2014 IndyCar Season Discussion

[MillsLayne]

I think prestige and glamour is what got NASCAR into a bind with it's track selection. Going to all these big city markets (in which a lot don't care about NASCAR) and building dull tracks that help create a lack of good racing, while dumping some of the classics. Pocono is a fantastic choice for Indycar and one that I am very excited to watch.

 

[Fisha695]

Fisha, Pocono is scheduled for a 400 mile race.

Yeah I saw, and in that case it shouldn't be part of the Triple Crown as that was 3 500mi races.

Something more prestigious and glamorous than Pocono.

Pocono has a pretty prestigious past with Indycars, however it was also one of the tracks most scarred by the USAC/CART split which is why it's taken them so long to come back (Doc had made it known that he didn't care if they came back after he died but after what happened with the split they weren't ever going to be there again when he was alive).

 

[flyersfan4888]

1 race on Saturday & 1 on Sunday. Both are full distance, points & money races.

Indy 500, Pocono (500?) & California 500 will make up the Triple Crown where if a driver can win all 3 of those races they will get a $1,000,000 bonus (if you win 2 out of 3 you only get $250,000). Fontana also moves back to mid October.

Also if I just heard what I think I heard then NBCSN will have the first part of the season & then 6 of the final 7 races will be on ABC/ESPN.

2014 is the last year of the current Firestone contract.

RSN will also be the broadcast partner for Canada.

EDIT: Pocono is also a 3 year deal.

According to Pocono's Facebook, the Indy race will be a 400-miler.

EDIT: oops...didn't see posted already. My bad.

 

[Orian Thompson]

Indy 400?
That doesn't sit with me too well..

 

[flyersfan4888]

Indy 400?
That doesn't sit with me too well..

I meant that POCONO would be a 400-miler... I apparently didn't realize it was already posted.

/crisisaverted.

 

[dalejrgamer]

Here's the full schedule if you're curious:

March 24 – St. Petersburg, street circuit, (NBC Sports Network)
April 7 – Birmingham, Ala., road course, (NBCSN)
April 21 – Long Beach, street circuit, (NBCSN)
May 5 – Sao Paulo, Brazil, street circuit, (NBCSN)
May 18-19 – Indianapolis qualifying (NBCSN)
*May 26 – Indianapolis 500, oval, (ABC)
June 1 – Detroit, street circuit, (ABC)
June 2 – Detroit, Street circuit, (ABC)
June 8 – Fort Worth, Texas, oval, (ABC)
June 15 – Milwaukee, oval, (NBCSN)
June 23 – Newton, Iowa, oval, (ABC)
*July 7 – Pocono, Pa., oval, (ABC)
July 13 – Toronto, street circuit, (NBCSN)
July 14 – Toronto, street circuit, (NBCSN)
Aug. 4 – Lexington, Ohio, road course, (NBCSN)
Aug. 25 – Sonoma, Calif., road course, (NBCSN)
Sept. 1 – Baltimore, street circuit, (NBCSN)
Oct. 5 – Houston, street circuit, (NBCSN)
Oct. 6 – Houston, street circuit, (NBCSN)
*Oct. 19 – Fontana, Calif., oval, (NBCSN)

Doubleheaders are hit-and-miss, but we'll see how it goes. Pocono returning is great, shame it had to be 400 miles because of the TV restrictions (whatever that means). Don't like the gap between Baltimore and Houston, tho.

 

[MattSRD28]

Doubleheaders on road/street courses but not any oval doubleheaders only widens the imbalance between ovals and road/street courses.

 

[Paul Johnson]

Most of the ovals are on normal ABC! THANK GOD!

 

[ShadowKnight508]

Don't like the gap between Baltimore and Houston, tho.

I don't like the gap between Mid-Ohio and Sonoma either. Twenty-one days is quite the stretch between races (along with the month and four day gap between Baltimore and Houston) (n)

 

[MillsLayne]

Doubleheaders on road/street courses but not any oval doubleheaders only widens the imbalance between ovals and road/street courses.

