Every year the challenge of keeping racing fans engaged gets a little tougher as organizers increasingly compete against other sports and children's events while trying to get fan dollars in a still-tough economy.
It was no surprise that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway approached the Indianapolis-based consumer-review service about sponsorship of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis before the inaugural event in May. But the first response from Angie’s List CEO Bill Oesterle was no.
The consumer-review service has cut a deal to become the title sponsor of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis through 2016, and plans to help pack the stands with 5,000 of its own spectators.
The ratings increase could be attributed to Kurt Busch running both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, the first double attempt since 2004.
Ryan Hunter-Reay edged Helio Castroneves by 0.060 seconds Sunday in the second-closest margin of victory in the history of the race. He became the first American to win the Indy 500 since Sam Hornish Jr. in 2006.
Ryan Hunter-Reay used a series of daredevil moves in the final laps to deny Helio Castroneves a chance at history on Sunday and became the first American since 2006 to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
The hallowed race is straddling a fine line as it tries to please longtime devotees and makes a raft of upgrades to the track and viewing experience designed to secure new fans.
TV ratings for the IndyCar Series zoomed 44 percent this year for the races leading up to the Indianapolis 500, compared to the same period a year ago, buoyed in part by a strong showing for the new Grand Prix of Indianapolis. But overall viewership remains anemic—less than one-fourth the audience for most NASCAR races.
Former Gov. Mitch Daniels is joining the board of Hulman & Co., which owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Verizon Wireless is set to sign a deal to become the title sponsor of the IndyCar Series beginning this season, sources familiar with the deal said Friday afternoon. The deal is reportedly worth $10 million a year for at least five years.
Indianapolis-based Panther Racing Inc.’s lawsuit against Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, IndyCar and others says it lost a $17.2 million sponsorship because of bid-rigging and other improprieties.
Roger Penske wasn't worried about finding a sponsor for Juan Pablo Montoya when he signed him, believing there would be interest in the Colombian's return to open-wheel racing.
The track has scheduled yet another new event for 2014. The move is bound to draw criticism from traditionalists who think Speedway officials are diluting the venue’s heritage by bringing in so many extra races.
There’s no disputing that Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles has added horsepower to the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in his first year on the job. But there are grumblings Miles has not focused enough on the products that literally drive the series—the drivers themselves.
New Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles in February requested public funding assistance to make major upgrades to the 104-year-old landmark.
The IndyCar Series has filed a lawsuit against Radio e Televisao Bandeirantes Ltda., the promoter of an IndyCar race in Sao Paulo, Brazil, seeking to recover a seven-figure sanctioning fee that was due this summer.
The new 14-turn, 2.434-mile course will be run the opposite direction of the Indy 500 on a newly resurfaced track that will be wider, have longer straightaways and three new passing zones, Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials announced Tuesday.
The apparel brand Izod is dropping its partnership with the IndyCar Series after the conclusion of the 2013 season, leaving the open-wheel racing series without a title sponsor.
The unusual move will mark the open-wheel series’ first race on the hallowed track’s winding interior course. And it’s the highest-profile break from tradition yet in the tenure of new Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles.
Dallara is preparing to install a $5 million automobile simulator in its Speedway plant—a move that could fuel the company’s plan to dramatically grow its local operation.
