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What are your thoughts about this "potential" 2009 schedule.....
here is a suggested 20-race schedule for the 2009 IndyCar Series, along with comments about individual venues:
• Round 1: Feb. 20-22, St. Petersburg -- Kick off the open-wheel season in Florida the week after the Daytona 500. Any later than March 1, and MLB spring training becomes a factor. May be a lame-duck event if the Tampa Rays build a new stadium in downtown St. Pete.
• Round 2: March 7-8, Phoenix International Raceway -- Bring back this historic and once-popular IndyCar venue, but give it only two years to prove open-wheelers can again draw a crowd in the desert.
• Round 3: March 13-15, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City -- The more races that can be run in warm-weather markets prior to the Indianapolis 500, the less stacked together the summer races will be.
• Round 4: March 27-28, Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- Perhaps run it as a Saturday night special.
• Round 5: April 3-5, Long Beach -- Avoid conflicting with the PGA Tour's Masters Tournament to help the TV ratings, if possible.
• Round 6: April 17-18, Twin Ring Motegi, Japan -- Ship the cars and equipment from Los Angeles, then give the teams a week to catch up.
• Round 7: April 25-26, Kansas Speedway -- Continue oval-track buildup toward Indy.
• Round 8: May 2-3, Kentucky Speedway -- More Indy buildup, at the track closest to IMS.
• May 8-10, 13-15, Indy practice days -- Cut back the number of practice days to condense activity for fans and reduce costs for teams.
• May 16-17, Indianapolis 500 qualifying -- Two days is plenty, even if real bumping makes a comeback.
• May 22 -- Carb Day.
• Round 9: May 24 -- 93rd Indianapolis 500.
• Round 10: May 29-30, Texas Motor Speedway -- Give Eddie Gossage the date he wants (first race after Indy) and leverage other choice dates with Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc. tracks.
• Round 11: June 6-7, The Milwaukee Mile -- The next couple of years will determine whether Brew-town still wants to be an open-wheel market.
• Round 12: June 19-21, Portland International Raceway -- This is a key market that NASCAR still hasn't cracked. A motivated title sponsor and a little TLC could bring the fans back to PIR.
• Round 13: June 26-28, Edmonton airport circuit -- Would make economic sense to twin with Portland.
• Round 14: July 3-5, Cleveland airport circuit -- Re-establish and grow this unique event with an annual Fourth of July tie-in.
• Round 15: July 17-18, Richmond International Raceway -- A slightly later date more equally splits RIR's traditional pair of NASCAR races.
• Round 16: July 24-26, Toronto -- It's a golden opportunity to truly recreate the Molson Indy now that the "What's a Champ Car?" confusion will be gone.
• Round 17: Aug. 7-9, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course -- A Honda favorite, though the company might get more bang from its buck by sponsoring a rejuvenated Cleveland GP.
• Round 18: Aug. 14-16, Road America -- America's fastest and most challenging natural terrain road course must be on the schedule.
• Round 19: Sept. 5-7, Detroit Belle Isle -- How about a Labor Day weekend race run on the holiday?
• Round 20: Sept. 11-12, Chicagoland Speedway -- Run the season finale Saturday night so as not to go up against the NFL on Sunday.
• Round 1: Feb. 20-22, St. Petersburg -- Kick off the open-wheel season in Florida the week after the Daytona 500. Any later than March 1, and MLB spring training becomes a factor. May be a lame-duck event if the Tampa Rays build a new stadium in downtown St. Pete.
• Round 2: March 7-8, Phoenix International Raceway -- Bring back this historic and once-popular IndyCar venue, but give it only two years to prove open-wheelers can again draw a crowd in the desert.
• Round 3: March 13-15, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City -- The more races that can be run in warm-weather markets prior to the Indianapolis 500, the less stacked together the summer races will be.
• Round 4: March 27-28, Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- Perhaps run it as a Saturday night special.
• Round 5: April 3-5, Long Beach -- Avoid conflicting with the PGA Tour's Masters Tournament to help the TV ratings, if possible.
• Round 6: April 17-18, Twin Ring Motegi, Japan -- Ship the cars and equipment from Los Angeles, then give the teams a week to catch up.
• Round 7: April 25-26, Kansas Speedway -- Continue oval-track buildup toward Indy.
• Round 8: May 2-3, Kentucky Speedway -- More Indy buildup, at the track closest to IMS.
• May 8-10, 13-15, Indy practice days -- Cut back the number of practice days to condense activity for fans and reduce costs for teams.
• May 16-17, Indianapolis 500 qualifying -- Two days is plenty, even if real bumping makes a comeback.
