Indy 500 today... does anyone care?

[Harry P.]

Probably..but who cares what the general public thinks?

This is his 3rd Indy 500 win....he's quite well known amongst motorsport fans, I would think.

Re-read Art's post. I was specifically answering Art, who believes that he is a "household name," which I severely doubt. And yeah, obviously he's known to race fans, but again, I was refuting Art's claim that he's a household name, meaning the average person on the street could tell you who he is. I don't think he's anything close to a "household name."

For example... I think I'm a pretty representative example of the average guy. I'm not a recluse or a kook or a psychopath or anything... just the average guy on the street... and until yesterday I had never heard of him.

[Rob Hall]

So I should be able to pick up my semi-open wheel Dario Franchitt Indy car kit at my LHS real soon?

Would be nice...but alas, the model companies haven't paid attention to Indy in a long time.

[Harry P.]

Would be nice...but alas, the model companies haven't paid attention to Indy in a long time.

And if Indy racing was as huge as Art claims it is, wouldn't there be at least some attention being paid to it by the model manufacturers???

[Rob Hall]

And if Indy racing was as huge as Art claims it is, wouldn't there be at least some attention being paid to it by the model manufacturers???

It's not as well-followed as it was in the days of AJ Foyt, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, etc (perhaps you have heard of some of those Indy 500 winners) but it still has a following... NASCAR isn't everything in the US, there are many other forms of racing for people that pay attention.

[mikemodeler]

Harry,

While I understand that you were not aware of Dario, you have readily admitted that you do not follow any forms of racing so it stands to reason that you may not know many drivers or which series they race in. Some of us are more "car guys" than others despite being involved in a hobby that involves cars, which is somewhat ironic. You may have more knowledge on European cars from the post WWII era than I do, and I can recite info on NASCAR, but does that make us less than average? No, just have different interests.

I think there is a consensus among most people here that the Indy 500 has lost some of its' prestige that it once had but to some it still holds a place in their hearts and minds that others find hard to understand.

[Craig Irwin]

For example... I think I'm a pretty representative example of the average guy. I'm not a recluse or a kook or a psychopath or anything... just the average guy on the street... and until yesterday I had never heard of him.

Me either, and I'm a gear head who lives 30 miles from the track.

[mikemodeler]

And if Indy racing was as huge as Art claims it is, wouldn't there be at least some attention being paid to it by the model manufacturers???

There have been very few models of any kind of racing in recent years, much less Indy cars. Once upon a time there were multiple Indy car kits on the shelves, along with NASCAR and drag racing kits, but a smaller audience and higher fees have probably kept the model companies from investing in new tools. While they could re-issue an old kit, who wants to build a replica of a car that was last driven 20 years ago?

[Harry P.]

Harry,

While I understand that you were not aware of Dario, you have readily admitted that you do not follow any forms of racing so it stands to reason that you may not know many drivers or which series they race in. Some of us are more "car guys" than others despite being involved in a hobby that involves cars, which is somewhat ironic. You may have more knowledge on European cars from the post WWII era than I do, and I can recite info on NASCAR, but does that make us less than average? No, just have different interests.

I think there is a consensus among most people here that the Indy 500 has lost some of its' prestige that it once had but to some it still holds a place in their hearts and minds that others find hard to understand.

The whole reason that I began this thread is that I was very surprised that nobody had posted anything regarding the race. Not one post. I thought that was pretty odd... that's why I asked in my original post if you guys still think Indy is relevant. Obviously there will always be the die-hard fans that are totally into it, but it seems that the race as far as being a "big deal," an American sports icon like the Super Bowl or the World Series, well, it just ain't what it used to be. I'm not passing judgement on the race or fans of it, just sort of stating the obvious: it just ain't what it used to be, for whatever reasons.

[mikemodeler]

For example... I think I'm a pretty representative example of the average guy. I'm not a recluse or a kook or a psychopath or anything... just the average guy on the street...

Are YOU sure about that Harry??????????? :lol:

[Rob Hall]

The whole reason that I began this thread is that I was very surprised that nobody had posted anything regarding the race. Not one post. I thought that was pretty odd...

