# Indy 500 - Has it really fallen this far?



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

I went to try and find Bump Day qualifying to see if there was any drama in the last hour or so. I had to use the search feature to find it. It used to be on ABC, the ESPN/2. Finally found it on VS. WOW!

I guess people just don't care about Indy anymore.


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## njblackberry (Dec 29, 2007)

Their marketing is terrible. Their "big star" (per the media) - Danica Patrick - had awful qualifying and then blamed her crew. I'm sure they will get decent TV ratings. Indy qualifying doesn't seem to be relevant. Guess ABC was happier broadcasting "Little Boy Blue".


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

The ESPN idea that sports on ESPN (or a broadcast network) are somehow superior to those on Versus (or USA, or CBS College, etc) is something I do not get. It was in HD, well produced and on a channel that everybody gets. What is the difference? The NHL and Indy Car insured more broadcast time and made more money by signing with Versus. Good for them. With all of the search tools included in TV today, how can one have to "look" for anything? Methinks that the source of this idea is a constant repeating of it from Bristol, CT.

That said, Indy Car is run by the gang that could not shoot straight. After defeating the repugnant CART series, the Hullman family took control of the series from Tony George, who had an idea of what he wanted to accomplish, and gave it to a hired in crew that is just trying to live off of what happened in previous decades. 

The series needs a totally new formula, multiple manufacturers, and some real competiton.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

SamC said:


> and on a channel that everybody gets.


Well, up until a couple of months ago, D* subs did not get it.

I guess my point is I didn't think of VS off the top of my head. I believe the proper term is Top of Mind Awareness. Indy on VS. doesn't have that with me. NASCAR and Speed does.


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## renbutler (Oct 17, 2008)

Herdfan said:


> I guess people just don't care about Indy anymore.


Nearly a quarter million of us in attendance on Sunday will beg to differ...


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

renbutler said:


> Nearly a quarter million of us in attendance on Sunday will beg to differ...


That's just the infield. Don't forget the other quarter million in the stands.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

renbutler said:


> Nearly a quarter million of us in attendance on Sunday will beg to differ...


Been to 1 500, 2 Brickyards, 1 F1 and numerous qualifying sessions and practices. I agree that those who go are hardcore commited fans. But this race used to be a huge national event. I guess the feud/split and growth of NASCAR as well as many other distractions (NBA/NHL) have removed it from the national prominence it once held.

My wife is from Indy.


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

That is the conventional wisdom. NASCAR grew at the expense of open-wheel because of the "split". 

IMHO, its wrong. 

1979 is the critical year. In that year, three things happened. NASCAR broadcast its first race flag to flag. ESPN was born. And the open wheel car owners broke away from the Speedway managed series to found CART.

IMHO, CART was the worst thing on earth. Pointless racing. Unqualified buy-a-ride foreigners. Just awful.

And the Market spoke. Starting from way behind, in the new TV era that started in 1979, the people saw NASCAR and they liked it. And they saw CART and they didn't. By the mid 80s NASCAR has passed CART.

Into this came Tony George, who founded the IRL to save open wheel. It was esentually "open wheeled NASCAR". And it worked and after too long of a battle, CART finally died out. 

That should have been it. But the Hullman family, tossed out George (a grandson) and turned the speedway and the series over to "professionals" that seem to be intent on turning it back into CART2.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

SamC said:


> IMHO, CART was the worst thing on earth. Pointless racing. Unqualified buy-a-ride foreigners.
> 
> Into this came Tony George, who founded the IRL to save open wheel. It was esentually "open wheeled NASCAR". And it worked and after too long of a battle, CART finally died out..


When he founded it, one of the foundations was to provide a series for American drivers to move up through the ranks of open-wheel. He didn't want to lose another Jeff Gordon to NASCAR. And yes it worked for a while. He kept Tony Stewart and a couple of others.

But it didn't take long for it to attract more "Unqualified buy-a-ride foreigners". And they started losing all their stars to NASCAR again.

As much as I like NASCAR, there was nothing like watching IRL cars at Texas and Richmond. Those were some good races.


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## njblackberry (Dec 29, 2007)

Someone should clue in ABC to pay a little more attention to lead changes and a little less attention to the cute girl in 24th place. So they've missed two lead changes out of two.

But we did get some in car audio from Danica..

Oops - missed the third during commercial.


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## fluffybear (Jun 19, 2004)

I dread watching auto racing on ABC/ESPN (NASCAR or IRL). They tend to fixate on one or two drivers and forget about the rest of the field. They constantly mis-speak about things or dwell on a single item and mention it every other sentence. 

I personally tend to watch less and less NASCAR Sprint Cup in the second half of the season (when ESPN/ABC take over coverage) as I just can not handle the horrific coverage. I rarely watch IRL or a Nationwide race for this very same reason..


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

Still, ABC/ESPN are not as bad as Ken Squire on CBS was. I think he did the broadcast drunk half the time. That is the only way he could say the stupid stuff he said.


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## njblackberry (Dec 29, 2007)

They were petty awful...


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