With the dust having long settled on this years Indycar season, I thought now was a good time to try and give my opinions on how Indycar can make more progress.
The big problem for me is that the series just seems to lack confidence. They don’t want to run into September and October because they feel they can’t compete for TV viewers with the NFL, IndyCar doesn’t run many ovals because they’re afraid of low crowds. It’s hard to support a series that seems scared to support itself.
This, especially with how David Land notes how the series has been in damage control mode for the past 15 years now since the merger. It's afraid to take risks and largely just does what it can to be sustainable as a business with not much consideration for fans outside of the Indy 500
The low crowds at ovals are by design. NASCAR wants the ovals all to themselves, and have made it their mission to ensure IndyCar can’t gain a foothold as a viable competitor, so they order the ovals they have power over (the ISC and SMI ovals) to poorly promote IndyCar races and blame it on fans being “loyal to NASCAR”. IndyCar should really take NASCAR to court for such blatantly anti-competitive practices.
I think this comes from a bit of IRL DNA that they have. Remember when the Texas-CART debacle happened (CART was basically "too fast" for Texas)? At that time, IRL was very popular within Texas so CART was brought there to ensure CART is also popular within there. But after that whole debacle, CART was basically f***ed up and it quickly went to bankruptcy. After 2003, CART was defunct (was revived as Champ Car). This should've been the moment when IRL and CART merged. That could've meant today's IndyCar still has that original IndyCar DNA
A few things I could think of. 1. A few more ovals 2. More horsepower up to 900hp 3. Longer schedule (March to October) 4. A few more night races 5. Better marketing
Agree with 1. Even a couple more ovals and a good mix of speedways, superspeedways, and short ovals would be great. With 2, the hybrid system is being tested as we speak. The supercapacitor-based system is expected to add 150 horsepower maximum, and replaces the push-to-pass engine overboost system. Agree with 3. Races should run at least to October--and we need some international races, too. To me, 4. is not so critical but it would be cool. Agree with 5. They could market themselves as an alternative to F1--though they should say it without even mentioning F1, even when they put the ex-F1 drivers in the marketing.
@@TheOz91For 5) And marketing they are what F1 fans want to see from new F1 regulations. F1 fans say rhey want smaller cars, lower downforce cars, refuelling, close racing, no dominant teams but still dont watch IndyCar because some woukdnt know what it is, some dont know where to watch it and IndyCar could be more popular if they just advertised but just dont, and they also kind of need to get onto the international viewer radar because at the moment they are quite stuck on being just an American series
well i'm european and care for indycar 😅 But when i see how many ad breaks there are in a race i wouldnt want to watch it in the us neither. When i remember back to the time F1 was broadcasted in free tv over here i was annoyed by the 2 ~5min ad breaks and a split screen. When they broadcast indy here they mostly use the nbc commentary, which cuts out when there is an ad in the us, and damn, half the race is without commentary...
It's not that Americans don't care about IndyCar, it's more that F1 and especially NASCAR have had a 25 year head start. As someone who has been to races at Mid Ohio and Nashville, there's been really great turnout at races, even helped by F1's resurgence in the past few years. IMHO, the dated network broadcasting model is massively holding the series back. I love the commentary team and the amazing onboard cameras, but the frequency of ads detract from the product. Full screen ads and forced ads even with an "ad free streaming tier" shouldn't exist in 2023. The format may work for "stick and ball" sports, but it's extremely annoying to miss a key moment while away on break.
the best thing about Indycar is/has, that it's everything F1 isn't: - a somewhat level playing field - portraying itself as an actual sport, not an entertainment show - talent (most of the time) actually matters to get and stay in the series - actual racing due to no drs and/or other gimmicky bullshit - it's not only driven by making money, but also passion for racing - ...and many more things i likely forgot to mention rn
NBC graphic packaging seems to be very similar to IMSA broadcasting (NBC broadcast both indy and imsa) so this tells me NBC is probably just using the same package to save money and if better graphics are demanded indy might need to partner up with imsa for better graphics comparable to wec
See, the issue with the ovals is that the majority of the intermediate 1.5-milers are directly owned by NASCAR; and the only way IC is racing at them is by shelling out money to rent it. Of the rest owned by SMI - Atlanta is no longer suitable, Charlotte and Vegas still have the deaths overshadowing them, Nashville clashes with the street race, and Kentucky is a parking lot. On feeder series track cams, USF Pro would have to pay NBC for their camera operators to work them, and probably also pay IMS Productions to produce the feed. They're entirely different companies right now, so I don't think this is a major concern for INDYCAR specifically.
It's still only a one-mile track, that's still short-track territory. INDYCAR requires at least 1.3 miles to be considered a high-speed oval (that figure is chosen since it splits Gateway into short, and Nashville SS into superspeedway)
From a european fan's perspective one of my biggest issues is the lack of ways to watch. Indycar's own streaming service isn't available in Finland (and many other countries) for races because it's tied to some exclusive pay tv channel package that isn't worth the price tag. I'm a modern man, I want my entertainment on demand on any device and I won't pay extra for content I don't care about. If that's not an option I watch it on third party streams or not at all. They could just do what F1 did and make an exception for their own streaming service on the exclusive tv licences. I doubt the tv deals Indycar is making in Europe excluding UK and Sky are that lucrative in the first place. As a sort of sidenote, I personally would like the series move back towards a customer chassis series rather than a spec series. Seeing the success of the LMDh category in IMSA and WEC makes me believe that it is possible to get manufacturer involvement and multiple chassis while being on a reasonable price for the teams in Indycar as well if that's a direction the series wants to go in. Also more high speed ovals.
