It's done. Stick a fork in it.

[Nem14]

Skip most of the NASCAR stuff - Fumes - Autoextremist.com ~ the bare-knuckled, unvarnished, high octane truth... (http://www.autoextremist.com/fumes1/)

QFT!


......Despite participation by enthusiastic manufacturers like GM, Honda and Firestone the future of the sport of Indy car racing has never looked more grim. And I'm saying this reflecting back on all of the rancor of the "split" years too. On the surface everyone should be pleased because the sport seems to be moving forward, but wipe away a trace of January optimism and you have a sport that's on the precipice of extinction.

NASCAR's ratings may be heading downward but IndyCar's TV ratings are almost nonexistent, except for the Indianapolis 500. The sad thing is that this is exactly the envrionment that spurred the owners to form CART, because all they had back then was the Indianapolis 500 and a loose grouping of races before and after it. And what do we have today? The Indianapolis 500 and a smattering of races making up a schedule that doesn't even register on mainstream media radar screens. To say that Indy car racing has lost its mojo doesn't even begin to cover it....

....What rankles me about the influential participants in IndyCar racing is that they don't see that there's a problem in any of this, that IndyCar is just fine. Really? That relentlessly dreadful cultural train wreck called "Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo" gets bigger TV ratings than an average IndyCar race, and that's just beyond embarrassing.

[Don Capps]

I would say that he is being optimistic.... the real situation is probably worse.

[Starter]

It is what it is. I don't see anything substantive changing. Meanwhile, I'll enjoy what there is as long as it lasts. And I'll still enjoy all the amateur SCCA racing too.

[call_me_andrew]

Peter M. DeLorenzo sure knows what he's saying. After all, the Hydrogen Electric Racing Federation is in its fourth season.

[Lousada]

I've been thinking this for years, yet every season at St. Pete there is another full field.

[Jag_Warrior]

For years the powers-that-be have completely ignored the basics and fundamentals of what it would take to rebuild this series into something that would attract something more than diehards. The casual fans have all but abandoned the series now (outside of Indy... and even there). That trend has been in place, evidenced by declining ratings, continuing financial losses, attendance issues and the series having to travel from town to town once promoters realize that they can't turn a profit, for a decade or more. Now the series is basically stuck with a dud TV package and I see them doing nothing to attract the (tired) old fans or bring in new fans. Hell, they can't even develop and launch a workable mobile app or maintain the website! How pathetic and bassakwards is that?! :rolleyes:

My prediction is: the series will continue to limp along only for as long as IMS continues to write checks to keep it alive. It's an insolvent business which only exists at the pleasure of a wealthy benefactor. What we have now is a pro-am series that is watchable... as long as your expectations aren't overly high and you have little to no memory of what we once had.

[SoCalPVguy]

My prediction is: the series will continue to limp along only for as long as IMS continues to write checks to keep it alive. It's an insolvent business which only exists at the pleasure of a wealthy benefactor. What we have now is a pro-am series that is watchable... as long as your expectations aren't overly high and you have little to no memory of what we once had.

Agreed. The "series" will limp along as long as the Speedway subsidizes it. Again as I think the "family" will be forced to sell the speedway within 5 years, probably because the accompanying series drained it dry, so the long term prospects for a full time series is in jeopardy.

Expect the Nascar open wheel series by 2015 either as a competitor to finally knock out ICS or as a buy out of the bones of the old defunct ICS series.

[DBell]

The fork was stuck in long ago. In fact, there is just a fork lying on a plate now, the carcass it was stuck into has long since rotted away.

[Rex Monaco]

"Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."

I think it would be better if the series died. Once that happens there is a (very small) chance that a competent owner will pick up the pieces on the cheap and create something of value.