[Bob Tanner]

Here is a statistic I found interesting:

Did you know that may will be more Indy 500 winners starting in the Daytona 500 this year than will start in the Indy 500?

Indy Winner Starters in the Daytona 500
Juan Pablo Montoya
Sam Hornish
Dario Franchitti
and maybe Jacque Villeneuve

Indy Winner Starters in the Indy 500
Helio Castroneves
Dan Wheldon
Buddy Rice

[Quality88]

Rouch... that's gotta sting. Well the Indy folks still have Danica .... I'm gonna hide now.

[BringBackWilkesboro]

Seems the Indycar Series just doesn't have the clout in the motorsports world that it did decades ago, which isn't suprising.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by BringBackWilkesboro

Seems the Indycar Series just doesn't have the clout in the motorsports world that it did decades ago, which isn't suprising.

It kind of saddens me. Being from the Indianapolis area, the Indy Series is a keystone of my personal culture.

[Phils20]

If that Robin Miller report is correct about the two series getting back together, and I hope it is, it should make open wheel racing more relevant again.

I still enjoy watching it, and to be honest, my fiance finds it more interesting than my beloved NASCAR!

But they have to stop the bleeding, and it's gonna take some time.

[BringBackWilkesboro]

I watch a race every now and then as well, but I can't get into it because it has none of what I liked about 15+ years ago, and that's tradition and racing royalty.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Phils20

If that Robin Miller report is correct about the two series getting back together, and I hope it is, it should make open wheel racing more relevant again.

I still enjoy watching it, and to be honest, my fiance finds it more interesting than my beloved NASCAR!

But they have to stop the bleeding, and it's gonna take some time.

My bet is that IF CART and IRL re merge it won't help the status of either to any great degree.

■ IRL already has the biggest names. It also out markets CART 3:1
■ CART will want to run more street and road courses, and fewer ovals, than IRL does and will want to compete overseas. Most American open wheel fans identify with oval racing and relate road and street courses to sports cars. Racing overseas is a big expense for little return.
■ The premier road series in the USA today is the ALMS and this is run by Jim France, Brian's brother. It's got NASCAR/ISC money, marketing and prestige behind it and draws some of the biggest names in sports car racing. An IRL/CART organization won't be able to compete.

Or that's the way I see it...

[DOF_power]

Bob, you're comfusing ALMS of Don Panoz with Jim France's ALMS competitor Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series.
The 2 are split competitors just like IRL and CCWS.

[DOF_power]

Originally Posted by BringBackWilkesboro

I watch a race every now and then as well, but I can't get into it because it has none of what I liked about 15+ years ago, and that's tradition and racing royalty.

What's that exactly ?!

I know 15+ years ago it wasn't a spec series, and there were old(er)/legendary names like Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, AJ Foyt, Al Unser as well Emerson Fitipladi and even Nigel Mansell running.

[Bassdogs]

Also grew up in Indy and my racing interest as a kid was the 500. In all honesty, that interest wained long before the IRL / Cart split. Never got into the series as a whole, just the big one. The Indy 500 died 15 or so years ago. If you don't believe me, put a couple of tickets to the Brickyard and a couple to the 500 on the dash of your car and leave it unlocked. Come back in a couple of hours, and the brickyard tics are gone and you may have 6 or 8 500 tics. THE ticket now is the Brickyard. You can't give away the ones to the 500.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by DOF_power

Bob, you're comfusing ALMS of Don Panoz with Jim France's ALMS competitor Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series.
The 2 are split competitors just like IRL and CCWS.

I stand humbly corrected. MY very obvious mistake. I admit to being a rather late comer to the world of prototype sports car racing.

Can you tell me which one has become more financially successful and which seems to have gained more popularity after the split? That isn't a loaded question, BTW. It's just a bit of knowledge I personally don't know.

BTW, I just read the 2008 CART schedule in today's fish wrapper. It seems that eight of the season's fourteen races are outside the USA; three of the eight are in Canada, one in Australia, one in Mexico City and three in Europe. The three in Europe are in Belgium, Holland and the track I'm familiar with, Jerez, Spain.

This may sound rather xenophobic but, believe me, in a country which basically abhors the One World concept and despite buying Japanese cars, this schedule is NOT a way to attract fans here in bulk quantities. Maybe sad, but also very true.

[DOF_power]

Well ALMS is the more popular to my knowledge, tough some drivers and manufacturers are to be found both in the Daytona 24h of France and the 12h of Sebring of Panoz.

[simple simon]

Originally Posted by BringBackWilkesboro

Seems the Indycar Series just doesn't have the clout in the motorsports world that it did decades ago, which isn't suprising.

i think it is a combination of 2 things

money ..... much more to be had as a driver in NASCAR

national fame .... poll the nation .. you may find more people know more about Aric Amirola then do about Marco Andretti ........... (in fact i dont think Marco is the best example as people may connect with name recognition .. but in all honesty i dont know many other Indy drivers .... which may in and of itself help prove my point)

[simple simon]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

BTW, I just read the 2008 CART schedule in today's fish wrapper. It seems that eight of the season's fourteen races are outside the USA; three of the eight are in Canada, one in Australia, one in Mexico City and three in Europe. The three in Europe are in Belgium, Holland and the track I'm familiar with, Jerez, Spain.

This may sound rather xenophobic but, believe me, in a country which basically abhors the One World concept and despite buying Japanese cars, this schedule is NOT a way to attract fans here in bulk quantities. Maybe sad, but also very true.

i agree with that totally .... the world racing fans in general couldnt care less about CART .... they have F1

they need to lengthen the schedule and add more races around North America imo ..... plenty of tracks here and the money to spend on the league

after the CART race in Belgium is a race fan going to buy the T-shirt with pride or still be wearing the Schuemacher or Raikkonen shirt ?

[NascarRacer56]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Here is a statistic I found interesting:

Did you know that may will be more Indy 500 winners starting in the Daytona 500 this year than will start in the Indy 500?

Indy Winner Starters in the Daytona 500
Juan Pablo Montoya
Sam Hornish
Dario Franchitti
and maybe Jacque Villeneuve

Indy Winner Starters in the Indy 500
Helio Castroneves
Dan Wheldon
Buddy Rice

Well, usually Buddy Lazier makes a run at the Indy 500 each year, and you never know, maybe Eddie Cheever will give it another go.

How many past Daytona 500 winners will be in the Daytona 500 this year?

I should know that, but I don't.