# INDY 500 Irl Racing ,,, Boring,,,



## mainedish (Mar 25, 2003)

No wonder Nascar beats IRL racing in the ratings. The INDY 500 was boring.


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## Cyclone (Jul 1, 2002)

The funny thing is that the Indy500 is the best IRL race of the year.

*yawn*


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## mainedish (Mar 25, 2003)

Cyclone said:


> The funny thing is that the Indy500 is the best IRL race of the year.
> 
> *yawn*


Remember when this was the race to watch? The IRL thing is a mess. Lots of empty seats for the rest of the races if it's like last year. I can see why NASCAR is doing so well.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

Merge CART and IRL already...Bring it back to what it once was...


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## John Corn (Mar 21, 2002)

Congrats to Buddy and Rahal/Letterman racing!!!.....I enjoyed the race!!!! :hurah:

A very entertaining and safe race. Some great racing and REALLY exciting restarts. 14 cars on the lead lap. 2 Americans in the top five (1st and 4th). Good work by Matsuura and (Connecticut native)Simmons. I was suprised Dixon was never a factor.

Gotta say that this race will really be a shot in the arm for the IRL. 

-American winner from the IRL. The best race car won.

-Honda will be well pleased. They aren't going anywhere, which means Toyota ain't goin anywhere. And they will be advertising it everywhere that THEY won the INDY 500. Good publicity for the IRL.

-ABC did a good job today. It wasn't perfect, but it's better than anything we've had from them lately. Also I'm glad they stayed the entire day with the race and they even allowed time for the post-race interview. Thumbs up ABC, hopefully this new contract will provide for better coverage and better ratings. I don't know what the ratings will be for this year's race. Because it was stretched out so long it might not be so good but it did also get some primetime viewship and that does help.

-Rahal will be very pleased that he made the full commitment to the IRL. I think it made the team much stronger. Rahal made the comment he would keep 4 teams when Kenny comes back if the sponsors stay. Good chance of that now. Vasser could not have brought this car home like that no matter how jealous he is.

- Letterman was very happy. I have never seen him that animated. He will be very good for the IRL.

-AGR has to be pleased. MA said that Rice had the best car so it's not that bad. Team finished great except for Dario. He has a great team that works well together. Weldon is HOTT and steady. Kanan is the same but with a little maturity and more calculating. I smell Championship for this team.

-SAFR has also got to be happy with it's performance. Adrian also didn't have to deal with the politics anymore.

-Cheever didn't have a great day but knows he has something to work with.

-It was a really safe race and fairly clean racing. I can't remember seeing passing like that at the Speedway. Three wide going into or coming out of the corners? Four wide down the straights! These drivers need a very big pat on the back. 

-Simmons went from MIPS driver to Indycar driver in nothing flat and proved he could do it. He may well get his wish.

-Will Ray make any more races? I don't think so but we will see.

-Will RG put someone in his cars. Why not make the team strong and experienced for next year?

-What about Beck, PDM, and Schimdt? Will they make any more races? Let's hope so. They have more spirit and guts than to just fade away. 

-Another great attendance, I was worried to when I woke up at eight for the pre race stuff and the stands didnt have a lot of people I was like o crap, but green flag giant crowd 300-350,000 easy, but after the rain some people sitting in 4 didnt come back, oh well still around 275-300 came back, awesome racing, its amazing we didnt have a lot of multi car crashes, its amazing we had 23 cars finish.

I enjoyed..... :up:


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## mainedish (Mar 25, 2003)

You would think Letterman would know more about racing being a owner.


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

NASCAR and the IRL are not in competition. 99% of NASCAR's growth has not been at the expense of Indy-type racing, but at the expense of baseball and basketball. 

The Indy 500 was a fine race. However, the race, and the IRL, must change many "traditions" to be more TV friendly. Starting in the morning (but for the rain) and an arcane qualifying procedure that often consists of sitting around doing NOTHING for hours are the first things to go.

The IRL was founded to revive the sport from the low point that CART had taken it to. CART is almost dead, reduced to time-buys on Spike channel and races where 95% of the live gate are comps. And its just a spec race now. Totally worthless. 