Maybe Will Power had a hand in the schedule? haha

 

[dalejrgamer]

Or that he'll find a way to choke and lose to Dario Franchitti/another Yank, like he always does.

 

[Pabig]

I don't like the idea of having standing starts for the double-header weekends, seems very odd for IndyCar.

Also I am VERY disappointed that Pocono is the only new Oval, would have loved if they returned to Loudon and also a Phoenix race would be cool, and maybe one day they can return to Dover.

 

[celticfang]

Not a fan of only going to Pocono, but IIRC it's not owned by SMI/ISC whic is a problem for Indy as far as ovals go.

 

[Fisha695]

Dover isn't gonna happen (more Vertigo then Texas the last time they raced at Dover), and I believe there are more ovals on the horizon for 2014.

The biggest issue here to me appears that well there is just not a variety of ovals here as everybody thinks there is.
Bristol, Martinsville, Daytona, Talladega = automatically out of the running

Vegas & Charlotte maybe with the new package could work

Atlanta needs to be paved

Darlington & Dover are pretty much out too (though Darlington might work?)

Rockingham has been tossed around but it might need a repave before Indycar considers it.

Phoenix & the other ISC tracks are well ISC tracks & ISC (NASCAR) for some reason pulled out of Indycar a few years back.. Well with the exception of Fontana but I don't think even ISC likes to claim that track haha

Kentucky would be great to have back but I think the series (and SMI?) are a little timid after Vegas & I don't foresee SMI wanting to promote NHMS as a "major league player" in the track world (I honestly see it's 2nd Cup weekend as safe for long either)


Honestly I'd rather see the series turn into "GP2 America" and then find some way to get that proposed USAC Gold-Crown Series off the ground and have that series take over the Oval Openwheel stuff.

 

[dalejrgamer]

IndyCar gains momentum...
*finds out that Tony George wants to buy the series back and oust Randy Bernard, with Andretti, Penske, Ganassi, and Kalkhoven involved*
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand it's gone.

 

[Frigus5]

Randy's doing a very fine job. Many may not agree, but with the restrictions he has in terms of getting more ovals, and yet still getting more fans out to the track and watching on TV, I'd say he's done a damn fine job. Ousting him would officially kill the series as we know it.

 

[nascarfreak88]

I don't understand why they don't broadcast the championship race on ABC...

 

[Fisha695]

I don't understand why they don't broadcast the championship race on ABC...

Because NBC paid to broadcast it.

 

[RP Motorsports]

Bernards contradictory statements amuse me.

"We want more ovals. More ovals is the goal." So you're going from a 10:5 raito to 13:6? :confused1:

The whole thing is just disappointing to me. The powers-that-be are going to drive this thing straight into the ground. I see this very encouraging glimmer of hope with a couple great races last year on ovals, and yet they go in the opposite direction of it. And not only that, but now they're doing double-headers of it. So now there will be TWO strung out parades in one weekend. Not good for viewership in my opinion. Plus they lump together four of the six ovals. At least spread them out a bit to break up the redundancy. Again, not good for viewership.

I've said it before, they really need to start thinking about the broader fan base and growing it, instead of just the smaller hardcore/dedicated fan base. Its not going to be sustainable if you're only going to cater to that loyal group. I dont think they get that.

In fact, part of me doesnt even believe some of the stuff Bernard says. I'm not even sure I believe he truly wants more ovals (at least not enough to make a balanced schedule). They make their money doing these street/road course festivals, so I think he gets the tunnel vision and doesnt realize (or maybe its denial) that its not going to help with TV viewership. There arent many people (outside of the dedicated group) that are going to sit through even half of a strung out parade. Nevermind twice in one weekend. Ten minutes of it, and people will be changing the channel (and not going back).

Until the IndyCar brass realizes this, I dont see anything changing (and even getting worse). And its disappointing to see.

 

[dalejrgamer]

I can only imagine one thing worse than all that: CART II.