On a Facebook page titled "Indy Car Serious" the question keeps popping up "What's wrong with Indy Cars?" In this edition he claims that since there were 117 entries and 84 actual cars in attendance, the race was somehow better than in 2013.
Well, you know me by now. I wasn't going to let that get by without another dose of reality, was I?
I provided a factual comparison between the two races. After reading the comparison, ask yourself which race was "better?"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So
there were 84 cars at the Speedway in 1984. That's irrelevant because
no matter how many cars show up only 33 start. Lots of cars in the
garage only increases the drama of time trials, not the race itself.
The most accurate indicator of a race's excitement
level is lead changes. So let's compare the 1984 race to the 2013 race.
The 1984 500 was won by Rick Mears in a Penske March/Cosworth. There
were 16 lead changes between 6 drivers.
2013 had SIXTY-EIGHT between FOURTEEN drivers!
Which race was more exciting to watch?
For
the idea of the "spec" car being a huge difference maker - in 1984,
twenty-nine of the 33 cars in the field were March chassis, 27 of which
had Cosworth engines.
All
of the 13 cars still running at the time Mears took the Checkered Flag
were March/Cosworth. The first non March/Cosworth in the finishing order
was the Primus/Cosworth of Chris Kneifel in 15th. The first non
Cosworth was Scott Brayton in 18th but he was driving a March/Buick
Chassis. None of the non March/Cosworth cars had any impact on the
outcome of the race. So much for the the idea that "spec" cars suck.
The final lead change took place on lap 144 when Mears passed Tom Sneva. Mears led four times for 119 laps.
Kanaan
led 15 times for 34 laps.The last lead change in 2013 lap 197 when
Kanaan and Carlos Munoz both passed passed Ryan Hunter-Reay going into
turn one. There were 16 lead changes in just the last 30 laps in 2013.
In 2013 a record 133 consecutive green flag laps were completed from lap
60 to 194.
At the conclusion of the 1984 race there were 13 running. In 2013 there were 26!
In 1984, there were ZERO cars on the lead lap. In 2013 there were NINETEEN!
Most laps completed, entire field: 5,863 - 2013
Pole Position 1984: Tom Sneva 210.029 -- 2013 Ed Carpenter 228.762
Average Speed: 1984 163.612 - 2013 187.433, fastest in history, breaking the record by Arie Luyendyk in 1990 of 185.981.
Here's the lead changes for 1984:
Lap
Leaders: Mears 1-24, Sneva 25-25, Ma. Andretti 26-47, Sneva 48-49, Ma.
Andretti 50-53, Mears 54-59, Sneva 60-60, Ma. Andretti 61-63, Fabi
64-70, Ongais 71-73, Fabi 74-80, Sneva 81-82, Unser, Jr. 83-86, Sneva
87-109, Mears 110-141, Sneva 142-143, Mears 144-200
Here's the lap leaders for 2013:
Lap
Leaders: Carpenter 1-8, Kanaan 9-9, Carpenter 10-12, Kanaan 13-14,
Andretti 15-16, Kanaan 17-20, Andretti 21-22, Kanaan 23-23, Andretti
24-26, Kanaan 27-28, Andretti 29-29, Hunter-Reay 30-30, Power 31-32,
Jakes 33-37, Carpenter 38-42, Andretti 43-43, Carpenter 44-50, Andretti
51-53, Carpenter 54-58, Hunter-Reay 59-60, Andretti 61-61, Hunter-Reay
62-63, Carpenter 64-72, Kanaan 73-74, Power 75-88, Kanaan 89-89, Viso
90-90, Munoz 91-92, Kanaan 93-97, Allmendinger 98-111, Kanaan 112-112,
Andretti 113-114, Kanaan 115-120, Hunter-Reay 121-121, Munoz 122-122,
Tagliani 123-123, Bell 124-124, Hinchcliffe 125-125, Andretti 126-130,
Hunter-Reay 131-131, Viso 132-135, Hunter-Reay 136-136, Allmendinger
137-142, Hunter-Reay 143-144, Castroneves 145-145, Andretti 146-150,
Hunter-Reay 151-151, Munoz 152-154, Dixon 155-155, Hinchcliffe 156-157,
Hunter-Reay 158-164, Allmendinger 165-167, Andretti 168-168, Hunter-Reay
169-169, Andretti 170-170, Hunter-Reay 171-171, Andretti 172-173,
Kanaan 174-174, Andretti 175-175, Kanaan 176-177, Munoz 178-178,
Andretti 179-179, Munoz 180-184, Hinchcliffe 185-188, Kanaan 189-189,
Hunter-Reay 190-190, Kanaan 191-192, Hunter-Reay 193-197, Kanaan
198-200.
Do you notice any difference there? - I sure do!
Finally,
Mears took the lead on lap 144, that's 56 laps from the checkered flag.
Can any of you guess what his margin of victory was? TWO LAPS!
