Where are all the INDYCAR fans?

Question

They've been racing at INDY for 30 or 40 years longer than NASCAR's even been around.Try to look past the nascar idiots that always seem to get a kick out of posting on OUR IRL site.

Answer 1

I couldn't have said it better myself. I CAN'T figure out the thrill of these nascars??? I absolutly LOVE indycars. The speed, the sound, three-four wide-they're so much fun! I get so sick of all this Nascar crap on here. I would love to see more talk about indycars. I'm sure throughout May it might liven up some, but then we'll be lucky if there is a question every few days. Wake up people!! Don't be brainwashed by this Nascar crap-it sucks! It's nothing more than a big soap opera for rednecks and nothing but talentless drivers....it reminds me of Pro wrestling. I think anyone could drive a Nascar....even me. Once in awhile my husband will turn on a Nascar race (although he is a huge indycar fan) - I have to leave the room...I can't stand it. They remind me of people with mullets racing camaros or something. I hate it.

Answer 2

I'm right here, and looking forward to another great season. I have been a fan since the days of USAC, before there was a CART and IRL rivalry. I watch NASCAR, and I used to watch some F1 (aka the Michael Shumacher show). I have been an Andretti fan for as long as I can remember (still think Mario got a raw deal in '81, and I'm still bitter), and want to see young Marco carry the tradition. I watch NASCAR, when IRL (or champ car) isn't on, because I like the excitement of the open wheel, top end speedsters. I like the fact that if you make a mistake and "bump" the car next to you in IRL, your afternoon is likely over; there is no taking it into the pits and putting the car back together with duct tape. And while teamwork is more important in IRL, individual driver talent makes more difference than in any other form of racing. I'm not arrogant enough to think I can drive a NASCAR, but I've heard some of them Neck-Car drivers say that there's no way you could get them to strap them in a carbon fiber rocket and send them down a track at 230-240 mph with their butt cheeks 3 inches off the asphalt. And you don't see too many NASCAR boys getting in an Indy Car. But some Indy Car racers have done pretty well in NASCAR (Didn't Mario win the Daytona 500? Oh yeah!; Didn't Tony Stewart start in Indy Cars first?; oh yeah!) I think IRL showcases the very best in racing. Can't wait until Homestead!

Answer 3

You've got one right here. IRL and Champ Car rock. Like someone else said, the cars are amazing in every way. The look, the sound, the speed, how can anyone not like them? I'll admit that there are some limitations though. IRL and Champ don't get a lot of the homegrown talent that NASCAR does. For instance, one of the best drivers in Champ Car last season was an American driver, A.J. Allmendinger, who was the ONLY American driver in Champ! He won a few races, was offered a contract from a NASCAR team, and immediately jumped ship.

NASCAR drivers are also more visible, more personable, and more identifiable with fans, which is just one of the reasons why they have such a huge following. They also have a lot more races than the IRL and Champ Cars, which admittedly makes for a longer, more exciting season, where every race counts.

Now, about an IRL/Champ Car merger, it's possible. The head of the IRL (and owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway) Tony George wants the merger badly, for a variety of reasons, and the owners of Champ Car are struggling to survive, so it could happen in the near future. I'd hate to see that happen though, and mostly because I wouldn't want to see Tony George having control of my favorite race: the Long Beach Grand Prix.

Answer 4

The IRL is a dieing breed I think. Don't get me wrong, I love watching the IRL races. I've been to quite a few NASCAR races and only 1 IRL race @ Texas Motor Speedway and I have to say.. That was probably the most exciting. The speed they carry around the track is just amazing. I always have told myself that I could sit down and do what those NASCAR boys do.. I may not be successful but I could do it. When it comes to the INDYCARS though.. There's no way I'd even try it! Those open-wheel cars just fly around the track a little bit to fast for me. I think there are more IRL fans out there than you think... They do need to get there attendance up @ the tracks though, not to mention ratings on ABC/ESPN up too. A question for you though, What's your thoughts on IRL/CART ever merging? Good thing or Bad thing?

Answer 5

Indy car fans have to do something before the season starts. Really I love Indy car racing, I dont think there is any thing else I would want to watch when it comes to racing, but having said all that with the long waits for a race, small selection of tracks that they race its harder and harder to care about the sport. I think the main reason open wheel has lost fans is that we enjoyed having drivers like Andretti, Unser, and Rahal racing all at the same time and when they left almost at the same time it created a vaccum in the sport, and then the split happened.

In open wheel racing the drivers are just as close to the fans as it is in Nascar by the way. I remember walking the pits and talking to drivers at the Indy 500, and walking the garage area looking at the cars. I think that if there remains two series dedicated to open wheel racing it will continue to lose fans.

Answer 6

That's a loaded question. More of an Oxymoron. The "G" Force of these cars with a constant speed could actually drive upside down. The cars practially drive themselves so it would be easy for drivers to cross over to Indy IF they wanted to "step down" to this form of racing. And who can stand that high pitched whining sound for more than 30 seconds. It is pretty obvious why there are no fans.

Answer 7

Just waiting for the season to start... Should be interesting to see if Sarah Fischer puts a damper on all the Danica mania. I don't think the pockets are as deep at D&R, but they added John Dick and Chris Finch to the engineering staff in the off season - John knows how to win @ Indy, taking Arie Luyendyk and Little Al to victory lane.

Answer 8

I really dont watch too much Indy anymore. I used to be a Tony Stewart and Robbie Gordon fan but since they moved to NASCAR so did I.

Answer 9

I am a fan of every open whell series, but I think IRL is the bottom of the barrel as far as open wheel series go. First, they do not race on enough road courses. Second, Tony george has destroyed open wheel racing in america by breaking off from CART. I used to love the old PPG Indycar series. When the IRL first formed it was a joke. It was all of the second rate drivers and teams. Then slowly one by one the better teams started coming over there. Now Champcar is what IRL used to be. There are only two good teams (Newman-Haas, and Forsythe) and the rest can barely afford the gas money to go from race to race. Even though the good teams are in IRL, i still am not a huge fan. Like I said, WAY to many ovals. They need to reform IRL and champcar back into one if there is any hope in returning american open wheel racing to what it used to be. But for now, I will stick to watching F1. They actually know what they are doing business wise.

P.S.- Anything is better than nascar. I would rather watch that tractor racing than that garbage WWF style racing they call nascar

Answer 10

IRL is the best series in the world. Unfortunately the people who run it are the biggest idiots in the world.