• May 22 -- Carb Day.
• Round 9: May 24 -- 93rd Indianapolis 500.
• Round 10: May 29-30, Texas Motor Speedway -- Give Eddie Gossage the date he wants (first race after Indy) and leverage other choice dates with Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc. tracks.
• Round 11: June 6-7, The Milwaukee Mile -- The next couple of years will determine whether Brew-town still wants to be an open-wheel market.
• Round 12: June 19-21, Portland International Raceway -- This is a key market that NASCAR still hasn't cracked. A motivated title sponsor and a little TLC could bring the fans back to PIR.
• Round 13: June 26-28, Edmonton airport circuit -- Would make economic sense to twin with Portland.
• Round 14: July 3-5, Cleveland airport circuit -- Re-establish and grow this unique event with an annual Fourth of July tie-in.
• Round 15: July 17-18, Richmond International Raceway -- A slightly later date more equally splits RIR's traditional pair of NASCAR races.
• Round 16: July 24-26, Toronto -- It's a golden opportunity to truly recreate the Molson Indy now that the "What's a Champ Car?" confusion will be gone.
• Round 17: Aug. 7-9, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course -- A Honda favorite, though the company might get more bang from its buck by sponsoring a rejuvenated Cleveland GP.
• Round 18: Aug. 14-16, Road America -- America's fastest and most challenging natural terrain road course must be on the schedule.
• Round 19: Sept. 5-7, Detroit Belle Isle -- How about a Labor Day weekend race run on the holiday?
• Round 20: Sept. 11-12, Chicagoland Speedway -- Run the season finale Saturday night so as not to go up against the NFL on Sunday.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Christy on -
I found this on espn.com...and found some of the venues interesting and the reasons behind them.... Personally I dont think moving Kentucky to May would be a good idea (IMO).... I am not sure why they dropped Homestead... and I also am not crazy about having the potential of 4 road courses in a row at the end of the season.... what are all of your thoughts on this??? (keep in mind this isnt the actual schedule..just a fluttering thought) :)
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Permalink Reply by KoHoSo on -
I think there's some good stuff in those ideas. However, as a traditionalist, I would be against not having Milwaukee after Indy. I also agree with Christy that Kentucky in May is not a good idea (great for logistics, but bad for marketing IMHO). And, as mentioned in another thread, find a way eventually to bring back Michigan and Fontana and make them "Triple Crown" events with Indy.
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Permalink Reply by Jonathan on -
I also agree that there is some good stuff in the schedule idea. But I personally think that May should stay a month the last time they had the shortened month of May it just didnt feel like Indy. I love Road America on the schedule, I personally omit Detroit for Infenion Raceway, I do like though the idea of the last race of the year under the lights
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Permalink Reply by Joe on -
Not too bad, but I think there are too many good tracks that are left out. MIS definitely needs to be back in the mix. They need to do all they can to get it back in the schedule, and would be a great one to increase to 500 miles. In addition, I don't see Sonoma, or the Glen in the list. I'm not a road racing fan as much as the ovals, but these are two of the better courses without a doubt that seem to have good views of a large part of the course. Not having been to either Iowa or Homestead, I can't speak for the trackside experience, but the quality of racing at both tracks was great this past year. I can easily see a schedule that could be up to 30 races. In my opinion, the more the better. If we can get a 50/50 split of road courses and ovals, I think that would be ideal, giving both the former Champ Car drivers and the IndyCar drivers a fair mix.
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Permalink Reply by xorpheous on -
I don't like the fact that Surfer's Paradise is missing. A couple of the new cc teams rely on Australian sponsors, and if Surfers is dropped, their sponsorship vanishes, too.
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Permalink Reply by SoHoosier on -
Of course, the one we picked to go to in 08 (Nashville) isn't on there....I must have the kiss of death. Moving KY to May works better for me personally, but.... Of course the person that put this together doesn't have to contend with scheduling around other series or events, so look for the real thing to be vastly different. I would hate to see Homestead go.
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Permalink Reply by Kyle on -
Ultimately, some good tracks are going to be left off the schedule if they are caping the schedule at 20 events and I am sure there are existing IRL contracts with tracks on their schedule that would be ideal to drop now. But as long as Road America is on the schedule I will be happy (would love to see an IRL / ALMS doubleheader).
As for the Mile...I think their crowds were much better when the event was in July (almost always a hot weekend it seemed) vs right after Indy. Tradition or not...need to be there when the fans will show up. I think the Mile's promoters need to do a much better job of putting an "event weekend" together as well to stay on the schedule. Last year I got to the track early on Sunday and there was nothing going on for hours. That doesn't help draw in fans either. If that's the route as promoters they want to go, drop the Mile and pick up someone who will work harder to promote the Series.