I'm not the biggest fan of open-wheelers in general, but I think the problem for many people, me included, is stagnation and promotion. The only things that feel like they have truly changed in Indycar since 2018 is that the schedule is worse and there are fewer home grown stars to cheer on, and outside of the Indy 500 there's no interest in changing that perception for anyone. Indycar needs to get over the fear of failing that has strangling the series' potential for years, and make sure people know that they are. And while this is definitely a me issue, it feels as if Indycar has an image issue, everything about it at least to me gives off the vibe of overwhelming unearned superiority. It's a frustrating series that always finds a way to take two steps back every time they take one forward, but will never admit a mistake, with a fanbase that's more interested in complaining about NASCAR's existence than actually enjoying the series most of the time. I want to enjoy Indycar just as much as I enjoy other forms of racing, but god does Indycar make it hard for me to.
Their social media presence needs to ramp up way more. Right now it's the better than ever before, but it's not enough. Adding to your points about the broadcast, better camera direction for the broadcast as well. I understand there's only so much they can do at the current level, but with F1 even a technically boring or unexciting race can still keep me entertained enough to watch because of the great action shots of the cars and the commentary. Oval broadcasts cam be especially hard to follow when there's a pack of cars and you're focused on one guy, then the shot cuts and you completely lose the guy you were watching. Even harder for new watchers who are still trying to remember who drives which car for which team.
Indycar got to find a way to bring in more engine and chassis manufacturers like they had back in the 80's to mid 2000's. Manufacturer participation is important to a lot of people and if the manufacturer they support isn't in it then they won't watch
I think that an issue with IndyCar is how it presents itself. Apart from the Indy 500, the series barely feels important in any way. It promotes itself so little and what it does is in such an inconsequential way, that it doesn't give much incentive to actually watch the races that aren't the Indy 500. I actually ended up missing the last race at Laguna Seca because I forgot it was even happening.
one of the biggest factors is its piss poor advertisement and marketing, besides the indy 500, youll barely know what or when the next race is and it doesnt help the track attendance and tv viewership at all
I absolutely agree about the ovals. I miss seeing Indycars on bigger ovals as that was what first drew me to watching the series back in the 90's. Also, I applaud and thank Sky F1 for showing it here in the UK but I would love to see more of a tie in with NBC.
The thing I think can be implemented to improve the series would be: 1: better social media handling 2: better graphics 3: highlights, best moments of the race, plus other series related videos on RU-vid and other social media platforms on none race weekends. 4: Less street racing and more racing on racetracks or ovals 5: try going to Mexico City or other rcaetracks in NA to expand the viewership. 6: As the author of this video said have a person operate the cameras during junior series race. This six changes might help without changing the car or its engine.
I absolutely agree with pretty much every point you made here. It kind of reminds me of F1 pre 2018. Say what you like about Liberty Media, they have at least recognised the importance of an effective social media presence to the series, especially for casual fans. The shift to a more personality focused marketing strategy is good for making people invested in the story of the sport. I get the feeling that the high ups at IndyCar just don't understand the importance of social media and how it can be used to sell the series. It's frustrating because they have some very marketable drivers.
Definitely made a lot of good points in this video. Also a few I want to expand on: 1. Pre-season testing (and ideally two races) should be held on a track that can run both road and oval configs, so that drivers can prepare more, and we don't have Newgarden winning every oval race. 2. 100% agree on the graphics package. I actually liked the one ABC used before NBC took over full-time. They also need to make radio messages more visible and clean up the stat graphics. 3. International expansion. Run races in places like South America, or even a second race in Canada. Refusing to expand makes the series look quite isolationist.
I started going to Trenton Speedway in the late 1960's and I got hooked. I always loved the ovals and Indy. I always felt bad when they started cutting the ovals to add road tracks.
I'd say third party videos on youtube is one aspect I think is ignored. IndyCar has had lots of iconic moments like NASCAR and F1, but the difference is that you have tons of third party video essays about NASCAR and F1 on youtube, but only untill recenty you didn't have that here. But with the rise of your channel, as well as Demise90, County Line Films, and IanPerez200, and more, that's changing. RU-vid videos were what got me into NASCAR and F1, but the IndyCar community, until now, was bigger on Reddit. If people can make IndyCar content on youtube more often, that would be great. Also, while I agree that we need more oval's, it's hard to get them. I've heard that street courses get really good marketing because the track's existence depends on the fan turnout. Also, street courses and road courses attract a general audience more. Most ovals have NASCAR as their main event, and so don't need IndyCar. Therefore, marketing sucks and we don't get much crowds, leading to those races getting dropped, and the people that could've gone complaining about the lack of ovals. The ovals also don't want IndyCar racing at their tracks (for example, Penske's attempts at racing at Richmond and Miami's), so for me I can understand why there aren't many ovals. It's a difficult situation. But I have positivity, and I hope Rodger can figure something out. They've also been more active on social media, which is good as well. I also think that everyone who can buy a ticket to Milwaukee should, to show that we will be grateful for getting ovals. (I will probably just get a ticket, but not go, as I don't live near Milwaukee, but i'll gladly just let them take my money LMAO)
Some F1 only Yt channels have branched out into Indycar, an example recently is FP1Will with his comedy reviews. He only intended to cover Nashville & Indy500 but decided to try the opening round at St Pete. And then encouraged by the massive support for that episode decided to cover the entire season this year. It was a blast seeing him enjoy Indycar in all its chaotic glory.
