Billions of dollars have showered down onto NASCAR as a result of it's incredible rise in popularity over the years. The teams who succeed are no longer the legacy teams - the Petty's and the Wood Brothers - but the teams with the resources to invest in the refinements needed to gain tiny increments of speed, speed that is necessary to capture a decent proportion of NASCAR's huge treasure chest.  This research requires millions of dollars per year instead of thousands.  Further, drivers rotate through these teams far more rapidly than they used to. Loyalties are strained by the pace of these changes.

NASCAR has also radically expanded the number of races on the schedule. This has stretched the ability of their fan base and drivers/teams ability to sustain energy levels.

Are these really problems?  Well, T.V. ratings have dropped over the past two years. Races with histories of sell-outs over the past ten years have been struggling to sell out.  These are likely normal growing pains, not signs of imminent doom.  I can't think of a single racing body that wouldn't kill for "problems" such as these.

WHAT TO DO?

Continue to expand the fan base. Much of the fan complaints are a result of uncomfortable change; most will adapt with the sport. There are demographics not yet reached by this sport, although the fan base upon which the sport was built seems sensitive to such expansion.

Trim some of the races that don't produce a strong return or that don't show promise to expand interest into new demographic areas. Make it clear the problem is with that specific race, not the sport. The old fan base will be impressed, and new investors and fans will know NASCAR means business.

NASCAR is a success story, and will be for the next decade or two unless they overreact to the current, normal growth pains.

... was channel surfing yesterday. There's no NFL or NBA to watch (god damn it, what's Congress doing letting this crisis continue to grow?!), the IndyCar race at Iowa wasn't going to start for a couple of hours, the Gold Cup also was a couple of hours away, and The Erotic Store (new direct marketing channel where semi-hot chicks describe and sell "marital aids") was nowhere to be found.

But whadda you know? They're racing for the America's Cup again. A bunch of blue blooded folks straight from Bushwood were captaining the two yachts, were announcing the race, were driving their spectator yachts around the race course, and were sitting at home munching on brie and hearts of palm salad watching their favorite sporting event. And what an event. Multibillionaires compete against multibillionaires, driving mega million dollar techno yachts staffed by buff athletes from other sports (grinders) and less well-heeled blue bloods (strategists, sail specialists, and the nut cases who get raised and lowered up and down the main mast just to give the multibillionaires who captain the yachts their "Bluebeard" fixes). Fortunately, television has kept up with the sport, illustrating the paths of the boats and projecting their anticipated paths based upon the Fred Willard-esque announcers understanding of the strategies of the sport, the prevailing wind conditions, and the tactical realities of sailing.

To be sure, the strategy, teamwork, and physical effort required to excel at the sport are significant - and worthy of attention. It's just that when you pay attention, it's very difficult to get by the perception that it's a sport consisting of a bunch of Thurston Howell III's, Vanderbilts, Trumps, Huffinbraufegnugen's, and a variety of (seriously inbred) royals from the continent - all harrumphing and looking down their aristocratic noses at those of us peering in via Comcast or DirecTV.

I had a Laser sailboat for a number of years, and enjoyed racing it on occasion; a Laser is a little one or two person "wet sailer" (you ride ON it, not in it - and are virtually certain to get wet), sort of like a Sunfish on steroids - easy to sail, fast, and relatively cheap. It is very cool to have a boat that is powered by the wind on a tight reach (sailing about 45 degrees into the wind), having the sail and rudder trimmed just right, leaning way over the side of the boat to try to counter the fact that the wind is trying to push the sail over into the water, and feeling the couple hundred dollars worth of fiberglass skipping along the water at about 20 knots. It feels as though you're going 150 in a car. I can't imagine how it would feel to be on one of these mega million dollar carbon fiber, titanium, and Area 51 alloy superyachts, with TONS of gear around you, massive athletes turning (grinding) winches to pull sails in or let them out, team helicopters flying overhead, and some former Wall Street executive with white sunblock and $1000 Prada sunglasses on his nose, $100,000 Philip Patek on his wrist, and the confident composure that decades of existing at the top of the human foodchain provides screaming instructions at you to shape up the halyard, scree the boom vang, hoist the spinnaker, etc

Sure, it's a bunch of Spaniards and New Zealanders racing for our Cup this time (again with the non-Americans). And the race is being held in Spain, not Connecticut, Rhode Island, or San Diego. And I don't really find watching sailboat racing any more interesting a spectator sport than, say, golf. But it's the Bushwood factor that keeps me, ... well, it compels me to, ... to ...