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Permalink Reply by Christy on
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Kyle if you truly want to see an IRL/ALMS double header...GO TO MID OHIO :) that place had soo much racing in one weekend enough to make your head spin :) well worth their cheap prices... for $90 you can get Fri-Sun : general admission, paddock pass, pit pass, grandstand seats..... to see the ALMS, IPS and IRL all race !!!
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Permalink Reply by Kyle on
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I would love to. I have done some work with Mid Ohio in the past and it's a great venue and an awesome group of staff in the front office. Problem is...as long as Mid Ohio keeps their current date a reoccurring prior commitment will prevent me from attending.
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Permalink Reply by KoHoSo on
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This is going to be a long post, so get your Visine! :-)
As a lot of us noticed on the most recent edition of Wind Tunnel, Mario Andretti gave the sage advice that the "new" IndyCar should not follow NASCAR. I agree completely. However, I think it would be folly to totally ignore the 800 pound gorilla on the track.
With that in mind, I offer my own "potential" 2009 schedule. This is not presented as being any better than what Christy started this off with. In fact, as I spent the day thinking about this in a realistic manner, I found many of Christy's ideas to be right on target and changed my opinion on a few things I have stated here previously.
What I have done is to try to look at what is realistic date-wise and smart marketing-wise. Part of that means that I have looked at the NASCAR schedule to avoid races being too close geographically on the same day as well as too close date-wise at venues that they share. Of course, I will be off the mark on some information, can't help but engage in some hopeful speculation, ignored the supposed 20-race limit (I went to 22), and made some deletions to the schedule that will probably make many of you scream bloody murder.
My 2009 schedule would have nine ovals and 13 of everything else (six street courses, five road courses, and two airport courses). Anyone who won the championship on this schedule would undoubtedly have to be good at all disciplines and could truly be called a great driver.
So, presented for your disdain and disapproval... ;-) ...here's the 2009 KoHoSo IndyCar Schedule.
03.01 (Sunday) Homestead-Miami -- open up the season with an oval and an early start time to get attention before the NASCAR race in Las Vegas.
03.08 (Sunday) Mexico City -- head south of the border ASAP to avoid conflicting with NASCAR's Nationwide Series race in April; IMO, IndyCar must be in Mexico.
03.15 (Sunday) Saint Petersburg -- better to split up the Florida races so that St. Pete doesn't go up against NASCAR just up the road in Hot 'Lanta.
03.22 (Sunday) Houston -- I think this is the worst of the street courses that was on the CCWS 2008 schedule...but, their Web site says that TG promised to come back in 2009...so, let's use their southern climate to fill in the early part of the schedule and hope it can be improved to truly befit this deserving (and huge) market.
03.29 (Sunday) Surfer's Paradise -- Can't leave out our Aussie friends!
04.05 (Sunday) Twin Ring Motegi -- Let's get this overseas stuff done in one fell swoop; teams can resupply here after Australia courtesy of Honda.
04.12 (Sunday) OFF
04.19 (Sunday) Long Beach -- Masters or not, this general date is locked in by the city.
04.26 (Sunday) Kansas -- I hate to schedule anything up against Talladega right now, but this is a good date for Kansas and a good tune-up for the "500."
MAY - compressed schedule or not, the entire month of May shall be spent in Speedway, Indiana the way the Good Lord intended. ;-D
05.24 (Sunday) Indianapolis -- The 500, the 500... :-)
05.30 (Saturday) Texas -- after thinking about this awhile and looking at the available races and tracks, I now agree that Texas can have it's post-Indy date back...in addition to the points that Christy made, think of this...there are three potential dates in the northern Illinois/southern Wisconsin area: Chicagoland, Milwaukee, and Road America (more on that below)...this is not the time to oversaturate any market...as much as I hate to do it and remember the great tradition of the Rex Mays Classic coming right after the "500," Milwaukee has to go in favor of the faster Chicagoland and the spectacle that is Road America.
06.07 (Sunday) Road America -- I know that this was not on the 2008 CCWS schedule...however, this was always such a great event at such a spectacular road course that I can't find a way to not make it part of the schedule.
06.14 (Sunday) OFF
06.21 (Sunday) Iowa -- IMO, this is going to end up being one of everybody's favorite oval races besides Indy...yes, it's a small market, but sometimes you take action over bodies and hope for growth...remember when Bristol only had 40,000 seats?