@@TheChrisD i still like him. He reminds me alot of another indycar lover that rubbed alot of people the wrong way. Mr robin miller. Hes a fan, hes not corporate media, he says what he thinks like it or not. And it gets people talking. I dont wanna listen to david for everything. I wanna have good talks with racing fans about indycar. It is a damn good series
Can you name the IMS/IndyCar people he actually picked a fight with? I can't think of a single one. That so called "IndyCarChick" never worked for IndyCar in any capacity and is actually a joke behind closed doors in the industry.
10 месяцев назад
They should bring back the Triple Crown. So three 500 mile races on a superspeedway. There will then be extra prize money in addition to the prize money for the overall championship winner.
I love Indycar! Definitely one of the best series to watch. Highly entertaining. Improvement will come from more exposure imo. That will bring people, and the tracks will come back.
Not necessarily an issue with Indycar itself, but I find it absurd that it and Super Formula award less FIA Super Licence points than F2, considering both fit in an F1.5 type space. Currently you get the same amount of points for finishing 4th in F2 as you get from 2nd in Indycar. And the top 3 in F2 all get the same 40 points that only the Indycar champion gets. Super Formula only gives 25 to the champion, which is less than both F3 & Formula E
Probably because they want drivers to go through their ladder system because why should drivers have options to reach the top when you can just force everyone to do the same few things and if not you're SOL?
in my opinion they done that to protect the formula 1 brand, after all both super formula and indycar is its own series and not really a feeder series to F1, even though some drivers from the two series eventually raced in F1
That's likely why it's done, but to say 3rd in F2 is worth more than 2nd in Indycar, and is equal to becoming Indycar champion, is still ridiculous from a talent/skill standpoint, which at least to me should be what the Super Licence is meant to be about. It shouldn't be linked to favouritism towards the "official" ladder
There can also be the argument that both championships are "Regional championships" as opposed to the F2 which is a "World(International) championship"
Obviously a big part of it is forcing drivers down the F2 path. Indy could certainly do with more points though, nobody is going to go there to try and get a SL as the talent level is just too high to easily obtain one from there. Its just easier to go through the FIA ladder to get one. Super Formula's lack of points makes some sense though. Even if the cars are quicker than F2 the driver talent in the field just isn't that stacked. Not that it isn't talented but compared to Indycar or FE its just not in the same league. If SF rewarded SL points, similar to Indycar, jnrs would just compete there instead of F2.
While I understand your point on the Ovals, there is Drivers and Teams who dislike the Ovals due to the Risk of Pack Racing at high speeds and the Added Risk that has of a big high speed wreck - Crashed like Las Vegas 2011 or Pocono 2018 maybe forgotten by a few but the team bosses and veterans of the series remember and know of the harm it did to the series, the other issue with Ovals is that there’s not a lot of independent Oval’s, a lot are owned by NASCAR (or an umbrella company under NASCAR ownership). And that’s kind of the big issue, NASCAR is the Big Dog in town so to speak, they are still more popular than IndyCar in the States and they own so many tracks and yes, usage of the track makes them money but they also have to pay out money to promote a rival series and NASCAR doesn’t do that really (which was one of the reasons tracks like Kansas, Homestead and Watkins Glen left the schedule). On the issue of the Engines, The Hybrid upgrade pack I worry will be expensive and have a moderate failure rate like the early seasons of F1, WRC and BTCC had/have plus early tests with the engine package have shown it to be slower and have the side effect if increased Pack Running and needs time to sort out the technical quirks and whatnot and get them working at their best and get the cars not in packs - but once things are done correctly it could be a step in the right direction for making American Racing Series’ Greener as well as add a different dynamic to the fuel strategy and racing on the track - is it worth the costs to develop and buy the hybrids and will it make a difference in the race product we see? We’ll have to find out next season and beyond for that.
They need to have single car qualifying on road and street courses. Your starting position is everything in Indycar. The fact that one car crash can mess up qualifying for multiple other cars is just not right.
Agree with your points in the video. More ovals, better broadcasts and improved consistent officiating would be my headline items. Regarding the new car/engine question - back in 2010/11 I remember many fans saying the biggest thing holding the series back was the old 'ugly crapwagon' Dallara chassis. Well, IndyCar replaced that chassis with a new package in 2012, and while it did improve the racing, it ultimately did practically nothing to elevate the popularity of the series. Scrapping this current gen car for a new one won't actually make much of a different in terms of growing the series. I'd actually suggest just developing a new aero package for the teams to manage, leaving the core tub/safety cell as is.
I don't know how much budget does the series have, but i wouldn't mind to see some international races. I'm not meaning going to Europe, Asia, Africa or Oceania straight away, but having some more races in Central and south america could be a breath of fresh hair for the series! The first countries that comes to mind are of course Brazil (Interlagos), Argentina (Termas de Rio Hondo) and Mexico (Autódromo Hermanoz Rodriguez). Those people are very passionate about motorsport and I think you can have a nice atmosphere during the event. From that you can then expand the schedule to other international events, if things goes right.
Let's say there is a consensus on that a large portion of fans have a expiration date for how long they consume the sport, so you need to maintain a replinishing rate of circulating fans. In the past was all media consumption in the kitchen or living room, from newspaper, radio and television. So the main consumption was always reatricted. Now are columnists massively beaten by passionate hobbyists who make commentary videos like this on youtube, instagram or tiktok. And that's where the source of replenishing viewers has gone, to smart devices and not the TV. Indycar is still trying to attract TV viewers and it's not gonna work as long they sell broadcast rights to singular entities.
