With ticket sales for this year’s Indianapolis 500 at a five-year high, it’s not surprising merchandise sales
are up also.
But it is surprising, with all the rain this May, just how much they are up.
According to Dave Moroknek, CEO of MainGate Inc., the locally based firm that handles licensing and retail sales out at the
Speedway, merchandise sales has been up more than 10 percent each day over the same day last year.
“We’re seeing some very nice gains,” Moroknek said. “The centennial is definitely bringing people
to the track.”
Observers at the track said crowds for Fast Friday and both qualification days were up over last year.
Hot retail items, according to Moroknek, include anything Danica Patrick related, especially autographed items; die cast
Hot Wheels cars and somewhat surprisingly, Tony Kanaan and Ed Carpenter items.
“Tony Kanaan is our No. 2 selling driver behind Danica,” Moroknek said. “And Ed Carpenter is at No. 3,
which is somewhat unexpected.”
Kanaan and Andretti Autosport parted ways after 2010, and the Brazilian driver landed a last-minute deal in March to drive
a third car for KV Racing. Carpenter was left in the lurch after Vision Racing folded last year, but signed a deal to run
a partial season this year for the race team owned by the ever-popular Sarah Fisher.
Carpenter items are selling so well, Moroknek said, his firm is making more products for race weekend.
“A lot of people seem to be behind Ed this year,” Moroknek said, “so we think there could be a big run.”
This post will be updated this afternoon with a complete list of the top 10 selling IndyCar drivers in terms of merchandise
sales this May.
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Judging from TV and news reports this is one of the least attended months in Indy history. The numbers do not compute....
It appears that we will have to wait for any sort of Indy Car apocalypse.
What does not compute is your constant attempts to rip Indy leads you to lie which is easily caught. this is not the first time. But i guess when the month is going so well, you must really be a sad feller.
So is it time to change your end of world prediction? Even the radio preacher got it wrong. 2013, or should we jump ahead to 2017?
Ok, you think about it. You say run up to a sale. What possible good would that do unless they were to sell to someone else wanting to grow the business as it exists?
Hmmmmm, sheesh you dufus......
It's almost a sellout, theses cars don't fly, major activation coming, advertising nationwide, key metrics are up, "I'll probably have to apologize", TV rating right where we want them....any of these gems ring a bell?
Retail sales to a new high of what? Failure, income, sales, revenue, income, what? Compared to what? 1996, 1969, 1979, 1911, what?
Yet, 0.03, 0.22, 0.29 tell a different story.
Then again, maybe you have noticed that when you report anything positive about Indycar, you get positive support from both the disciple and Indyman characters.
But when you report anything negative...well, letâ??s just say these same two characters probably speak very lowly of you as your name usually gets the rolling eye smilie with the majority of the Indycar fans at that forum.
Now...how is that for some good old fashioned hypocrisy?
And by the way, it is a well-worn old method of promoters to claim ticket sales are great...as a way to help drive not-so-great ticket sales.
After all, who wants to attend an event knowing it is less than popular?
I've been around a good while as a race fan...and I can't remember anyone from Indy ever having to talk about ticket sales up until around the turn of this new century. I have a feeling things were pretty fat in the old days...and they really didn't need to do much because the RACING PRODUCT sold very well.
What do you suppose happened in the meantime???
I think I'll just wait to catch some images of the crowd and see what the media reports.
I have a feeling they will be shooting a lot straighter than disciple ot Indyman.