Tim and Lisa MacLellan brought their brood to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the first time to watch the IndyCar Series race as an autumn "staycation."
"Usually we (Lisa and he) are here in March with friends for the race," Tim says as his wife is diverted to the women's restroom with their two daughters. "That's a good time always; Tony Kanaan is out favorite driver. But when I saw that kids 12 and under were free, we decided on the family route."
And though 4-year-old Jason appears to be melting about as quickly as the chocolate ice cream cone he's consuming at his father's side on this 92-degree autumn afternoon, he's eager to watch the title race.
"I like 'em because they're fast," Jayson says.
Activities throughout the day - from a concert by Better Than Ezra to a classic car corral and an assortment of concessions - complemented the Firestone Indy 300 that decided the series champion and other places in the standings. The sights, sounds and tens of thousands of spectators inside and outside the pastel-painted facility pleased track president Curtis Gray and Indy Racing League commercial division president Terry Angstadt.
After playing host to the IndyCar Series season opener for seven consecutive years, Homestead-Miami Speedway was placed at the end of the 17-race schedule.
"We have been able to generate a lot more buzz in the media and with fans," Angstadt said. "We have been so pleased with the activation, the energy level from our sponsors, to build this thing to a bigger level. We're very climate-dependent on where we run on ovals. This is a great market. Let's put some stakes in the ground here and build it for the long term."
League sponsors IZOD and Apex-Brasil hosted special events through the week leading to the championship races, while IndyCar Series drivers and officials flooded the market in support of those events and team-related sponsors. Ticket sales were above the 2008 race weekend, and the crowd was supplemented by 2,000 tickets dispersed among IndyCar Series drivers to area charities.
"I'll echo what Terry is saying; these sponsors do a lot in this marketplace to build this championship," Gray said. "I think it's going to be fantastic as we grow together. They challenge us and we challenge them, and that's what's building this championship. The town is used to hosting championships, and we saw that at the W (Hotel for a day/night of beach volleyball and fashion shows Oct. 3). They put on a great event, but you can't do that without sponsors.
"As we build this and move forward, it's going to take that corporate resource to make this all what we want it to become. With the competition on track has been fantastic, and we think we've got one of the most competitive racetracks in the country, if not the world, with the variable banking.
"Unless you're a championship event down here, people can lose interest really quickly. But motorsports is new down here as far as a championship event, and it's raised itself just by a matter of being new and different. There's something sexy about South Florida. It's got that championship ring to it. This is a championship market."
10/19 :: 'Build it for the long term'
10-19-2009, 12:11 AM
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