I know that he didn't touch on car or engine changes and that it may be me fanboying, but I really liked those 2005-11 Indy Cars and would love to see them back
Great video. When it comes to the ovals & Indycar, it is not because they don't want to race on them, it's because they can't for the most part. This is due to the fact that SMI (a track operator that is owned by NASCAR) owns all of the potential tracks Indycar could race on such as intermediates like Kansas. Indycar would have to pay a hefty fee each season to use those tracks & the people that run Indycar don't want to accrue massive debts as a result even though more ovals would greatly benefit the series. There are other ovals owned by SMI like Vegas that Indycar could run on but they still have the shadow of death lurking over them especially Vegas where Dan Wheldon was sadly killed & the drivers would massively object to racing there based on that. One thing that Indycar really needs in my view is another engine manufacturer entering the series. There are three reasons why this is needed. One is that it would draw new fans to the series especially if that manufacturer is well known. Secondly it would force Honda & Chevy to make improvements to their engines because the teams currently using their engines would have another option should they be unhappy with their current provider. Lastly it might prevent young drivers from leaving the series to other series like NASCAR, F1 & IMSA because there would likely be more teams entering the series.
1. Expand the schedule There's too many long breaks and I can never really know when the next race is (F1 has this issue too) compared to Nascar where the schedule is clear and only has a breaks (typically a week). This could also bring in the ovals without having to take off races from the calendar. 2. Make USF2000 and Indy NXT more established I'm gonna be honest, unless something big happens in either series I never hear about them. This hypes up fans to know what may come next. 3. Video Game Self explanatory 4. Bring back the Indycar Triple Crown This kind of ties in with the ovals debate. Back in the CART days (as well as a few years in Indycar) there were 3 major 500 mile oval races at Texas, Michigan, and Indy. Why not turn this into a sort of challenge where whoever can win manage to win all 3 gets a 3,000,000$ cash prize (if there's 3 different winners each 3 get 1,000,000$ a piece)
There are great tracks in the US and around the world, why does Indy choose the worst street tracks, it feels like these circuits were designed with google maps. Singapore has a great street circuit, Indy should try to take inspiration from it. Also the social media accounts are kinda ass, I don’t know when have these races begin, b/c the schedule is so unclear. This might be a me problem, but I wish that this series raced in Europe, after all Indycar is not strictly in America.
I'd love to see a 5 each of road, street, short oval, and superspeedway races, ideally with one of each discipline being international. Market it as the most difficult to win driver's championship in the world, with the biggest race in the world. And arguably more importantly, some form of commercial free coverage. If that's the NBC feed sent to peacock and no commentators during the many commercials, so be it. But ideally it would be a non geoblocked commercial free live stream with commentary the whole time. I'll happily pay whatever they ask, and I'm sure many others would as well. But when the current stream from peacock requires a subscription and is an actively worse product than the free to air TV feed? That's just not right. When TV goes to commercial, be it picture in picture or side by side, peacock goes to a black screen. Truly unacceptable. It's by far my biggest complaint about my favorite series.
this falls fully on NBC/Peacock. International broadcasters have commercial free coverage on their online platforms (at least the latin american one does). It not being a thing in the country of origin is baffling.
5:00 Also international broadcasts don't have the tyre icons like the NBC broadcast does and it grinds my gears... Also for most of the season until Portland and Laguna, they never separated Qualifying deltas to P6 or to P1 so multiple times in the season I was thinking someone was doing worse during the lap than they actually were in reality but as I said this was fixed in Portland and Laguna
Re: The audio balancing. This has come up a lot, and a lot of people have indicated that turning of surround sound settings on their TV fixes it. So it seems to be an audio mixing setup that some TVs don't handle right. As someone who uses a computer monitor instead of an actual TV with a separate sound bar, I've never noticed the issue myself. Re: The USF championships lack of good camera coverage. Neither IndyCar nor NBC are involved with the broadcast of these championships. Its entirely handled by the owners of the two championships, Anderson Promotions. The annoying thing is that USAC is currently sanctioning it, and USAC has a deal with FloRacing that could, in theory, provide improved coverage for the races, but as of now no arrangement for it is in place.
As an F1 fan that's trying to get into Indycar (so keep in mind I will sound very ignorant right now) I would genuinely love to see the races take place in actual circuits. Street circuits feel so bare and lack color, it feels weird to say this but I kinda want the track they are racing in to look pretty. I feel like if they were to take some ideas from F1 to make it more compelling would work but I'm not sure what exactly.
