New NASCAR start times pose difficult dilemma for IRL
New NASCAR start times may cause Indy Racing League to choose between pleasing its TV partner or local promoters.
IndyCar Series
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Indy Racing League TV ratings skidding toward season’s end
Indy Racing League television ratings on cable channel Versus dipped below average at Japan race. Now open-wheel series’ new
TV partner is picking up NASCAR programming. So what gives?
Patrick reaches agreement to stay with IRL team
Danica Patrick has reached an agreement on a three-year contract to remain at Andretti Green Racing and stay in the IndyCar
Series, according to a report in Sports Illustrated.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO takes over at difficult time
New Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Jeff Belskus has long been a behind-the-scenes figure at IMS. As the new leader of the
Brickyard and the Indy Racing League, he faces several challenging issues, including gaining the confidence of the racing
community.
New Speedway boss Jeff Belskus: ‘We do face some challenges’
New Speedway leader Jeff Belskus speaks with IBJ about his new job and the near-term challenges and long-term future of the
operations he oversees.
Indy Racing League must go international to survive
Like it or not, the Indy Racing League is becoming an international series, with American drivers like
Patrick, Andretti and Rahal and internationally known drivers such as Castroneves, Kanaan, Mutoh and
Meira.
BENNER: Time for some perspective on Tony George’s legacy
Reports of a Hulman-George family feud proved dead-on accurate when matriarch Mari Hulman-George issued a statement June
30 confirming the ouster of her son, Tony, as CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the family business empire. Shortly
thereafter, Tony George also resigned as CEO of the Indy Racing League.
Tony George’s successor might trade tradition for revenue
A management shake-up at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has some in the motorsports industry thinking major changes could
be on the horizon at the fabled race venue—maybe as soon as next year.
IRL signs two new sponsors
California-based DB Schenker is the official freight logistics sponsor of the IRL, and South Carolina-based Kymco USA is the
official scooter and off-road utility vehicle of the IRL and Firestone Indy Lights.
George gives IRL four years to break even … or else
Indy Racing League founder Tony George dropped a bombshell in December when he told an industry group that he would shut down
the open-wheel series if it didn’t break into the black soon.
IRL sees progress in TV ratings
The Grand Prix at Long Beach April 19 scored a 0.5 TV rating for the Indy Racing League, according to New York-based Nielsen
Media Research. That’s the same rating the race earned last year on ESPN 2 when it was the swan song for CART.
IRL signs major new sponsors
In the last week of March, IRL officials put the finishing touches on four sponsorship deals.
Izod rolls out Indy Racing clothing line
New York-based Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. will roll out its Izod/Indy race-inspired clothing collection in Macy’s stores nationwide in April.
IRL may delay engine switch
The Indy Racing League is considering delaying adoption of its new engine formula by a year—to 2012—so teams
can afford to make the switch.
BSU football scores record TV ratings, attendance boost
The Ball State University victory over Central Michigan University Nov. 19, televised live on ESPN2 and seen in more than
1.6 million homes, ranks as the most-viewed and highest-rated college football game ever for a Tuesday or Wednesday night
on the network.
IRL’s Danica Patrick tops most-searched list on Web
Indy Racing League driver Danica Patrick topped golfer Tiger Woods, quarterback Tom Brady and Super Bowl champion Eli Manning
as the most searched-for athlete in 2008, according to America Online’s annual list of top Web, mobile and video searches.
Overshadowed by Patrick, Fisher fights to keep racing
A group of motorsports journalists stood open-mouthed along the wall of the Texas Motor Speedway in 1999 as they watched 19-year-old
Sarah Fisher, fresh from the sprint car and dirt track circuits, zip past veteran open-wheel racers Buddy Lazier and Billy
Boat. What happened to Fisher over the next nine years is equally amazing–and mystifying–to those same motorsports experts
who watched her in Texas.
Open-wheel reunion creating more business opportunities
In the end, the catastrophic sponsorship shift from open-wheel racing to NASCAR became too much to ignore, driving the long-divided
sides of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League back into a unified series.
Speedway shows popular on Joost Web network
Shows provided by IMS Productions, the video production arm of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, are among the top draws for Joost, a high-profile Internet provider of television content launched last October.
IRL widens advertising base
The Indy Racing League will roll out category sponsorship deals with soft drink, energy drink and motor oil brands in the
next two months. IRL officials declined to divulge which companies the deals are with, but said each are multiyear, multimillion-dollar
deals.