Having defeated this worthless form of racing in the Free Market, why would the IRL want to merge with it, rather than just watch it die out totally.


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## Cyclone (Jul 1, 2002)

SamC, you must know that you are full of it. The Indy Cars were never in better shape until the IRL was formed to split away. Everthing went downhill *AFTER* that. The IRL did not revive anything, its only led to the deterioration of Open wheel racing. First it was the regular races, and now even the venerable Indy500 is losing all importance. Only Tony George and the IRL are to blame for this fiasco.

SFGate - This used to be a great weekend

Baltmore Sun - Checkered Future


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## ibglowin (Sep 10, 2002)

And why the heck wasn't the race shown in HD????

I thought for sure ABC would give us some great HD Indy racing.......

Watched about 5 minutes when I saw it was in SD.


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## DBSPaul (Mar 26, 2002)

You want open-wheel racing in HD? Look at OWRS (Champ Car) on HDnet.

As for 95% of the gate being comps, you better turn that around - TG was giving away tickets left and right for the 500. Has been for the last several years. OWRS street and road course races are largely all paid ticket holders.

As for OWRS being spec .. it now costs more to run in the IRL than in Champ Car. When the IRL was "formed", it was to: lower costs for teams (spec engines, chassis, etc.), provide opportunities for American drivers, etc. etc. Now you've got what you wanted: Toyota, Honda, expensive engine leases, and foreign drivers. Many deals and lots of Holman/George money went out just to get 33 cars on the grid. Bump day was a joke.

I'll watch my races on HDnet, thankyouverymuch.


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

Hardly. In the late CART era, open-wheel racing (starting from even or ahead of NASCAR when CART was formed and NASCAR had its first race on TV, in 1979), had fallen to a very low level. CART's offering was nothing but rich-kid no-talent F1 flunk-out Brazilianires. And an unfair system of engine leasing and unequal access to technology. 

Mr. George took a HUGE risk, and save the sport. 

And the Market, in its perfection, has spoken. CART is bankrupt, and soon will cease to exist totally. The IRL will continue to grow for decades to come.


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## Steveox (Apr 21, 2004)

Well NASCAR RULES!! More Action than indy cars.


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## mainedish (Mar 25, 2003)

The Nascar Drivers also have a connection with the fans unlike Cart IRL. That is something Nascar is proud of and they should be.


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## DBSPaul (Mar 26, 2002)

SamC said:


> CART's offering was nothing but rich-kid no-talent F1 flunk-out Brazilianires. And an unfair system of engine leasing and unequal access to technology.


..and your point being? What is the IRL now, if not exactly what you just described. Engine leasing and the motor/chassis manufacturers "dictating" the rules are what dealt CART a huge blow, from which it is now recovering. Getting Toyota out of CART was the best thing to happen to it in years.

The IRL now has engine leasing and unequal access to technology. If you don't believe that, then look at what Honda did at IMS. Look back a little further and find out that Penske teams have traditionally always had a little something "extra" that no one else did. TCGR will always have more than the little teams. Sounds like unequal access to technology to me...

Your apparent precious series is in serious danger if it doesn't realize that letting Toyota and Honda in are the two worst things that could have ever happened to it.

Brazilian drivers? Let's just start counting the non-US ones in the IRL now, given that the stated goal of the IRL when it was founded was to provide opportunities for *AMERICAN* drivers. Not Helio Castroneves, not Adrian Fernandex, not Scott Dixon, not ... (Get the picture here? All non-American.)



> Mr. George took a HUGE risk, and save the sport.
> 
> And the Market, in its perfection, has spoken. CART is bankrupt, and soon will cease to exist totally. The IRL will continue to grow for decades to come.


CART the company may have declared bankruptcy, but OWRS is hardly dead. You seriously misunderestimate the b*lls that the new owners have. TG did *NOT* save the sport. He put the dagger in it by playing with mommie's dollars. Look at the IRL ratings. Down .. down .. down. Look at the attendance at every other track than IMS. Pathetic. Look at the stands at Long Beach. Packed.