The biggest problem for me: Put advertisements on the side of the tracks and get rid of the advertisements in the broadcast, especially during the Indy 500 when it was 42% ADS
Personally, as much as I wage war against this for series like F1 and NASCAR, I think Indycar needs more races. I can’t remember the exact specifics, but there were several times this past season where we had a 2-3 week hiatus between races. Aside from the month of May, we can cut down on these weeks (and maybe add a few extra. Imo they should run till the start of the CFB season since that would be the next big ratings competitor) in order to get a good amount of varied courses. As for what tracks they could add, Kansas, Michigan, a return to Texas, a return to Pocono, Charlotte, New Hampshire, Sonoma, Watkins Glen, COTA, Road Atlanta, Chicago Street Course, São Paulo’s return, etc (also get rid of Indy RC 2, we don’t need 2 races there). One of Indycar’s biggest problems (that may be touched on in part 2) is their very shallow market, with essentially no races on the Northeast Coast and lots of blank holes on a map of the US. If you see a NASCAR calendar crossed with an Indycar calendar, it will become very clear why the former is the most popular American Motorsport
Completely unrelated take but still deserves mention I feel…. f1’s new engine regulations coming up in 2026 are disappointing as a fan who grew up in the screaming 2.4L V8 era. f1 should continue with their sustainable goals, and hybrid package if that’s how they aim to accheive those goals, but I feel the sound element could be better captured with a different ICE package… a move to 5 cylinder engines would be a great move, as it brings back hints of V10 sound everyone loved, in a small and potentially efficient package… if sized appropriately, say 2-2.2L, it could have hints of Audi quattro tune in there… let me know if I’m on to something
As a corner worker, I can tell you road to Indy coverage is even more annoying. If there’s a race (or even two) between IndyCar practices, the camera operators stay on their perches for those sessions and just don’t move the cameras. Great video, and I disagree with nothing
7:20 This is because I'm pretty sure these are the broadcast/security cameras for the race control to get a good look at the track. Shocking that they use these cameras for other feeder series in the US
For me, I really like the product, but there are certain things that don't work. First of all, long breaks between races. They really end up having month long breaks that just make you forget Indycar exists for a bit and that really doesn't help to create a returning audience. They just need a two or three more races in the season. Secondly, it seems like most of the hype around the series dies after the Indy 500. I believe they should put more importance on the rest of the season pre and post Indy 500. I say expand the calendar slightly with two or three more races, at least two of them being held in ovals and the third maybe be held at Mosport.
here in australia we had the same audio problem , it stopped about 5 years ago , I guess we started a taking a different feed. My guess is there is an international feed with unmixed multi channel audio so the local broadcaster can put local commentary on it .
Indycar should try to get some top-rated F1 drivers across - otherwise it appears to us "casuals" that Indycar is nothing more than just Americanised F2 featuring left-over-back-end-of-the-grid F1 drivers or random V8 supercar series winners. I was glued when Mansell was driving - since then meh.
one of the problems with ovals is that a cartel consisting of SMI and NASCAR themselves own most of the large/intermediate ovals and they've made a lot of changes to try and make them better for the stock cars...making things often worse for the open-wheelers. Add Pocono drawing just a bit too much of Indycar drivers' blood, and Texas having been terrible (with the exception of this year) thanks to t r a c k b i t e, and it just doesn't look good. I think the biggest thing about Indycar is a lack of ambition, especially since the pandemic. Hybrid plans have all but disappeared. They're not willing to go and scrap with NASCAR over ovals and getting track time on them. They just want to maintain, and not really push for growth. And I get it, a relentless push for growth is _part_ of what killed CART and Champ Car...though also not-having the 500 also didn't help, but stagnation doesn't help either. You can't change anything if you don't stand up for yourself.
Roger Penske did say after he bought the series a couple of years ago that he had "really big plans" for IndyCar once the new hybrid chassis comes online. Rumours are that he very much wants to expand the series into europe with races at "iconic F1 venues" (most likely places like silverstone, monza/imola and spa) and try to break into the asian market (most likely by hosting an event somewhere like fuji or suzuka). Weather or not this happens is yet to be seen but "The Captain" has always played his cards close to the chest and doesn't reveal anything until he sure its a go, time will tell.
Given how much of a disaster the Detroit street race (predictably) was, it should be moved to Michigan, and while it's controversial amongst some I agree with the growing number of drivers who'd like Las Vegas back on the calendar. Personally if I had Penske's resources I'd also buy Sanair and rebuild its oval for a race, especially in light of NASCAR grabbing up Montreal's second race weekend but that's more due to it being my local track rather then anything practical.
The problem with Sanair(and really anything in Canada) is that its...not ideal for the timeframe IndyCar really NEEDS to expand into. They end the season early to minimize going against the NFL(something which fans constantly poo-poo because they don't believe it matters despite the mountain of evidence), so the only way to expand is earlier into the season... And they're already starting too early for northern US venues, let alone Canadian venues. I'd love to see them back at Sanair, but unless Toronto implodes I don't see it being possible.
@@FormulaFox IndyCar's problem is that there are too many holes in the schedule, devastating ones in this market. You could expand the calendar to a 20 race season, no double headers, have an additional week added to The Month of May, leave holes for IMSA and Le Mans, and still safely start and end the season on the same date.
@@ZontarDowIts not as easy as you make it out to be. If it was, IndyCar was already have those things. But ovals outside of the 500 by and large struggle to draw crowds, many venues already have dates snatched up for their ideal timeframes, and it costs a lot of money to do big flyaways to get around the issues(like the recently oft-spoken of Argentina race). Moreover, the extremely large offseason is considered the bigger problem by a great many fans, and with good reason. As bad as those schedule gaps can be, taking the series completely out of the public eye for nearly half the year is a FAR bigger issue. But ultimately we can debate this issue until we die if we want, but none of it will matter unless IndyCar improves its marketing. The marketing is by far and away a bigger problem than ANYTHING else that we could talk about.
