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Welcome Randy Bernard - 10 Suggestions
Good morning Randy Bernard and welcome to your first day as CEO of the Indy Racing League. As a one of kind social networking IndyCar website that features over 500 members, a weekly radio show, and daily discussion about IndyCar, we would like to welcome you with 10 suggestions for your new gig.
10 suggestions in no particular order.
1. Get IndyCar racing back on the sports map
Outside of the Indianapolis 500 and maybe the Texas race, who knows about IndyCar? IndyCar will never be a mainstream sport like the NFL, MLB, and NBA, but they can build a product that could rival NASCAR with some of the best racing in the world. No one knows about IndyCar racing right now and no one is watching outside of Memorial Day weekend.
2. Reduce costs so that more teams can hire DRIVERS and not ride buyers.
The hard aspect of IndyCar to accept right now is that the drivers that bring money to teams will get rides. Gone are the days of teams shopping for a driver because he/she is the best available. Today you better have money coming with you in order to race.
3. More American drivers please!
Americans are now a minority in a series that holds over 75% of their races in America. IndyCar doesn’t have to be an all American series, but more than two full time America drivers starting the series would be nice. It’s hard to identify with a driver when you can hardly pronounce his name.
4. More Ovals
The Indy Racing League was built on an all oval concept and it’s a far cry away from that today. IndyCar racing will never be all ovals again, but they can at least be a majority on the schedule. As it stands right now, for the first time in league history, more road/street course races will be run than ovals. You could bring any of the following ovals back and it would be good: Las Vegas, Phoenix, California, Charlotte, and Milwaukee.
5. Increase your schedule to about 26 races
IndyCar currently runs 17 races, hardly a dominate schedule as NASCAR runs over 40 races in one season. IndyCar can increase their ovals by six to 14, take in three more street courses and bingo you have a nice compact 26 race schedule. Start your season in late February and be done by the end of September. IndyCar would be wise to have a 24-26 race season.
6. Allow young American drivers to come up through the new ladder system and win.
I don’t know how you plan to get American drivers into the series if you don’t give them opportunities to race in your ladder system. Joey Logano is a great example of how NASCAR is bringing in the next generation of drivers into their series, IndyCar needs to be able to show young Americans that the Indy 500 is possible with the correct training and ladder system.
7. Don’t let Graham Rahal get away
Graham is one of the brightest young American stars the IZOD IndyCar series has right now and he currently doesn’t have a ride. Before you get the whole “how do we get Americans into our series again” figured out, figure out how to get Graham a ride right now. NASCAR will stick him in Truck or Nationwide and take away the best young star IndyCar has. Graham wants to be in open wheel, his father won the 1986 Indy 500, and he is wise beyond his years.
8. Make the right decision for the 2012 car and have them build it in Speedway, Indiana.
IndyCar has a very important decision to make about the new car that they plan to race in 2012. Dallara, Swift, Lola, and the radical Delta Wing have all submitted designs and everyone has an opinion on what should be selected. Without taking up three more pages by explaining each car and its benefits, I will be short. Make the right decision for 2012, well what is the right decision? Lower costs, increase participation, making the racing good , make the racing safe, and have the car built in Speedway, Indiana. The town of Speedway, Indiana is currently undergoing a major redevelopment project that will focus on racing related attractions. See the website link -> www.speedwayindiana.com
9. Move the start time of the Indy 500 up an hour or two.
The greatest spectacle in racing needs to have the greatest drivers in the world competing in it. The problem right now is that the Indy 500 starts too late for NASCAR drivers to compete in it, now obviously the Joe Nemechecks of the world aren’t going to come and run IndyCar. Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Sam Hornish Jr, Robby Gordon, Kyle Busch, and Kasey Kane would at least consider running Indy as way to showcase their talents. The start time prevents them from running both races. Think of the possible rivalry that would develop when NASCAR drivers try to drive in the Indy 500 and finish toward the back of the pack, or win the race on their first try.
10. Promote the best racing in the world like there is no tomorrow.
IndyCar racing is some of the, if not the best racing in the world when it comes to high speeds, new technology and driver skill. The problem is that it’s not promoted to a level that allows anybody to see it. Get out there and do some marketing, promoting, and selling on your product. The racing is about the best thing you have to sell right now, outside of IZOD helping you out, people need to experience the great racing of IndyCar.
IndyCar Garage would like to welcome Randy Bernard into the best form of motorsports in the world. IndyCar Garage would encourage Mr. Bernard to sign up and become a member of www.IndyCarGarage.com today!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Larry Baker on -
Have been a fan since the early 50's and have some idea of what fans and the sport need to not only sustain itself in challenging times...and yes grow to what it was always capable of with a little common sense. I can not challenge any of the ten suggestions above or replace a specific one with one I could justify as more important or deserving attention as a top ten.
