over the last few years -- so is the economy. So I don't understand the doom and gloom -- is the 500 what it once was, no -- is it regaining in popularity -- yes! Just like what the Masters and the Kentucky Derby have went through in there long and glorious history.
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              • A great mystery of science
                ChiefMay 19, 2011 2:24 PM
                What, pray tell, is the cause for this supposed resurgence?

                2010 had lowest TV ratings (3.68) in it's live TV history. It is the continuation of a DOWNWARD trend that has continued since 1996. The car is the same as it's been for 8 years....

                Must be folks had to turn off their TV sets or gather in HUGE viewing parties to watch due to economy. Right?

                How do you explain the 0.29, 0.22 and 0.033 TV ratings for three of the 4 first races in season? Hmmm...just doesn't jive, so cut me some slack, jack. My momma din't raise no dummy...
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              • The Curse of the Scaffold Gomers:
                ReallyMay 19, 2011 3:18 PM
                In 1960, a group of intrepid Gomers decided to build their own Gomer Sky Boxes. These unfortunate idiots fell afoul of physics and gravity, eg., If you build it with too high a center of gravity and overload the top with people possibly even stupider than yourself, it, and you, will fall. Those who survived lived to tell the tale, did so with enthusiasm and embellishment. Those who lost their lives as a result of this classic example of architectural FAIL, placed a curse upon the ground that the ill-fated scaffold fell upon. One day in 1961, little Dipsicle of ImSCARâ??a youthful chubby little gap-incisored native Hoosier, attending this third Indianapolis 500, wandered across that very spot, the curse came upon him and ever since, he has been compelled to travel the world spreading his silly agenda whether people want to hear about it or not.
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              • Viewing Parties
                Burl HatterleyMay 19, 2011 11:24 PM
                You are among that 300,000 hardcore group in America, GA Fan. I know of nobody, outside my two racing fan buddies, who have even mentioned the Indy 500. It is a big deal in Indiana and Indianapolis. Somewhat, anyhow. Your claims are way off base. Otherwise, the world would be abuzz like World Cup and the Super Duper Bowl.
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              • No American Idol
                ChiefMay 19, 2011 11:57 PM
                Nope....IRL missed another opportunity this week to advertise outside of the metro Brownsburg area.

                They have NO MONEY to advertise! I guess they must not want to make money...
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              • Burl is RIGHT
                ChiefMay 20, 2011 12:51 AM
                I checked broadcast partner VerSUsuSes....err NBC SPORTS website and NOTHING exists on it's main page about the Indy 500. PREAKNESS, NASCAR, BRUINS, MAVERICKS, but no IRL..Indycarz...nor 500.

                It's over gang....rumors abound about the Speedway's health and long term viability. bernie's bidding for MOTOGP in Austin, Brickyard 400 may go the way of KENTUCKY Speedway.

                Look, the Speedway made SO many enemies it only stands to reason the pigeons would come home to rooost. ISC and Bernie (both Tony George's buddies in the AOW cold war) will see to it.

                And then there's Penske....rotting the paddock from the interior. Do you really think he's not gunning for the end to the Hulman reign? It's over....to only be born a new....hope is alive.
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              • Woe R Us Indeed
                Disciple of Indy CarMay 20, 2011 9:38 AM
                Hmmm. That's odd. While channel flipping just now I saw an extended piece NBC's Today Show did at the track featuring the Centennial festivities and a ride in the two seater. Whoever the cutesy little anchor was says it was awesome. Bottom line: I just caught a few minutes of exposure on a national OTA network without even looking. Perhaps you should relax and enjoy the sport like actual racing fan adults.

                As a matter of fact, as a racing fan adult I am headed to the track right now for Fast Friday!
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              • Coincidental Savior
                ChiefMay 20, 2011 11:00 AM
                Discilpe, you should play Lotto or get some lottery tickets because that was a stroke of luck you had this AM.

                Thank you for illustrating my point....the Speedway didn't have to pay for the NBC Today SHow gig, did they? When you are hard-up, you take what they give ya.

                Not advertising is clear proof they have no money and can't advertise. Or are clearly inept at running the speedway/series.

                Oh, and while on topic...perhaps the first responders to a flaming IRLcar wreck should have FIRE EXTINGUISHERS in the hands. This would help prevent the 20 to 30 second delay in extinguishing the fire in a racecar BEFORE some could be seriously burned. Just a tip because it appears they learned nothing from last years Texas BBQ.
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              • I\'m going to a weekend party there just happens to be a race at in my opinion
                The TruthMay 20, 2011 2:18 PM
                Indy, an enclosed street festival with no racing significance
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              • Just got back from the Speedway
                Burl HatterleyMay 21, 2011 4:51 PM
                Crowd was on par to slightly above what was there last year. But still a paltry turn-out for what is billed as the biggest deal there is in all of automobile racing. The whole thing seems contrived and the cars remain ugly. The atmosphere here is so much different from the 80's and 90's. It almost seems passive and quaint. Honestly, just looking around the place today, it is worn out, rusty, tired, and way overbuilt for that they get today in terms of crowd. It just seems so passe now, the Indy 500. All of it. Boring. Tired. Worn out. I'll try and support it as always, but I just sense, as I have always stated, the place and the race is nearing the end. Certainly, it is no major sporting event anymore. It has a country fair atmosphere.
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              • Plenty of Elbow Room
                The TruthMay 21, 2011 8:19 PM
                One thing you will discover
                When you get next to one another
                Is everybody needs some elbow room, elbow room.
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              • Buhbye George Family
                The TruthMay 22, 2011 11:39 AM
                the two weeks of May and all the empty stands and tracks wont be the same without you
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              • Nothing
                ChiefMay 22, 2011 11:36 PM
                Haven't seen any advertising during National programming this weekend....NO INDY 500 ads anywhere.