When you look at intermediate and larger ovals, your options are literally just Indy, Kentucky, Texas, Pocono and Michigan. Maybe Nashville but that market is already covered by things. IIRC Kentucky isn't in the greatest state right now, Michigan might be too fast and consistently bunched up for Indycar tastes, Pocono is Pocono, and you see where we're at. Didn't mention any other ovals because really, they're way too narrow and fast for Indycar
I've been saying for a while they need more ovals mostly high-speed ones but i think one of the issues holding them back on that is old man Roger Penske he seems to be doing that " we like what we're seeing thing " that NASCAR was going through a few years ago and pretty much did turn this series in F1 with the indy 500 i think he needs to sell the series to someone who's not afraid of taking a risk and give the series some variety again i got into IndyCar the same year i got into NASCAR 2006 because at the time it was interesting and had variety
I think the overall production could learn something from F1, it is generally much harder for me to follow how much a driver is gaining on another, who needs to pit, etc. And yes I agree the overall information in the graphics package is also simply too low. It looks like early 2010's F1, so quite dated.
For me personally, I don't really have any problem with the racing itself. In fact I think Indycar is generally pretty good and I have less to complain about than with most other series I watch. I don't really care about the cars since the chassis are standardized, and I think the stewarding of the races is pretty good. I also like the commentary, especially Hinch and Leigh Diffey. My main problem is the actual watching experience. As someone in the US, the way I watch it is TV broadcast and that means ads. I am the type of person to actually use RU-vid Premium because I am that averse to ads, and I also pay 80 dollars a year for F1TV. Therefor, I think Indycar would benefit from a dedicated streaming service that is user friendly. I am aware Indycar has one like that for international audiences, but it isn't very good frankly and also not meant for me. My main problem with the racing itself is that it is hard to follow in terms of strategy. I find F1 very easy to follow by comparison. I don't really know how to change this however without banning refueling. For the calendrer, I think the focus should be regional balance. For example, I am the tenth dentist with the Milwaukee Mile. They already have Road America, what do they need another race for? Meanwhile, Indycar should have at least one race in the northeast, should go back to Colorado and Nevada, keep Texas (either the superspeeday or bring back COTA), so on and so fourth. Too many midwestern races and not enough other races. Getting rid of Texas and having yet another California and Wisconsin race isn't really what I have in mind for trying something new.
Your correct about how pitiful the coverage is for the USF series and Indy NXT to a lesser extent. Why would a sponsor come to those series when for the same money they can be in the Nascar ecosystem and get treated like royalty. On top of that we usually get a rookie or 2 step up into IndyCar and we have no idea who the person is
I couldn't agree more. The coverage for the Road to Indy series barring Indy NXT barely conveys the on track action and is so bad in my opinion that I actually think it hurts those series rather than helps them. Hopefully someone like a USA Network, FS2, CBSSN, or MAVTV can step up and offer Anderson Promotions (those series' owners) a package that gives them the dynamic, involved coverage they desperately need. The new Speed Sport 1 network would be a perfect broadcast partner too. From 2012-2015, Velocity (now Motor Trend) and then NBCSN did a highlight show for these series that included highlights, active cameras, and driver profiles. They weren't full length races, but I've seen them here on RU-vid and they did the job. Even a show like NBCSN's Road to Indy or Velocity's Mazda Motorsports Hour would be enough.
Completely disagree with the graphics package. I like the IndyCar graphics, clean, simple, and easy to understand. I can’t follow WEC races because I have zero idea what’s happening because of the graphics, same with Formula E. IndyCar could do with maybe some additional graphics, but no reason to change them entirely Otherwise agree with everything else in the video
Mad take but maybe an international spin-off, detuned cars that fit between Indy and NXT cars and go to circuits where F1 don’t go to or haven’t for a while like sepang.
Penske needs to invest money for the growth of the series , or get capital in who want to invest if he doesn't want to . Companies are investing 400m in andretti f1 and it could be a total flop. Basic formula for growth : New multiple engine formulas with BOP , get OEMs making the engines they want to make , Multiple Chassis and aero manufacturers - dallara can still make a base chassis but others can make or modify this within the specifications. More ovals even if it means spending money renting and promoting the races themselves , international races - many international races were popular , were supported by fans and governments and made good profit - surfers and motegi for example.
I don't know like F1 the Chip Ganassi team really dominated the 2nd half of the schedule last year like Red Bull in F1. the AJ Foyt cars and Ed Carpenter team cars aren't even competitive most of the time with Ganassi and Penske so dominate. I would love to see Texas and Phoenix back on the schedule but I get it if the fans don't show up and support it the series won't come back even if there was great racing on track. All the points made are very good in the video.
Beyond more ovals which is *sorely* needed. I believe another race or two in Canada (Edmondton, Mont-Tremblant or Circuit Gilles Villeneuve) and one or two in Mexico is needed. For the engine formula I'm ok with it as is but that third OEM is going to be needed soon. And I am more than content with the UAK18 in regards to racing and number of cars, the primary issue is weight and getting new safety items not be retrofitted.
If I had my way, IndyCar would split the U.S. with NASCAR geographically: NASCAR would get the Deep South (Charlotte, Talladega, Darlington, Dover - Delaware's part of the Deep South...), while IndyCar would get the Midwest (Chicago, Iowa, Milwaukee, Kansas, Kentucky etc). They'd share California and the Northeast (meaning Watkins Glen and Pocono), because they're both such huge markets there's room for both. Here in the real world though, we can only hope NASCAR finally haemorrhages enough fans that SMI has no choice but to open up their venues to IndyCar again. But it doesn't really matter what we sitting behind our keyboards want: if nobody's buying tickets to these events, then they'll die. If road racing is all anyone will pay to see, then IndyCar will become I Can't Believe It's Not F1, but with that one big anomalous race each year.
I think it would be nice to fix the calendar. What I would love to see is a 2-3 race stint in Italy (think Monza, Imola, Mugello, etc.) Indy should definitely have atleast 1 european race!