Have a good think on the above ten suggestions and commit to finding a way to achieve positive actions for the fans, drivers, teams, sponsors and the league...fairly and equally. We all will be watching you very closely and wish you the very best!
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Permalink Reply by Ralph Simpson on -
#11...Promote the FANS. Look at how the dozen or so pre-race programs before each race promoting the fans. NASCAR is a big party with a race as an aside. People love to be on TV with their signs, yelling about their favorite driver. Have fan appreciation days & don't shut the fans out of the garrage area only to stand in long lines AFTER the race.
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Permalink Reply by Jim Huntington on -
Excellent ICG. I concur and endorse what you posit. I'd also add that ISC should seriously consider OPENING up future engine/chassis combos as long as they meet safety standards. It would be kinda dumb to just go to a new car that will be simply produce another variation of "follow the leader".
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Permalink Reply by Alan Turner on -
Ovals are great but I always hated Louden (one very good race does not an otherwise crappy track make)But, if it helps secure the market then I'd be ok with it .Phoenix, Milwaukee, Michigan and California. Probably Vegas too. Make it about half. 26 races would be great. But Cleveland is a must as is RA. If the cars could be smaller then Laguna Seca would be good. Portland again. Vancouver again for sure. Greatly reduced costs is the key to this. Don't forget to get Surfers back on the schedule. Brazil, Japan and Australia is just about the right amount of outside N.A.
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Permalink Reply by Ralph Simpson on
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I just hope Mr. Bernard listens to the fans. Admittedly we are not engineers, car designers & promotional geniuses but I think we DO KNOW what we want & what BRINGS in the fans. Please don't be like the US Government & tell us that you KNOW what's best for us. Best of luck to him & we must give him all the respect he deserves & a chance to turn around the best racing in the world.
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Permalink Reply by Ken Cleaver on -
FLAT OUT: get rid of ALL road/street course's and bring back ALL oval racing to Indy Cars. This is what Indy racing was all about. Road/Street races are over before it starts as the car on the pole normally wins and there is virtually no passing. BORING
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Permalink Reply by Joe on -
Very well said Indaycar Garage. I would add to #4- Lowes, Pocono, Atlanta, Michigan. Those tracks are made for fast cars like Indy cars. For #10- maybe you could have put in something about a TV deal that more than 1% of America can see. Another suggestion, why not approach some of the owners in napcar and see if anyone would be interested in starting up some teams in this series? They have money, sponsors, and more than enough talent that may want to give this series a try. We have a couple of owners in their series, why not the other way around?
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Permalink Reply by OneLuckyGuy on -
The only one I don't agree with is number 4. I would only increase the number of ovals if the number of races increased as well. I like to have a a pure 50/50 split between ovals and road/street courses.
I would keep the current schedule but add Phoenix, New Hampshire, and Las Vegas. I would like to add Road America, Cleveland, and Portland (but I would dump Infineon or Watkins Glen.) to even out the schedule. That would give us 24 or 25 events.
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Permalink Reply by OneLuckyGuy on
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Since we have a balanced schedule try to get someone to sponsor a road/street course champion, oval champion, and an overall champion.
That way these partial schedule people like Sarah Fisher have something to battle for.
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Permalink Reply by joey kowailw on -
good point. she's very good on ovals as its her back ground
take the lola chassis concept on with the tub for indy lights and lndycar.
bring ovals back
rahal along with other talented american drivers NEEDS to be in the series.
get off versus
find other drivers to promote. average drivers who drive nascar average aren't a long term future. drivers in indycar are the future.
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Permalink Reply by Todd on
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A lot of good ideas and comments from this post. I love this series. I get a little hung-up on the nationality thing. I don't know if there have been any comments from native Americans, North, South or Central in this blog, so where have we all come from and where are we going. Cultural diversity is what this country and this hemisphere is built on. I feel expanding the IndyCar market-base to other countries in a methodical manor would help all teams and drivers have more sponsorship opportunities through increase media coverage. This would also expand the series exposure in the growing world wide economy.
I would love to see more U.S. drivers in the mix and I'm excited that IndyCar is working on programs to encourage young drivers to come through the ranks with a defined system to do so.
I too would like to see the mix of ovals and road/street courses at about 50/50 and increase the number of races annually. Maybe drop some domestic road courses to pull in some foriegn courses, as there don't seem to be a lot of ovals outside of the States. With all this, the Indy 500 would still remain "The Greatest Spectacle on Earth" and then some.
The West is certainly in denial right now of series races. Hopefully, future marketing will increase excitment in this region to make it equitable to come here more.
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