                I'm watching my local sports now...no Indy coverage. Heat Win...It's Duke vs. Maryland in NCAA Lacrosse...Canucks destroyed San Jose...Toms wins PGA golf....LPGA coming to town...NASCAR crash in drivers door...local womens soccer.....

                Indy 500 has become a non-compete when it comes to media coverage.

                Great job Hulman-George family. You've turned a must-see in to a total-miss. 6 days of May with ridiculous qualifying rules on a TV channel NO ONE HAS. YOU ALL SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES. A firing squad wouldn't even bother to shoot....
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              • Burless Bump Day
                Burl HatterleyMay 23, 2011 
                Normally, in any given year except two or three in the last 32 when I simply couldn't, I was an avid attendee of the famed "Bump Day". Not this year. Saturday was so void if atmosphere, even though, I think the crowd was up a few thousand, that I just couldn't stand to go out there and sit around just to watch the same old ugly cars driven by Pippa's and Kimball's. The atmosphere is just so un-Indy anymore. So I stayed home and watched some of it and sadly, even the Abdretti Autopsort situation was so-so drama for a Bump Day. Not bad. Not good. Just there. I don't know what it is. The whole Indy 500 thing just seems so bland and uninteresting these days. Not even Danica's struggles were all that compelling. The crowd was sparse from what I could see. Yesterday at the Speedway it was nice to see more people than the past couple years but the electricity was missing. Everything seems so contrived and staged, old, and uninspiring. Maybe it is just the old cars and foreign drivers. Alex Tagliani-Mania? Not gonna happen. No. I really sense the Indy 500 is done as a major.
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              • Back Again!
                DJMay 23, 2011 8:33 AM
                Took a break from the trash talk about anything related to Indy Car racing, but had to let you know about Sunday. Took my family including my 6 & 8 year old kids (the future) to bump day and had a great time. Ate lunch while the rain hit, watched the cars qualify, shopped the stores, my daughter got some autographs and was treated really special by the drivers, talked with other race fans from outside Indiana! This is what the 500 is about. Everyone has an opinion, no one is going to change them sooo, move on and enjoy life instead of trying to prove one another wrong. This is 2011, not 1995, not 1956 so deal with it and move on.
                PS see you sunday in turn 3!!
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                • Some Get It and Some Do Not
                  Disciple of Indy CarMay 23, 2011 9:11 AM
                  Great comment. There are some who get it, and some who clearly do not. You do, and you are to be commended. The bitterly obsessed who do not deserve pity. In a perfect world they will also eventually discover maturity.
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                • There's no doubt
                  ChiefMay 23, 2011 10:35 AM
                  A day at any race track is a going to be a great day. I'm sincerely glad you had a great time.

                  However, this is the business of racing and based on my observations from the past week the Speedway took it good in the coffers....rainouts and sparse attendance combined with virtually NO media presence and NO national advertising don't bode well for the race or the series.

                  I went to ABC to see qualifying coverage and found Hannah Montana episodes. I went to look for an internet stream and it said "sorry no stream, go to Versus TV network".

                  Now, if you want this sport back in the public's eye, you REALLY need to market it...not provide roadblocks and detours that all lead to a dead end. So, it may appear to be bashing but it's not...it's the truth. Business people want to know the problems exist....because they do.
                  Reply to CommentFlag Comment
                • Pole Day => Sports Briefs
                  ThatGuyMay 23, 2011 1:16 PM
                  The newspaper here in San Antonio, Texas devoted a paragraph on Pole Day in the Page 2 Sports Briefs. No picture. Similar in scope to their treatment of F1 qualifying, and the Giro d'Italia and the Tour of California bike races. Meanwhile, the coverage of the Preakness Stakes got a color picture below the fold on the front page. Not bad for another sport that's dying. Also, worthy of note The NASCAR Whatever They're Calling the Winston These Days got a couple of columns towards the back of the sports pages (not significant, but not "briefs-level" coverage).

                  I suspect the Memorial Day paper will have sizable wire-service coverage of the Indy 500 race on page 2 or page 3 (unless someone dies or Danica wins) while the Coke 600 will likely have minimal coverage thanks to the fact that the race runs so late. So I guess that means next week, things will be looking up for Indycar!
                  Reply to CommentFlag Comment
                • ITS ALL ABOUT INDY
                  kirkMay 30, 2011 11:19 AM
                  i am so sick of nascar this and nascar that WHO CARES ..ITS ALL ABUT INDY THE ORIGINAL NOTHING IN THE WORLD COMPARES TO HER...the fastest nascar would not even get on the grid at indy..DONT BELIEVE ME check the fastest lap ever by nascar at indy then look at slowest qualifier for the indy 500
                  Reply to CommentFlag Comment

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