Less street tracks, more dedicated tracks. I would rather see indycar run on dedicated tracks that are proven to have good racing, even if they change the layout or something and so double headers. Keep the good street tracks but get rid of the useless ones. Feels like I'm watching forumla E at times.
They need another big oval back something like a Michigan or fontana. They are some of the most exciting tracks around imo and add to the spectacle of speed you can sell the series off of.
The only thing I have to say about super speedways and indycar is that the combination has seriously maimed and killed more drivers in the modern era than most motorsport
I not a expert on indycar racing and I've just watch some highlight on youtube, but I always hated the fact that every team doesn't have the same number of cars like F1 or FE does. Also another things I always hated it's the fact that every team has different liveries for every car, it makes it difficult to recognize the teams and which is part of that team (for example andretti had a pink car with the Autonation sponsorship that was practically identical to the MSR one, it makes it kinda confusing for new fans)
Probably just an american racing thing since all drivers dosent have the same sponsor. Its also due to the fact that indycar does not have constructors standings unlike f1
There's not much IndyCar can do with the USF Pro, USF2000, and USF Junior categories as they are series ran outside of the Penske Entertainment bubble by Andersen Promotions. The Indy Lights...ahem...I mean, "Indy NXT" series (yuck)...has some good production quality to it and does put effort into making it a worthwhile series to track. The lack of super speedways outside of Indy is a detriment to the series, especially when they currently choose to have two dates being occupied by the Indy road course. I know people have been kicking the circuit while it's down ever since the Robert Wickens incident, but Pocono needs to be back on the calendar. There needs to be a presence in the Northeast and there needs to be another 500 mile race other than Indianapolis. A big roadblock, and David Land has mentioned this once before, is NASCAR using its power over SMI tracks to muscle IndyCar out.
I think Indycar could really benefit from a longer calendar, and i think it could also work, to do a split calendar like wec did and formula-e does, staring in september and finishing in end of May, why? simple, to end on a higher note, dont get me wrong laguna seca is an awsome track but you know what is better, finishing the championship on the biggest race of all time with an enfaces on keeping the fight till the end. plus indy car should really benefit from forein marckets, Motegui, Euro speed way and rockingham are some of the best ovals outside of USA, other tracks like Interlagos, Rio Hondo and Cidad mexico, would also be very good raceways to go. please for the love of god, cut on the streat circuits 5 sc on suck diverse architectures of the american continent is atrocious, you can keep long beach and st.petersburg but the others scraap. also maybe acting as a support series once or twice an year like in Miami or Las vegas could help then both
I like indycar alot, but my biggest gripe is that way too many races come down to fuel mileage. And then the last 1/4 of the race gets kinda boring because everyones driving to a fuel number and noone is pushing. I did like it a year or 2 ago, i forget what race, but it was supposed to be another "fuel mileage race" (its almost annoying as another 90° turn lol) and my boy will power said to hell with the mileage, pushed like mad and beat everyone lol
“How can NBC improve its Indycar broadcast” I believe the broadcast is great, it doesn’t have to be fancy and gimmicky? Telemetry though would be a great addition to be fair! But I feel like the board cast as a whole is many pegs down the list. The USF series having a static camera broadcast however is yes terrible and needs to have more effort put in!
My comment for improvement is agreeing on better ovals especially the month of the may and slightly improve the road and street courses we have We probably don't need the new Detroit circuit could go to Michigan maybe? Nashville could work but fix the damn layout or run on the concrete oval Also one thing I'd do is improve the points system and marketing points system I cannot fucking tell how it it works and marketing doesn't really show up alot espicallly on the way coast here
For shure IndyCar need more ovals. I think that it should be 50/50 schedule in the North America and some tracks outside (Lausitz, Motegi, Calder Park, Phakisa) which would increase international audience.
You covered this slightly in the video but one of the biggest non racing problem i see with indycar is the broadcast, for the UK its seems like an after thought from indycar. the American commentators are cut off for comercials a lot (Especially for the indy500. i mean come on can't they not for live sporting events) and the British commentator Tom gaymmor can't get into a proper rythem in commentary before being cut off when the Americans come back from the commercials. and it sucks because i like the Americans (Even if townsend goes full patriotism sometimes for Santino ferrucci) (I mean Really HIM? of all the Americans to support!) and Tom Gaymore is a very good commentator in my opinion but now we're cought in a pretty terrible compromise.
First thing for me is the quality of racing, the stewarding has been abysmal this year especially at Road America with Felix getting taken out and it being allowed...? Most of the side by side racing has become pushing whoever's on the outside off the track, leading to a premature end to the battle and frustration and what could have been. The only exception to this has been the ovals but most of the passes are just slipstream passes, kinda like how people get tired of DRS passes in F1. They've also felt like the worst races of this year, somewhat predictable with Newgarden winning all but the one race he crashed out of, after being very strong last year. Not to mention the crap shoot that was the Indy 500 this year, I enjoyed the first 150~ laps but then it seemed like people just forgot how to drive and it turned into a shitshow. Indycar definitely needs ovals but they need to be varied, and there's some great tracks in America (COTA, Watkins Glen, Sonoma) that would make better additions imo. I'd also like to see more cars advance in each part of qualifying, get more cars on track. I'd have 8 cars advance from each group to have 16 cars on Q2, with then the top half (8) advancing to the final Q3. Would make the smaller tracks a little busy but only 6 cars sometimes feels a little too quiet. Finally the graphics are awful, it feels impossible to follow the strategies unless you focus on just two cars. It isn't clear who's on what tyres, who's on an aggressive strategy and who's being conservative. Feels like there's a lot of stories in each race that just go unnoticed and it's not like there's analysis afterwards to pick up on them bar a quick interview with most drivers (though I do appreciate this over Sky's 90 minutes to hear from half the drivers post race coverage).