Your world view is nothing more than an IRL cheerleader. Market perfection? If you consider NASCRAP to be perfect, then the market has spoken.

There are some of us in the world who prefer to see cars turn right more than just getting out of the pits.


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## Steveox (Apr 21, 2004)

Theres way too much of action on nascar.Man nascar takes your breath away and pounds your heart.Id be scared to be inside of a stock car than an indy car.NASCAR is a killer to the drivers.BTW when is the last death recorded in an indy car race in america.I can recall the last death in nascar he name is dale earnhardt.He died on the last lap on the daytona 500 crash.And the daytona speedway is a far more dangerous track than the indianapolis motor speedway.


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## paulh (Mar 17, 2003)

For those of you complaining about the lack of HD broadcast at Indy. I remember in the 80's watching a tape delayed TV broadcast of the 500. (only radio was live, I heard of a guy that would take lap notes during the radio broadcast, and would amaze his wife at how he could predict crashes on "live TV"). The Indy 500 TV broadacast has never been on the cutting edge, but that should be a tradition that ends.

As far as the actual race, I never remember seeing that much 3 and 4 wide racing as this year.

As far as NASCAR being more dangerous?
http://www.indymotorspeedway.com/500fatal.htm Show me Daytona's list.


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## Cyclone (Jul 1, 2002)

Does Indy matter anymore.


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## Steveox (Apr 21, 2004)

paulh said:


> For those of you complaining about the lack of HD broadcast at Indy. I remember in the 80's watching a tape delayed TV broadcast of the 500. (only radio was live, I heard of a guy that would take lap notes during the radio broadcast, and would amaze his wife at how he could predict crashes on "live TV"). The Indy 500 TV broadacast has never been on the cutting edge, but that should be a tradition that ends.
> 
> As far as the actual race, I never remember seeing that much 3 and 4 wide racing as this year.
> 
> ...


Heres Daytonas list

02/18/2001 - Updated 09:52 PM ET

Auto racing fatalities list

* Deaths at Daytona

Some recent driver deaths in major auto racing events:

NASCAR

Dale Earnhardt, 2001, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Tony Roper, 2000, Fort Worth, Texas
Kenny Irwin, 2000, Loudon, N.H.
Adam Petty, 2000, Loudon, N.H.
John Nemechek, 1997, Homestead, Fla.
Rodney Orr, 1994, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Neil Bonnett, 1994, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Clifford Allison, 1992, Brooklyn, Mich.
J.D. McDuffie, 1991, Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Grant Adcox, 1989, Hampton, Ga.

CART

Greg Moore, 1999, Fontana, Calif.
Gonzalo Rodriguez, 1999, Monterey, Calif.
Jeff Krosnoff, 1996, Toronto.
Jovy Marcelo, 1992, Indianapolis.
Gordon Smiley, 1982, Indianapolis.

Formula One

Ayrton Senna, 1994, Imola, Italy.
Roland Ratzenberger, 1994, Imola, Italy.
Ricardo Paletti, 1982, Montreal.
Gilles Villeneuve, 1982, Spa Francorchamps, Belgium.

IRL

Scott Brayton, 1996, Indianapolis.

Deaths at Daytona

Racing-related deaths at Daytona International Speedway since the track opened in 1959:

1. Marshall Teague, NASCAR stock car practice, Feb. 11, 1959.
2. George Amick, USAC 100-mile race, April 4, 1959.
3. Dr. Bernie Taylor, powerboat race in infield lake, June 14, 1959.
4. Harold Haberling, NASCAR stock car practice, Feb. 21, 1964.
5. Billy Drew Wade, NASCAR stock car tire test, Jan. 5, 1965.
6. Don MacTavish, Sportsman 300 race, Feb. 21, 1969.
7. Wayne Harris Bartz, lightweight motorcycle race, March 12, 1969.
8. Talmadge "Tab" Prince, Twin 125-mile qualifying race, Feb. 19, 1970.
9. Joe "Rusty" Bradley, Daytona 200 race, March 14, 1971.
10. Davd Pearl, Paul Whiteman Trophy Race, July 30, 1971.
11. Friday Hassler, Twin 125-mile NASCAR qualifying race, Feb. 17, 1972.
12. Ricky Knotts, Twin 125-mile NASCAR qualifying race, Feb. 14, 1980.
13. Francis Affleck, ARCA stock car practice, Feb. 7, 1985.
14. Dr. Charles Ogle, stock car testing, injured Dec. 15,
1985, died Dec. 26, 1985.
15. Bruce Jacobi, Twin 125-mile NASCAR qualifying race,
injured Feb. 1983, died Feb. 4, 1987.
16. Joe Young, Charlotte-Daytona Dash race, Feb. 13, 1987.
17. James Kolman, kart testing, Dec. 27, 1987.
18. Randy Glenn, motorcycle practice, Feb. 26, 1988.
19. Don Williams, Sportsman 300 race, injured Feb. 1979, died May 21, 1989.
20. Dale Robertson, kart race, Dec. 27, 1989.
21. Julius Johnson, ARCA 200 stock car race, injured Feb. 11, 1990, died Feb. 14, 1990.
22. Joe Booher, Florida 200 Dash race, Feb. 12, 1993.
23. James Adamo, motorcyle race, March 7, 1993.
24. Neil Bonnett, NASCAR stock car practice, Feb. 11, 1994.
25. Rodney Orr, NASCAR stock car practice, Feb. 14, 1994.
26. Michael Himes, IMSA Two-Hour endurance race, Jan. 31, 1997.
27. Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR Daytona 500, Feb. 18, 2001.

Like i said daytona is nascars death trap.


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## Cyclone (Jul 1, 2002)

You left out Tony Renna from last year at Indy testing.

And Don't forget Kenny's very close call at Texas. That guys on borrowed time.


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## jrbdmb (Sep 5, 2002)

Right ... IndyCar racing is *so* important now, they are giving away tickets to the upcoming Bombardier 500k IRL race on Saturday, June 12th at Texas Motor Speedway on the Internet:

http://www.texasmotorspeedway.com/promo/freeoffer_a.asp


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## paulh (Mar 17, 2003)

There is absolutely no doubt that Indy racing (including the Indy 500) no longer holds the status and popularity it had even back 15+ years ago. Growing up, I only ever followed the 500, so I do not know if the rest of the races had any popularity.

I still think to become a great champion racing driver you need to at least win the Indy 500 (Like Mario won the the Indy 500, Dayton 500 and a F1 championship , and A J foyt won the Indy 500, Daytona 500 and 24hours at LeMans..)

(Given consession and merchandise profits, I think many events should greatly lower their ticket prices, I know I'd spend a lot more total money in consessions watching games at my minor league team if it were not a friggin $9 a seat to see a game. As it is, I'll likely only go to 1 or 2 games. If I could get in for $2/seat, I'd go at least once a week, and buy a few sodas and popcorn or hotdogs...)


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## Steveox (Apr 21, 2004)

Indy racing is still popular in europe like the grand prix for example.Maybe they should have limited indy racing in the US and replace them indy tracks with nascar racing and that will add more nascar racing in the US.


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## mainedish (Mar 25, 2003)

If you could just get all of the Nascar drivers to drive the INDY 500 race can you imagine the ratings?


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## Steveox (Apr 21, 2004)

mainedish said:


> If you could just get all of the Nascar drivers to drive the INDY 500 race can you imagine the ratings?


Yeah with stock cars.Youll get huge ratings.


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## mainedish (Mar 25, 2003)

No. I am talking about them driving INDY cars. They do race that track during the NASCAR season.


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## Cyclone (Jul 1, 2002)

Steveox said:


> Indy racing is still popular in europe like the grand prix for example.Maybe they should have limited indy racing in the US and replace them indy tracks with nascar racing and that will add more nascar racing in the US.


Please tell me that you meant Formula One. They kinda make fun of IRL & NASCAR racing over in Europe.


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## Steveox (Apr 21, 2004)

Cyclone said:


> Please tell me that you meant Formula One. They kinda make fun of IRL & NASCAR racing over in Europe.


Yeah the europeans support formula one racing.


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