IndyCar at Dubai? It Just Doesn't Matter.

So the 2015 IndyCar schedule is allegedly coming out on Oct. 30. This is per Curt Cavin of the Indy Star. Fun-tastic.

BUT WAIT -- a glitch in the Matrix, a fly in the ointment -- somebody spotted something on a driver’s website that referenced an IndyCar race in Dubai perhaps on February 22, which, unless there’s a double-secret race before February 22, would make Dubai IndyCar’s season opener. IF it happens at all.

Well, of course … umbrage. February 22 is the day of NASCAR’s Daytona 500, which is kind of their Indy 500-ish (but not quite for a few reasons I won’t go into here) race. That generated questions/chagrin as to if it’s wise for IndyCar to open the season on the day (actually morning) of the Daytona 500. Nobody will watch on TV! It’s lame for fans to start the season at 7 a.m. in Dubai! etc.

Whenever I hear these TV-audience related things re: IndyCar, I think of Bill Murray. Specifically, Bill Murray in one of his early masterpieces, Meatballs. Super specifically this scene from that movie …

So, say it with me … It just doesn’t matter. Start the season at 7:30 a.m. on Daytona 500 day, get a TV audience of 300,000 to 350,000. Start the Season on March 1 at 2 p.m. Eastern, get a TV audience of 300,000 to 350,000. Same as ending the season at 2 a.m. Eastern in early September at Fontanta. For IndyCar, a cactus of a sport that's adapted to survive on droplets off TV ratings … it just doesn’t matter.

Which is kind of liberating for IndyCar, because it frees them to go to Dubai and pick up a check. Think C-list singer doing a gig at some rich person’s house. He isn’t there to sell records; he’s there to get paid. I'm sure he'll give good effort and put on a show, but it's definitely a business transaction. Hey, no judgment or begrudgement. We all gotta get paid. I love to get paid. And IndyCar is going to Dubai to get paid. Millions.

Fans, schmans. It just doesn’t matter for the fans in the U.S. Most of that hard-core group is going to watch regardless of time, channel and date. I’ll probably DVR it. Perhaps I can watch the entire IndyCar race at 3x speed in the middle of the interminable NASCAR race at Daytona. Where the Dubai “season opener” does matter is IndyCar’s bank account. It’s for the fans … in Dubai, partially the fans in Dubai with the flush checking accounts who have their pens out.

Comments

[vern]

Your comment is right--"it just doesn't matter" either way.

[Dylan]

I disagree. Yes, the ratings aren't great but starting the season at Dubai at 2 am when the Daytona 500 is on the SAME DAY is just giving up. It might not be a huge difference, but for sure there are not going to be as many people watching an Indycar race 2am-4am (worst timeslot possible). You aren't going to get children watching, and you're not going to get any media coverage. Sure, Indycar's not getting a ton of media coverage, but a 2am Dubai race on the day of the Daytona 500 won't get Jenna, or Gluck, or Ryan, or anyone else to be there. At that point even NBC Sports won't care since they're carrying NASCAR too.

The American Le Mans series was always a niche sport, but it's not a coincidence that they lost live tv coverage and then the series died. Obviously it's complicated with the recession, auto issues, and collapse of SpeedTV which all contributed too, but going to all ESPN 3 instead of being televised was definitely part of it. This isn't the same thing, but the point is completely dropping off the radar, even for a niche sport, can have consequences.

Another thing, opening the season in Dubai at 2am, ending the last season at Fontana on Labor day at 2am, and then ending the upcoming season at Sonoma (if that indeed happens) is about as big of F you to the fans as Indycar could possibly give. I understand that Indycar need's to make money and that schedules are complicated, but while fans can't have everything they want, the needs of fans shouldn't be completely ignored.

There is really nothing about the 2015 schedule to be excited about compared to last year, and overall the Indycar schedule's 2012-2015 (presumably on 15) have been about the same, and that's not a good thing. If you like ovals, 2011 was the last season to get excited about. One would have hoped by 2015, four years latter, we'd have seen something positive.

I would certainly argue that Indycar has the worst schedule among major racing series in America: TUDOR, MotoAmerica, NASCAR's 3 series, and even the Pirelli World Challenge run better tracks and ALL of them feel more fan focused than Indycar. Red Bull Global rallycross and Supercross and the NHRA also feel more fan focused. If nothing else it would be nice to see Indycar throw their fans a bone or two (Road America and MIS? Cleveland and Charlotte? Watkins Glen and Chicagoland?).

