A great American event now a shell of its former self. Pole day at Indianapolis.

[A HERETIC I AM]

I realize this isn't earth shattering or even of major consequence, but i was just watching the "Indy 500 Time Trials" (qualifying) on ESPN2 and couldn't help but notice how empty the grandstands are. I worked in Indy Car Racing for 7 years and attended the 500 as a participant from 1990 through 1995. In the early 90's there would be over 350,000 people at the Speedway on the 1st Saturday of qualifying - known as "pole day" because it is the day the holder of the pole position is determined for the race that will run the Sunday before Memorial Day. The entire front stretch would be a sea of people and it was a huge event for the city of Indianapolis, second only to Race Day itself. If you hadn't booked your hotel room a year in advance, you were going to be staying miles and miles away.

Now the entire month of May at the Speedway is literally dead. It is a shame. Tony George, the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has completely screwed open wheel racing in this country by creating the "Indy Racing League" back in 1995. It has created confusion among the casual fans and as a consequence, interest has dropped off dramatically.

Again, i realize many of you don't give a damn about this subject but it was a major part of my life for almost a decade and it breaks my heart to see what has become of what once was the most heavily attended motor racing event in the world.

Screw you, Tony George. Bring the 2 open wheel series back together and let the 500 become once again, what it was for over 85 years -

The Greatest Spectacle in Racing

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. interesting...

is it because Nascar has been tightly linked to Redneck Repugs, or the fact that no-one has the expendible income to attend? :shrug:


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[A HERETIC I AM]

2. It is because for years, the field of entrants consisted of a reliable group of teams and drivers...

and now those teams and drivers are split between two racing series - "Champ Car" or what is left of C.A.R.T) http://www.champcarworldseries.com/FrontPage.asp

and the "Indy Racing League" http://www.indycar.com/

which was formed about 12 years ago. When it was formed, it caused a split in loyalty with the fans and they left the Speedway in droves. They haven't returned.

It isn't political (although i am almost positive Tony George is a repub) and NASCAR had nothing to do with it, outside of benefiting by picking up fans that were disgusted with the state of affairs in open wheel racing.

[hippiechick]

3. I don't think people can relate to it anymore ...

... there used to be 'household names' - Unser, Andretti, Foyt, Rutherford, Mears, etc - and 'household sponsors' that fans could follow throughout a season, and now there's barely enough cars to fill the field of 33.

Drivers nobody but the hardcore fan has ever heard of, and in the case of the guy who was on the pole when I left for work a little while ago, this is the only race he's going to drive this year.

:shrug: NASCAR does seem to have elbowed its way into 'prime time American culture' and open wheel seems like its become a thing of the past.

[shraby]

4. Another thing that has hurt...the number of

commercials aired when the Indy is on television. My husband is a long time fan and won't watch it anymore because they've ruined it with commercials.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

5. It has often been said...

That it takes the following generations to really screw the family business.

[catnhatnh]

6. Yep...and Nascar is no better....

it was a family tradition of the last twenty years that summer afternoons were given over to a barbecue and an afternoon of racing.Instead now we are fed a series of scripted pap and late starts to accommadate the West Coast audience and TV marketing that have "improved" auto racing to become "entertainment".The irony was that West Coast fans-real lovers of the sport-had long ago set their weekend rituals around 10 am races and their own brunch routine...a fan watches what happens WHEN it happens....results? Nascar viewership down 19% and over 40% in markets they hoped to enhance...Broadcast problems-Rediculous recapping after every commercial break,fluff segments and explaining car parts to people whom both love and understand cars....In short it SUCKS and if it continues I'll give up racing entirely.