Christ, maybe there's a baseball game on.

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... had this in the "NFL" category for a few minutes. Just couldn't keep it there though. I hate it when folks spam the NFL category just to get readers, so back to the "NASCAR" category where it kinda, sorta belongs.

We've hosted the U.S. Grand Prix now for awhile here in Indianapolis. The event has helped Indy become what it is today, a very proud, rather well-to-do large metropolitan area. The tens of millions of dollars that the F1 event brings to our area each year helps fund many jobs, support many establishments, and adds nicely to our tax base resulting in greater funds for education, the arts, and other important social programs.

The event has exposed many Hoosiers to an international crowd and international opinions, tastes, and other trappings of cultures foreign to our own, or in many ways quite similar. We are a better community for these interactions.

Having said that, Bernie Ecclestone can take his F1 crew and leave the country this morning with a hearty wave of the hand and a foot firmly planted on his bony butt from the citizenry of Indianapolis and central Indiana, and quite likely many parts of the U.S.

When NASCAR is here for the Brickyard, or the NCAA is here for the Final Four Tournament, or any number of other major events are held here, we engage in a wholesome and agreeable give and take required to make these events the best they can be, to be the best hosts we can be, and to just enjoy the act of holding an event that brings so many people to our city. We're pretty damn good at it here, and have structured ourselves to deliver service (hotel, restaurant, transportation, etc.) at a level unmatched by cities our size or by cities twice our size. And we love it.

And then there's Bernie's show. And I mean BERNIE'S show. The F1 fans are some of the most enjoyable guests we ever have the pleasure to host. Same for the owners and drivers. But Ecclestone and his little serfdom are simply insufferable. The anachronistic billionaire owns controlling interest in F1, and is able to call the shots. However, Ecclestone seems to have a set of values radically different from not only the car owners and sponsors who bankroll so much of his corporation, but humans in general.

Despite the fact that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has developed the finest medical response team and system in existance within motor racing, Bernie insists on bringing the F1 medical crew in, and shutting the IMS crew completely out, despite the fact that the F1 crew is but a shell of the robust and internationally acclaimed IMS crew. You may remember how long it took the medical response team to reach Ralf Schumaker several years ago after a neck-breaking crash in the final turn of the F1 track (Turn One on the IMS oval) - nearly 90 seconds. It would have been less than ten, likely five, had it been the IMS crew. Fortunately, no one has died or suffered permanent injury as a result of Bernie's hubris in this regard. While Tony George owns the track and all that's in it, and pays over 10 million dollars to Ecclestone each year to keep the USGP at the IMS, Tony, his administration, and his family must agree to turn over control of the Speedway to Bernie's klansmen during F1 week. Mari Hulman George (Tony's mother and former owner of the track) was denied entrance to her suite several years ago due to F1 staff wanting to show who was boss. Ecclestone regularly berates local government leadership for not plastering downtown Indy with USGP & F1 banners, putting more ads in the local media and on the internet promoting the event - this despite the attendance at the USGP in Indy being by far the highest of any other F1 venue. Then he has the gall to say that the US market is not a good one for the F1 brand. What @#$! planet does he live on? This is not a good market for Mercedes, for Ferrari, for HP, for any of the F1 sponsors?!

Now he threatens to move the event to a "better market for F1", specifically naming India, Turkey, and Spain (who already have the Barcelona race). I'm sure Mercedes, Ferrari, BMW, HP, Red Bull, etc. sell plenty in Indian, Turkey, and Spain. But more than in the U.S. ? Of course, these countries say they'll pony up $35 million or more directly to Bernie for the privilege of hosting a race.

I and nearly all of the residents of the Indianapolis area hope that F1 keeps the USGP here in Indy. We hope that negotiations between the marvelously wealthy spindly little weasel and Tony George, city & state officials produce an agreement to keep the race here for awhile longer. But we do have standards here. It's easy to be blinded by money. Yet we won't completely prostrate ourselves to this little Warholian asshole just to capture the millions of dollars that trail off his wagon like so many scraps. We'll miss the money for sure, and just as much we'll miss the great fans and the excitement and energy this event brings. But we won't miss the dark side of the event, not at all. I believe we're far enough along as a community that we can live with that.