I understand things are complicated and I understand Indycar needs to make money, but what I object to is completely ignoring the needs of fans. I also object to completely giving up on growing Indycar which it often feels like Miles has done. Red Bull Global Rallycross certainly hasn't given up; the NHRA hasn't given up, even TUDOR and Moto America operate from a point of optimism for the future.

IF Indycar races at Dubai (and I hope it doesn't) the best thing for them to do is to really push it as a USO/Support the Troops thing. That is the best way I can think of to get positive news coverage and benefit Indycar in America with a race in Dubai. Of course to do this you have to have not given up on the future. It's easier to just do nothing, which seems to be the Indycar default.

[DZ]

If Dubai is willing to pay big money to have Indycar go there, FAB-U-LOUS.

Some education on Dubai is probably good for Indycar fans and reporters alike. Wikipedia is a great start.

Dubai is wealthy, safe, friendly with the US, and incredibly wealthy.. oh, did I mention the money?

I can only hope that Indycar gave them a ridiculously high sanction fee quote (but still lower than F1 by miles) and they jumped at it.

Given the choice to watch the inaugural race in Dubai or sleep through laps 79-163 of Daytona, I'll take Dubai. 8 or 9-hour time difference so odds are quite good that a mid-PM race in Dubai would still be broadcast at a reasonable morning time slot anyway. So no big whoop.

I don't give a tinker's cuss about whether I see it or not, AS LONG AS THE MONEY IS USED WISELY in supporting the growth of Indycar in the US.

[pressdog]

I agree, DZ, to a point. In it's final days ChampCar was all about cashing checks from overseas venues, and, well, it went belly up. Some of these private gigs at rich guys' house are OK, but as Dylan says, you don't want to bail on the fans entirely. Dylan: I get what you're saying, but consider ... what if IndyCar poured millions and millions into this audience-building effort, did all the right stuff and was seriously savvy, and gained 100,000 fans? I don't know if it's giving up or being realistic, but lately I just don't think the prospects for fan growth warrant a big-ass marketing spend. They could be doing MUCH more at the tracks to try and build fan base, IMO, but they don't. Maybe they don't see ROI in that either. Non-Indy 500 TV audiences were definitely trending up in 2013, so give them credit there.

[DZ]

That's precisely why my single-most important caveat went ALL CAPS, bosser. I'll be as pissed as anyone if there's a golden windfall and nothing to show for the fans later. We've been more than patient.

Pay the fans back with something of value. Like any good bar, after several good drinks and good tips, the house should buy you one.

[OSCA]

Now let's see in 1998 we were told things will get better, and they didn't...It did improve in 2005 entirely due to one person, and IndyCar stepped on it's wee-wee by not understanding how important see was, and she left and down the tubes went fans attending and watching on TV.

Then came the savior.... Rubens who was supposed to bring fans and TV rating...How did that work out?? It failed and he left.

Then came Juan and he brought at least 12 new fans...all Brazilian.

Now we are told aero kits and a couple of new races one in Brazil and one in Dubai will bring enough cash to save us! Sure it will!!!

Please remember we are being told... if we are patient things will all be better by 2018-19-20-or 2021 for sure.

Add to that the powers that be want us to believe that when this TV contract expires in 2018....then ABC or NBC will fight to get IndyCar on their TV network.....at the current numbers NO TV NETWORK will bid on it, bet on it.

But a couple of positive things... prices are rising on the only race 95% of the people even give a poop about, and the new taxes will make everything super-dupper. RAISING PRICES AND ADDING A NEW TAX IN A FALLING MARKET ALWAYS WORKS????

But the truth really is with or without aero kits we have a "spec" series that takes three things that made open wheel what it once was...... away......different race cars, different engines, and any innovation.

This series is losing fans every day as the older fan are dying, and not being replace by younger fans.

So until and unless the people at 16th and Georgetown understand it is the product that they are presenting that needs to change; the schedule, the aero kits, the TV network mean zip, zero, nothing ..so Pressdog you are right....... THE SCHEDULE DOESN'T MATTER!!!