06.28 (Sunday) Watkins Glen -- I believe that it is imperative to keep a presence in New York.
07.04 (Saturday) Cleveland -- Christy's idea of giving Cleveland a traditional Independence Day date is so excellent that I will take it as well...proper promotion could make this a gangbuster in the USA's 17th largest TV market.
07.11 (Saturday) Nashville -- this race is pretty much locked in this spot due to NASCAR events in June and August; it's a good track and market that I believe deserves to remain on the schedule.
07.19 (Sunday) Toronto -- I would do everything I could to stay in Canada's biggest market...if the street course is no longer viable, perhaps nearby Mosport would be a good alternative.
07.26 (Sunday) OFF
08.01 (Saturday) Kentucky -- Kentucky moves up a week to make way for the "western swing" but still gives it two weeks' space after its ARCA/NASCAR Truck Series dates...remember, this race picks up the Cincinnati market as well as Louisville and many other nearby smaller ones.
08.09 (Sunday) Edmonton -- The "western swing" starts here in my schedule for reasons you will read below.
08.16 (Sunday) Portland -- Christy made excellent points about Portland, and it is also an excellent road course; I am just changing the date from her list to make the "west coast swing" fit in better with the more-locked-in date for Sears Point.
08.23 (Sunday) Sears Point -- see my note below about Laguna Seca...also, hard to move if we choose Sonoma over Monterey because Sears Point has NASCAR in June and the NHRA in July.
08.30 (Sunday) Belle Isle -- It's hard to deny the Detroit area a prominent place on the schedule; sadly, having this race means we might have to wait to get stronger to return to MIS (see note on MIS below).
09.05 (Saturday) Chicagoland -- A great place and huge market in which to end the season, and I could not agree with Christy more that this event should be run on a Saturday (nighttime, perhaps?) as to not get obliterated by the NFL (going against big early-season NCAA match-ups will be bad enough).
For those left behind...
Milwaukee - So hard to give this place the ax; see my comments for Texas above.
Mid-Ohio - It almost makes me cry to leave out such a great road course. But, Cleveland is a bigger market. And, with Cincinnati taken at the lower end of the state with nearby Kentucky, Mid-Ohio gets squeezed out for now to not oversaturate the market.
Laguna Seca - Another tearful cut...home of the greatest pass in road course history, the sad fact is that taking Sears Point instead makes Bruton Smith and SMI happy...plus, it is closer for most Bay Area residents to get to Sonoma than it is Monterey.
Mont-Tremblant - Québec is a market where IndyCar should have a race. However, as I narrowed down my choices, I just couldn't fit it in anywhere where it wouldn't be too close to the Canadian Grand Prix or the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Montréal.
Richmond - I hate giving up on this market which includes Washington DC as well as giving the impression that IndyCar is "retreating" from NASCAR Land. But, it seems to me that this track causes nothing but big repair bills for owners, isn't the best showcase for what an IndyCar can do, and -- even with Christy's wise date change -- is still too close to both Sprint Cup dates.
California and Michigan - would love to see them back, but it's far too early to have two races in the same market...well, unless MIS insists (as seen in another recent post around here).
Phoenix and Las Vegas - let's leave these two iffy markets on the waiting list until we get a little stronger.
New Hampshire and Gateway - These would be great markets to be in, but I would put them off for now since they don't really highlight the speed of an IndyCar.
Belgium, Spain, and Holland - for now, let's leave Europe alone; we'll already be spending enough to go to Australia and Japan.
Pocono - I believe that it is unrealistic to have this track be suitable for the modern IndyCar...sad because Pennsylvania is a hard market to pass up.
The big event for the future...drop Watkins Glen and hold a street race around the new Liberty Tower in lower Manhattan...tell me that wouldn't be the coolest thing since the invention of ice cream! :-D
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Permalink Reply by Gary Evans on -
i don't think we need any other races in may.shorten practice days cheapens the bronze badges.it'd be tough coming back from Motegi for a race the next weekend.portland?sounds fine,but always was a boring race.i DO agree with cleveland and elkhart lake being on the schedule.joliet doesn't have lights,if i remember correctly.love the las vegas idea.did you think this up yourself?lots of homework to do that.also MIS ,Iowa and Homestead!
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Permalink Reply by JDB on -
All of you have some great ideas for a schedule. The only thing I ask for is to have the week off after Indy. I know its great for whatever track has the date so they can use the 500 and the winner to promote the race, but the month of May takes a toll on equipment and personel. For once I would to spend Memorial Day Monday with my family and not have hump butt to get to the next race a few days later.
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