[IndianaSprintFan]

Im sure this has been asked before but what has caused indy car to get so far away from oval racing?

[BrentTFunk]

A lot has to do that they haven't drawn good crowds. With most of the ovals owned by NASCAR, they have little interest either. I would bet Indycar and the Silver Crown race are self promoted.

[IndianaSprintFan]

I can't imagine crowds would be much worse then nascar these days. Love watching indy car but just can't get into the road course racing. Be nice to see the Michigan's and Kentuckys and Richmond back on schedule

[Rich Mersereau]

Too dangerous. I would imagine behind the scenes the drivers really don't like playing tag at 220mph. Just a hunch. Personally i love the IndyCar race at Texas, it's one of the best races you'll ever watch.

Rich M

[Brickyard]

Originally Posted by IndianaSprintFan I can't imagine crowds would be much worse then nascar these days. Love watching indy car but just can't get into the road course racing. Be nice to see the Michigan's and Kentuckys and Richmond back on schedule

They are tremendously worse. I think Phoenix got like 20 to 25K last year. The last race at Kentucky was freaking horrible. IndyCar does a fairly poor job of promoting itself outside of 16th and Jonestown and part of that is brought on by Tony George's TV deal which is why NBC cannot place races on their main network, ABC stipulated that they are the only ones that can show OTA.

From a fan standpoint you can much bigger bang for you buck at a road/street course as well. Often they are paired with sports cars and/or all three MRTI programs, so there is constant on track action and not to mention you can get up and walk around rather than being confined to a seat in the hot sun.


But at the end of the day, regardless of what Tony promised you all, it was never about preserving the "oval heritage", which if you know anything of the history of series, well, to put it lightly is a line of ********. It was 100% about preserving the perceived slighting of the cash cow at 16th and the roundabout and who was going to control the series. So I don't think anyone should be in the least surprised as to the direction of the series after the vision of total world domination was completed with the merger in 2008.

[chrismattlin]

Yes, it comes down to the fact that IndyCars' oval races have not been well attended in recent years. The consensus among fans is that there isn't much action on event days outside the main event. This is why the Silver Crown cars were added at Phoenix this weekend.

The tide seems to be shifting however: with the downturn in NASCAR's popularity, in both attendance and Tv numbers, IndyCar is looking more and more attractive to promoters and sponsors. Gateway was added to the schedule this season for an August date, and word on the street says that Kentucky Speedway recently approached the series about getting back on the schedule in order to replace their recently lost stand-alone Xfinity date.

The answer to the question is if you love Indy-style oval racing (like me), watch them on Tv, and go to one (or more!) of the races near you. Also, maybe send Kentucky Speedway an email and let them know that you'd love to see IndyCar back; I know I plan to.

[chrismattlin]

Originally Posted by BrentTFunk A lot has to do that they haven't drawn good crowds. With most of the ovals owned by NASCAR, they have little interest either. I would bet Indycar and the Silver Crown race are self promoted.

Actually, ISC is, in fact, promoting the show at Phoenix. NOT a self promotion. ISC is also promoting Watkins Glen this year too- after IndyCar self-promoted it last season.

Just one reason why I say that the tide seems to be turning.

[Ford Racing]

It was inevitable that as CART failed and eventually ceased to exist, Indycar would add road courses to replace ovals that were not well attended.

[Jonr]

The answer is in the profitability of the event. If oval races were consistent money makers, they would be on the schedule.

[Wingman]

........Kentucky Speedway recently approached the series about getting back on the schedule in order to replace their recently lost stand-alone Xfinity date.

Would Love to see Indy car back at Kentucky. I have been to the race a number of times when they raced there. Every finish you could not put a piece of paper between 1st and 2nd. It makes no sense to me why people did not see that and not support that race. I guess I am one the few that prefer open wheel over parade racing in this state.