Part of that is the demographics of the forum...lots of NASCAR and drag racing fans, few open wheel fans.

[Harry P.]

In fact, even though I wouldn't call myself a fan, I actually used to watch the race every year. It was sort of a tradition, and I felt it was something not to be missed. But for the past several years, it sort of just fell off my radar. I'm not sure exactly why I stopped watching it, but I think part of it is the fact that it just doesn't seem like an American tradition anymore. The list of drivers from this year's race sounds like a UN convention, most of the drivers I've never heard of and have no idea who they are or where they're from.

Back in the day, even though I wasn't really an Indy fan, I knew and recognized the names... Foyt, Unser, Andretti, Mears, etc. Maybe that lack of familiarity today, the lack of connection, is why I (and many others) don't watch it anymore.

That's not necessarily a knock on foreign drivers, but to me Indy used to sort of symbolize American racing and was an American tradition, and nowadays it just doesn't seem to be so much anymore, at least not to me... so what small amount of interest I did have just went away. I think that's probably the case for a lot of people.

Are YOU sure about that Harry??????????? :lol:

Yep. I'm sure.

[martinfan5]

Rob, how was the attendance?, I missed the race, and the only replays I have seen they never really showed the grandstands, I never heard mention of the figures

[Rob Hall]

Rob, how was the attendance?, I missed the race, and the only replays I have seen they never really showed the grandstands, I never heard mention of the figures

I haven't heard any numbers, but there were a lot of people there...the main grandstands along the front stretch seemed pretty full, the grandstands on turn 4 and 3 looked maybe 1/2 full from what I could see. After the race, It took about an hour to get out of the parking lot and an hour to get back out to the freeway. Last year, though, being the 100th anniversary, most likely had a bigger turnout..was estimated then at 400k IIRC...and the heat this year didn't help. I was there Saturday also to visit the museum and vendors, it was pretty crowded then as well.

[mikemodeler]

I think your last post summed it for many people Harry, the Indy 500 used to be a big deal on Memorial Day Weekend and for many reasons, it has become less important.

Living in NASCAR country for the last 7 years, the 500 does garner some print in the Charlotte paper but nothing like the whole "Speed Week" coverage does for the last 2 weeks of the All Star & 600 races.

I rely on internet and Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain on Speed to keep up with Indycar and I would guess many others do as well.

[Rob Hall]

That's not necessarily a knock on foreign drivers, but to me Indy used to sort of symbolize American racing and was an American tradition, and nowadays it just doesn't seem to be so much anymore, at least not to me... so what small amount of interest I did have just went away. I think that's probably the case for a lot of people.

Well, Indy Car is an international racing series today, with races in Brazil, Japan, China, and Canada. There have been foreign drivers in the 500 forever, just a higher percentage today.

Interesting little article I found on the subject of the race..

http://www.examiner.com/article/is-the-luster-returning-to-the-indy-500

Edited May 29, 2012 by Rob Hall

[bill_rules]

IMS doesn't release attendance figures.

[Craig Irwin]

Next years race used to sell out a few weeks after the race (mid June the year before the race) as the tickets went on sale the day after the race. Now you can get tickets on race day.

[Harry P.]

Rob, how was the attendance?, I missed the race, and the only replays I have seen they never really showed the grandstands, I never heard mention of the figures

They never release attendance figures.

[Harry P.]

Well, Indy Car is an international racing series today, with races in Brazil, Japan, China, and Canada. There have been foreign drivers in the 500 forever, just a higher percentage today.

I think that's exactly it. The Indy 500 used to have that vibe as a uniquely American race. Today it's just one in a whole series of international races. Maybe that loss of "uniqueness" is why some people just began to tune out. And of course the ridiculous breakup into two pieces didn't help. (I know they're all back together again and making nice, but the split couldn't have been a good thing).

[jeffs396]

Tony George himself is mostly to blame for the decline of the Indy event in whatever type of racing goes there...