What I really hope IndyCar does is try to actually make every race a big deal instead of being afraid and not trying hard on marketing. Something like HyVee's ties with IndyCar for Iowa is great, but it feels like they don't make the weekend a bigger deal. Crowds aren't that great for example. Imagine how much better it would be if they tried to make it a Primetime big deal race instead of just a generic 3 PM race with a lot of HyVee sponsors. Indianapolis is still there only big race, but why not try and run Michigan or make Texas a night race again? NASCAR's been able to make more races be big events such as Chicago Street and hopefully Montreal in the future. IndyCar needs to follow a similar model instead of half-arsed jobs like Thermal Club.
The graphics package is a Network thing I think k more then anything. Nascar have the exact same one when they also run on NBC. I think the commentary needs a change. Leigh Diffey is like the David Croft of Indycar or Michael Waltrip where everything is “great” or “amazing”.
More ovals, more horsepowers, better marketing, penalize teams for failing post-race inspection, make the Indy 500 the only race of the Month or May, bring back the Triple Crown (Indy, Michigan as the US 500, and Pocono), more chassis, more engine manufactures. That’s all I can think of
like 900HP loudly mothertruckers with hybrid engines,The US 500 in the 4th of July weekend and bring at least Ford,Mercedes and maybe Dodge if possible. count me in then
As to your comments about the Indy 500: At this point it is A LOT like LeMans in that is stands out from the calendar. I sort of like that as much as LeMans is a part of the WEC season, it stands somewhat on it's own. When World Sportcar Champtionship died, LeMans didn't and kept going till WEC was a thing.... If Indycar is trying to set Indy for that, then they clearly need to do more to make it like the great french race. I will have agree with you on more intermediate ovals as much as I am not a fan of them because honestly it seem to make it stand out for F1 and Nascar has shifted so much that ovals feel like a bit of an after thought. On the matter of the graphic package.... they have been using this since 2019? Oof, whom was at it, because yeah, that does look much older than it is. To be fair, the production doesn't suffer from that by much but an update would be nice with folks shelling out for that big screen. On a side note, I want to know the filming equipment for WEC because it can be a little too grainy (and I bet if you fix that, the graphic package will likely look worse without an update). I know they 4k projectors, it doesn't look like it half the time. Another a side note, the graphic package seems oddly similar to IMSA's.... I wonder why that is? As for the new car..... It's coming next year, like it or not. It's a KERB's based mild hybrid. Uses a super capacitors to store and deploy energy.... the little that I have seen and heard of it (see for yourself ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gjD7nHcLck4.html ) it seems.... fine.
the graphics ppackage is identical for IMSA since it's also an NBC Broadcast in the US. They use something similar for NASCAR, it's just their standard
@@fqeagles21 So do I but you can't help but noticed that LeMans is structured in a way that it's not your average WEC race. The way that the slow-zones and safety cars work, the double points on offer for every class, Qualifying & Hyperpole, the week long party before the great race, the race itself and it's long-standing history.
I've noticed long time ago that IndyCar is simply not for Gen Z. And without young fans, it's lifetime will probably not exceed 10, maybe 15 years. That's may be an elephant in the room - the IndyCar decisionmakers focus ONLY at the older audience.
The world is just so unfair. Formula 1, that has pretty mediocre racing, is by far the biggest motorsport series in the world. Meanwhile you have, IMSA, Indycar, WEC, and in the two wheel world MotoGP and WorldSBK, all of those that I listed have absolutely banging wheel to wheel action and an actual race, but they're nowhere near as big as F1. Shame people are not naturally drawn into the good racing series, like I was. Started of with F1 back in 2019 and then I got to know other racing series, cus I want to see good racing. Now F1 is pretty damn low on my rank of favourite racing series
I definitely agree about the graphics package! Not enough people talk about that. The series also needs to market itself more. The idea that a driver needs to master oval, street and road circuits to be champion is a huge asset (and we definitely need more inter/long ovals). Also, the idea that Indycar is a spec series could be used to its benefit in marketing- they put drivers in equal cars so it more so a test of skill and strategy rather than purely money (also adds to the unpredictability element). I would also bring back the driver spotlights they had during races in the 80s and 90s. I feel like those would be a good way to help fans get to know the drivers better (their backstories, what they do in their time off, etc.), and those sorts of videos are very social media friendly. Just my two cents :)
Get rid of the damn engine leases. Don’t go hybrid. Car counts look healthy with 26 cars turning up to Detroit, but only having 36 entries for the month of may is a joke. I’d also scrap the Indy GP IN favor of a points paying midget race on the infield dirt track. But I know that ain’t happening
IndyCar is always compromising. The focus is the Indy 500. They just don't seem to care about much else. As a Canadian who fell in love with the series in 2018, it has become increasingly clear, that this series doesn't want me as a fan. I flew 3000 miles (my first EVER trip abroad) to Texas last year, it was the best race of 2023, and it get's removed. I also went to Toronto. Scheduling conflicts aside, this is the biggest blow to the series in my time as an individual fan. Compromise after compromise, and a lack of political might against NASCAR, will end this series one day.