So I open the mail today and inside one letter from Infineon Raceway is a FREE Sunday raceday ticket to the Indy race at that track later this month. The thing has a $55 face value. Apparently I got it for buying a pair of the cheapest NASCAR tickets available to the race up there in June. Plus I get 20% off any other tickets I might want to buy.
How desperate must the IRL and Infineon be to get someone, ANYONE to come to the IRL race there if they're giving away free tickets to joe blow NASCAR fan like me? I mean I've heard of giving tickets to charities or corporate sponsors... but to average race fans? Ticket sales must be really slow to the Infineon race.
And her's a sub question, if this is the case, does IRL have any future on the west coast? Champ Car seems to be doing pretty good out here... but no IRL.
2007-08-16 06:42:08 · 12 answers · asked by D T 2 in Sports ➔ Auto Racing ➔ Indy Racing League (IRL)
I went to the IRL race here in Charlotte back when they used to run here. The tickets I got were free and everyone I talked to had free tickets, and that was a long time ago. The IRL has has always been desperate to put people in seats. It's kinda like being a drug dealer, the first one is free, but you pay for the rest once you're hooked. I have no idea how other series operate ,such as Champcar, but there's also a bunch of spectators at Nascar races that get free tickets one way or another.
2007-08-16 07:02:35 · answer #1 · answered by Jay 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
"They actually count top 10's as a stat in IRL"
Top 10's stats are kept in all racing series.
"People like NASCAR because of the diversity of the cars."
With the COT all the cars will look alike, and NASCAR is already looking into a spec engine. The BGN North already runs a spec GM engine, regardless of what the decal on the hood says.
The big problem with open wheel racing is the lack of marketing. NASCAR has that perfected, and they also control most of the tracks. A good crowd at a IRL race looks small because people are used to seeing the crowds that show up at the taxi cab shows. Also, most of the drivers that people follow from the short tracks, end up in NASCAR.
I have been involved in open wheel racing for almost 50 years, and have seen the the crowds come and go, what goes around, comes around.
2007-08-20 06:43:13 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I heard all the same stuff about the IRL back when Cart was still a series, that is before it went under. Open wheel racing cant support two major series in the US, so if they both want to survive they do need to merge. The only bright spot is the IRL still has the most attended race every year. Right above 300,000 people attended this years Indy 500. Compared to around 185,000 for the Daytona 500.
2007-08-18 04:35:12 · answer #3 · answered by sawxwoodsy1980 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The IRL really is a joke. They actually count top 10's as a stat in IRL, when other than the Indy 500, only about 17 cars make the trip, usually two or three are destroyed over the weekend, and four others have a mechanical or electrical problem. That leaves about 11 people that actually finish the race. Talk about prestige. Nascar should start scoring the top 25's for that matter. Yeley wouldn't look like such a scrub then. I'm sure he wouldn't compared to the IRL crew, either. Also, too bad IROC isn't still around. I would like to see the top five from NASCAR, IRL, Champ, and F1 duke it out on two ovals and three road circuits. I could already guarantee that Danica Patrick would finish about 18th in points and have one of her little 'fits'.
2007-08-17 05:49:25 · answer #4 · answered by gokartracer97 1 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I've been to the last three Champ-Car races in Edmonton and the stands are packed for the big race, hell they are half full for qualifying. I've watched parts of a half dozen IRL races and the crowds make the Craftsman truck practice at Daytona look good.
IRL has the corporate support but Champ has the fan support, and sooner than later the corporate community is going to move over to Champ or just stop supporting open-wheel in america
2007-08-17 14:19:31 · answer #5 · answered by mAD~mOD 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are desparate. It was a few years ago, I think it was 2004 actually, but one year, the IRL lost money on 75% of its races. The money generated from the Indy 500 was what keeps the league alive. That Champ cars are still running without a premier event, like the Indy 500 or the Daytona 500, or any other big name event, shows me that the Champ cars have it right to some degree. Tony George just needs to get back with Champ cars and have the CART series back again.
2007-08-17 02:22:45 · answer #6 · answered by Jam_Til_Impact 5 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Really, I think that both series running the same motors in all of the cars are really hurting it. Nobody wants to see essentially 20 of the same cars in a race. People like NASCAR because of the diversity of the cars. Indy did a lot better while running more then one motor. Its like cloning 10 carl lewis' to run the 100M. Really at the end of the day, you are gonna know who is gonna win. I'm gonna stick to F1, NASCAR, and motoGP(those people have some BALLS!)
2007-08-19 13:55:10 · answer #7 · answered by Dennis C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would be more than happy to have the champ cars stay out there and let us on the east coast keep the IRL here.
Champ cars used to do that too so it's not a new thing for your info. I am rather shocked that IRL would stoop so low as to do that to be honest with you.
Champ car tracks are as bad as they get. Talk about follow the leader.
So if you can pull it off keep your champ cars out there and send us the IRL back and we will call it even.
2007-08-16 14:45:28 · answer #8 · answered by Ray Y 4 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Yes they give out free tickets, just to fill the stands the reason they do it that most of these fans end out buying merchandise at the races that is where they get their money.
2007-08-19 06:04:01 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
music to my ears, i just hope it isn't too late, though I'm a fan of road racing first i do like some ovals, and i hope if the irl does fold that champ car will revert back to the old format,
just imagine penske, ginassi, agr, newman/haas/lanigan, forsythe, rahal letterman, all back in the same series plus the addition of rsport and minardi,
no more grids with less than 20 cars half of witch are field fillers, no more women drives only there to bring in merchandise money, (anyone else notice that the only 2 faces on the irl opening theme are danica and dario, and dario is only there because he won indy), no more new "gimmicks" designed to attract attendance like Ferris wheels, just one good series where the talent and technology bring the fans
2007-08-17 02:48:44 · answer #10 · answered by eyesinthedrk 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