Maybe I'm Underthinking This

Seems like everyone is jumping on the "how to fix IndyCar" bandwagon. Pressdog has a great blog here and Steph over at More Front Wing comes equally as strong with her blog here. They aren't alone, Track Forum and practically the entire IndyCar blogger community is full of people who have some great ideas on how to "fix" IndyCar.

BUT

There's something missing in all these great ideas.

No one ever stops and asks themselves one very simple question. The scary part is, the answer to the question might be the answer to IndyCar's biggest problems.

How did I become a fan of IndyCar?

We can go on and on about to attract new fans, but maybe we should look at ourselves and say, "this is why I started watching and this is why I stayed." It stands to reason that if something drew you to the sport, why couldn't that same thing draw someone else to the sport?

Was it the speed, the technology, the tracks, the drivers, the competition, the manufacturers, the glitz, the glamour, the danger...

Or was it a zip line and a ferris wheel?

So next time you're thinking up all these ideas to gain new fans, remember that you are a fan and whatever attracted you to IndyCar could just as easily attracted someone else.

IndyCar's Long Term Plan

100 years of racing, 84 years of progress.

Since IndyCar doesn't have a long term plan in place, I've decided to enlist my services in writing one for them. I realize that much of my plan requires Hulman & Co. to spend money, but I hope I make the case this is smart money to spend.

FOR THE FANS

Hire a marketing firm.

A real marketing firm like IMG, not Gene Simmons. This marketing firm needs to be IndyCar's eyes and ears on the fans. What race do fans want to watch on TV the most? What's the average income for IndyCar fans? How much are fans willing to pay for streaming? Why are fans leaving NASCAR and what can we do to get them? The marketing firm should be able to answer any of the questions whenever IndyCar asks them.

The firm will also establish a relationship with teams and help them on strategies to find sponsors, or helping them find sponsors. If the firm does it job right, it should pay for itself.

Let an outside partner run the website.

It works great for NASCAR. The outside partner can incur the costs of running the site and providing content, while selling advertising to make money to cover the costs. Saves IndyCar the money of running a site. Since the outside partner will be interested in generating revenue, they would have to provide plenty of content to keep the IndyCar fan base coming back for more.

Fix TV

This is one not just for the fans, but for the owners and the tracks as well. It would be in the best interest of all involved parties for Comcast to move IndyCar to USA Network. I cannot imagine Comcast is making money with IndyCar on NBC Sports Network, so it only makes since to move at least half the races to USA. Hopefully showing the races to the wider audience will entice folks to watch the races on NBCsn. At the same time, tracks and owners can sell sponsorship buy being on one of the highest rated cable channels.

(And if I had my way, USA would get a block of  "Saturday Night Specials" in June. Texas, Milwaukee, Iowa, Richmond(?). Can't you just see the promos with cars running wheel to wheel, sparks flying, smoke effects, and the Skynyrd song playing? I know you can!)

If Comcast doesn't agree to this, then it's time to go the route of the NHRA and ALMS and buy time on ESPN/ABC. The hope would be that by establishing itself on ESPN and ABC, sponsorship can be found to offset the cost of buying time.

FOR EVERYONE

The Schedule

I propose IndyCar set up a group of 12 to 14 "core" races at permanent tracks (we can include Long Beach and Toronto here) and fill out the rest of the season with money grabbing street races or races outside of North America. The "core" races would be those identified by the marketing firm as the races that the fans most want to attend or watch. These races will all appear on ABC or USA, in order to reach the widest audience possible.

The core races would be given a minimum 3 year contract and would run on, or as close as possible, the same weekend for those 3 years. At the end of three years an evaluation will be made on how successful each race is, and what to do next.


I think it would come as no surprise to anyone if Road America was identified by the market firm as one of IndyCar's most wanted races. We already know what Road America thinks of IndyCar's current sanctioning fee. The solution is something I call an "Attendance Bonus."

It's simple. IndyCar gives tracks a reduced sanctioning fee. Once attendance reaches a certain mark, IndyCar would get a percentage of the gate. Let's say Road America breaks even with 35,000 in attendance. The bonus would kick is for every ticket AFTER 40,000. The tracks get their money, and if IndyCar is doing it's job right, they will not lose money. (Obviously, the bonus changes a bit if a sponsor is found)

Establishing these "core" races that are identified as the most wanted by fans should go a long way towards increasing ratings and attendance, and with the bonus I think the tracks and IndyCar will be able to work together towards a common goal.

FOR THE OWNERS

The owners will get to right their own technical regulations. The teams know what they can and cannot afford to do, so why can't they just gather all their engineers together and write a formula that works the best for all of them? If they are the ones that make the rules, the only people they can complain to are themselves. 

And who knows, maybe they'll write a formula that will bring back some good old-fashion ingenuity and innovation to IndyCar. 

So that's it, I know it doesn't address all the issues, but it's more than what IndyCar currently has in a long term plan.