Augyst 2005 IRL

It’s official, Chevrolet will not return to the IRL Indy Car Series next season. In a year where they have had some success despite supplying only one team with engines for the most part, it was thought they may change their mind and stick around. Saturday in Colorado the dreaded announcement came. This will be the last season for the bow tie.

What’s worse is the fact that Toyota is leaving after the 2006 season and Honda has made it clear they are not interested in being the only engine manufacturer in the series. League president Brian Brainfart basically said there is no new manufacturers showing interest in the league at this time.

Two months ago Chevy was staying, Hyundai was looking at it and Porsche was showing signs of interest. All gone today. If you look back at my posts you will find where I think the IRL will fold by the end of 2006. At the rate they are going it will happen.

This has been a bittersweet year for the IRL. Danicamania ran rampant for half the season, but has cooled recently as she has shown she is not much of a racer. She qualifies well, but that is about it. Dan Wheldon has emerged as the cream of the crop this season. Winning Indy was huge for the Englishman. However, the IRL only focused on Danica and eventually the whole Andretti Green team took exception to the coverage, or lack of coverage of the Indy 500 winner.Indianapolis crowds were down, although not to a huge extent and Carb Day was large.

Phoenix saw a “crowd” of just over 8,000 and has been dropped from next years schedule it appears. Milwaukee and Michigan didn’t exactly set the box office on fire either. On the other hand, St. Pete was a success, great crowds were at Pikes Peak, Nashville, Texas and Kansas and the Kentucky race draws more people every year. Races at Sonoma and Watkins Glen should be well attended, but it is unlikely California will draw much.TV ratings are also up from previous years, but they still aren’t good.

So as Danicamania dies a slow and painful death, the IRL’s summer of promise begins to circle the drain as well. Champ Car has put on new events that have drawn good crowds and kept their once dying league in place. In fact they may be stronger than the IRL at this point. Unification talks are dead and both series have become niche sports and will remain in the WNBA realm of interest to the mainstream fan and media. Even the Indianapolis 500 has been reduced in stature. The once proud cornerstone of American auto racing is now second to the Daytona 500.

I have been critical of Tony George in the past and I still think he is in over his head. The IRL marketing strategy is for shit. The “vision” has changed so many times it makes ones head spin. Road courses, engine leases and spiraling costs were rampant in the CART series and originally what FTG wanted to stay away from. Now they are the mainstay of the IRL and the bootlicking fans cum all over themselves welcoming Honda and Toyota when they were bad for the other series.It’s a shame, but what had so much potential may end up in the crapper less than two years after its finest hour.