My wife & I attended the 2000 US F1 Grand Prix there and it was a decent race (considering the half-baked track layout) and looked forward to going again in '01. The car was barely cool from the trip home & we received basically an "ultimatum" to commit to buy tickets for the '01 race, albeit NOT the seats we had (which were good).

After that situation, I wouldn't go back to Indy if it were an all expenses paid trip!

And F1 didn't go back after the contract was up either

[Bernard Kron]

I have watched Indy all my life, so, despite the fact that over the past two decades it has becomes hopelessly homogenized and the driving talent totally dominated by a very specific generation or two of drivers, I watched it again yesterday. I must admit, however, that, as has been my habit for many years now, I recorded it and fast forwarded through the advertisements and yellow flag laps.

All three of the top racing formulae as seen from American eyes (NASCAR, F1, Indycar) have suffered badly from the effects of late-stage evolution as the rapidly inflating costs and tremendous efforts put into making the racing immeasurably safer (it will never be "safe") have created formulae which either have become "silhouette car" series (NASCAR, clearly, and Indycar, with it's common chassis and heavily legislated engine rules, as practiced and despite their recent efforts) or are in constant danger of becoming so. The only thing that has saved F1 from this fate is the knowledge by Formula One's teams and series rights owners that if they ever let it actually happen to them it will be the death of their enormously successful business enterprise. So, for the moment, F1 is actually saved by its enormous budgets and overblown global corporate gladiator wars aura. But with the next international corporate financial meltdown this too could be put at grave risk - it has happened to Grand Prix racing before.

The days when a George Saleh, Mickey Thompson, or Colin Chapman, could revolutionise the sport overnight are long gone, as are the days of the larger-than-life hero drivers, often brilliant practitioners across multiple motorsport disciplines (i.e. AJ Foyt, Cale Yarborough, Mark Donohue, Dan Gurney, Jim Clark and even Roger Ward). But at least now careers are measured in decades, instead of months and years, and anyone with a big enough checkbook can buy their way into being a major player, ensuring an artificially sustained form of competitive racing. This is what allows George "Dario" Franchitti and his two close friends to win 3 Indys each and not only be around to have done it but know that if they play the well-defined game skillfully they might exceed the record. But they also know their sport is dying and, as equally real and heroic drivers as those who came before them, I dare say they would give it all up for just a taste of the Golden Age.

[martinfan5]

They never release attendance figures.

I forgot about that, but here is the overnight TV rating, 4.1, down 4.8% from the 4.3 overnight the race drew in 2011. Last year's race ended up with a 4.0 final rating.

As for the Coke 600, what I am reading is it was 4.1-3.9, the only info I can find is hourly numbers, not an overall.

[Craig Irwin]

Truth is we will never again see the innovation that gave Indy the Meyer-Drake-Offy, the front drive Novi V8, the turbine swooshmobile, the rear engine revolution, outdated fours outperforming new OHC V8's with the addition of a turbocharger, Smoky's capsule car, if the rule book forbids it .

[Guest Johnny]

In the very early 60's (61 or 62) my grandpa stopped at an old repair shop long closed and the roof was falling in. He had me look through the glass panes of the old wooden framed door and inside sitting covered in leaves dirt and pigeon poop was an old Indy car.

It was probably from mid 50's by the look.

He told me it was a couple of brothers who had built the car and made two attempts at Indy. One of the brothers died in a crash on the way home from their second try and the car sat in the shop long after the shop had closed until the building was torn down around 1969.

I heard the guy that towed it out pulled the engine and scrapped the rest.

You are right it will never have the excitement that it had back then.

Edited May 29, 2012 by Johnny

[Qwit Pushin]

Love the rich tradition of the 500. It's hard not to daydream while watching this race, imagining the likes of Ruttman, Rose, Vuky, and others from back in the day cruising this same stretch of asphalt and brick. As for NASCAR, lost interest when the cars were no longer built using assembly-line sheet metal. These cars they race now, don't even remotely resemble the factory cars they purport to be. One man's opinion.