I was out of the state on business for the last several days. I didn't think at all about it when booking my return flight to Indy, but when I looked at the departures board upon arriving in Detroit to catch a Northwest Air flight home last evening (Wednesday evening), I was surprised to see five flights leaving for Indianapolis within a fifteen minute period and several others within the hour - - RACE FANS! And these weren't the normal CRJ's and MD-88's, they were A-320s & 757's - all full flights with gaggles of folks hanging around hoping to catch a standby break. And when my flight arrived at Indianapolis International at about 10:30 p.m., the airport was packed (never happens in Indy ...). Flights continued to come in from Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Detroit jammed with race fans.

So the city is starting to fill up again in preparation for The 500. If you're coming to visit, or here already, ... WELCOME! If you're thinking of coming next year, I guarantee you that folks have a good time when they're here. There's plenty of race related activities on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday prior to the race to keep you busy, and Indianapolis is a great city to visit now - a lively downtown and a number of suburban areas with great bars, clubs, and performance halls too. The fans on the plane last evening were ebullient - the energy and buzz was great, visiting race fans chatting with Indy natives about their favorite race memories, getting tips on where to go for a great meal, or a great bar experience, or live music, and trying to convince one another that their race favorite was going to win the big one.

My oldest daughter is coming into town this evening (by happenstance) and we're going to pack up the car and head downtown for dinner, hoping to join in with some of the pre-race energy and festivities that have now decended on the city.

With an event like this every year (100,000 to 150,000 fans from out of state) plus the U.S. Gran Prix and the Brickyard 400, it's easy to say "eh, not that big of a deal" after losing-out to Dallas for the 2011 Super Bowl. Well, ... not that easy, but it helps.

Just fifteen years ago, Race Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway meant celebrities out the ying-yang, corporate helicopters at a massive temporary heliport 1/4 mile south of the track, U.S. and international press packs wandering around looking for one more angle on the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.  Limousines and police escorts ran back and forth non-stop, rushing privileged folks from their helicopters to their suites at the track.  A select few landed their helicopters inside the massive track.  General Electric, Philip Morris, British Petroleum, Coca Cola, Annheiser Busch, Proctor & Gamble, Ford Motor Company, Mercedes Benz, Ferrari Motorsports, and MANY other companies brought their best customers to the Speedway for the most well attended and exciting single day event on the sports calendar.  The cars wore all of the most prestigious colors and brand names of many of these companies, the drivers had readily recognized/popular name brands emblazoned on their colorful firesuits - the obvious attention of the worlds top corporate organization, as well as the common sporting fan, was clearly focused on Indianapolis on that day.

Fifteen years later, the race is MORE competitive and exciting in terms of action on the track.  However, the corporate presence has radically dimmed and, with it, some of the air of electricity surrounding not only Race Day, but Indy's entire "Month of May" experience.  Much of the top U.S. sponsorship has shifted to NASCAR.  And much of the international business sponsorship and attendance has simply gone away.  The massive temporary heliport exists no more.  Fewer than a dozen helicopters ferry people to and from the track (from local airports and the downtown Indy heliport).  The limousines are there, but more often they are we common folk renting the limos as a somewhat cost effective way to expeditiously get into and out of the track on Race Day.

Race Day remains an incredible spectacle, one well worth seeing in-person.  There is NOTHING in sports more intensely exciting than flying start of The 500 - NOTHING.  However, it is different seeing only a few cars with major sponsors:  Target, the Marlboro colors (can't advertise cigarettes ...), the New York Stock Exchange, Panasonic, ... and a few "B" players:  Patron (tequila), Canadian Club, AAMCO, and one or two others.  And then there is the pathetic ...   It is truly depressing to see these incredibly powerful, quick, aerodynamic machines fly around the brickyard at 225 mph with names such as "Jays Chips", "Z-Vision" (what the hell is that?), ABC Liquours, and the like.  The Indy 500 keeps the series afloat.  Without the money raked in during the month of May, there would be no IRL.  Even at that, they are unable to attract the types of sponsors that you'd expect anymore.  And it's been this way for about a decade now.

There will be a full house on Race Day.  ABC Sports will telecast the race live to the rest of the country - for many, it's still a tradition to listen to the radio broadcast or watch the televised broadcast of The 500, although the audience is declining (as it is for most major motorsports including NASCAR).  If this years race is anything like last years, it will be a great event - with plenty of pomp & circumstance. 

But, if Tony George and his crew don't put a full-on push to unify the open wheel series and direct all of their energies on attracting the best sponsors and drivers back to this series, I'm afraid the race will eventually suffer irreparable damage in that it will become hopelessly irrelevant in the racing world.   Nothing against "Jays Chips" or "Z-Vision" - but those names belong on the sides of late model stock cars competing at the bullrings around the country, NOT the Indy 500.