So
I will reiterate my point, why do you think the 1984 Indy 500 was so
great and seem to ignore the facts about the competitiveness of this
year's race being so outstanding? two words RICK MEARS!
Looking
at those stats, a blind man can see there is really NOTHING wrong with
Indy Car racing today. The problem is too many people THINK there is
something that needs to be fixed.
Pull you heads out of the sand and look at the sunshine!
Sure 84 car showed up in 1984, but the 33 that came to race in 2013 sure put on a better show, didn't they?
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Monday, July 1, 2013
Here we go again - You really should change your perception about Indy Cars
I
still maintain my position I stated on another post. It is a matter of
perception as to what is and isn't important to race fans and the
misguided ideas that need changing.
The biggest blow to IndyCar racing's popularity is two-fold in my estimation.
First: When the Speedway opened its doors to allow other cars onto the Speedway to race. That came at the height of "NASCAR is the greatest form of racing there is" and the Speedway is just a second-rate dump unless the glorious Winston Cup cars are allowed to race there. That move diminished the Indianapolis 500's stature in the eyes of the casual, even some not so casual racing fans. One of the most unique aspects of the history of the Indianapolis 500 was it was the ONLY race at the track each year. Its non-conformity was one of the best things about the Speedway - it separated it from all other tracks. The more races they add to try and attract more people in August, the less significant the 500 becomes.
Second: With the split in open wheel racing a more devastating blow came to IndyCar racing and it remains to this day. At the time of the split, the perception was (at the time it was correct but no more) the "best" drivers no longer come to the Speedway. Meanwhile the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company was marketing the taxi cab drivers as the best since biblical times. The money flowed so freely out of Winston-Salem, NC that kids who dreamed their entire life of winning Indy became Cup drivers - can you say Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne! Worse yet, the 500 even became viewed as merely a stepping stone - "now that you have won Indy Sam Hornish, are you going to MOVE UP to NASCAR? What a slap in the face to the Indy 500 that was/is! What a mistake that was for Sam, but he's in NASCAR so he's great, right?
If you want to blame Tony George for creating the problems, go ahead, however, what is done is done. The only people we can blame for not making it better today is ourselves for not supporting IndyCar. So-called IndyCar fans are the biggest bunch of cry babies in the racing world.
Here's what I am saying, the 2013 edition of the Indianapolis 500 was one of the most exciting races of the last decade, perhaps in the history of the 500 itself. More different records were broken this year than in Speedway history, including the 187.433 mph average, which was 23-years old! Did you hear fans lining up to tell NASCAR or the media that this is what racing is supposed to look like - NO! All I heard was people whining that it ended under a yellow flag! So what impression does that leave of the folks at Sports Illustrated and ESPN - it must have been a stinker if the loyal fans are all bitching about the finish, they ought to be doing it like NASCAR.
Let's check out the other guys & girl. Man that race in Charlotte was GREAT because a cable holding up a TV camera snapped and hit Kyle Busch's car delaying the race for almost an hour so we could watch the drivers use their Sprint Cell Phones to send pictures of their damaged cars over "the fastest 4G Network." Then, Danica Patrick's boyfriend tries to pass a car on the race track, suffers aero-push and starts a 14-car crash that took her out after she charged all the way from 31st starting spot to 29th in 100 laps after a great pit call where she only took two tires to improve track position - which to any enlightened/bamboozled NASCAR fan is a GREAT run! What's the reaction from your typical NASCAR fan after six hours, four lead changes among three drivers with virtually no passing among the 43 cars who started - That race was GREAT!!!!! And will Ricky Stenhouse , Jr. get "any" tonight?
Ana Beatriz passes 15 cars in the 500 without the help of a yellow flag over 133 consecutive laps and all you hear from IndyCar fans is that she is from Brazil and never drove a sprint car at Knoxville! Come on IndyCar fans?
Another misconception that is perpetuated but not true is fans watch the races to see the cars. Really, that is a load of horse dump! The cars are really an after thought. Old timers, ask yourself, and be honest, were you really attracted to the Indianapolis 500 because of a Kurtis or Watson Offy Roadster? You're lying if you say you did. You went to watch Bill Vukovich, Jimmy Bryan, A.J. Foyt, and Parnelli Jones drive them.
You're also full of crap if you say, "bring back the roadsters" and then say "it's innovation that makes Indy special." During the heyday of the roadsters they all looked like A.J. Watson built them. You say you want innovation, but complain about the Dallara DW012. That's that most innovative Indy car in the 21st century and all I hear out of the non-believers is that "it's ugly." You want to know the truth - so was the 1977 STP turbine! You loved that car didn't you? I'll be happy to tell you why - PARNELLI JONES! If Andy had hired Bobby Grimm to drive the car it wouldn't be in the museum. I don't hear any of you chirping about the innovative Jack Adams Turbine. Then again, Bill Cheesbourg drove it and missed the show.
Let's look at some facts - that ugly car you guys are bitching about produced 34 lead changes in 2012 and 68 lead changes between 14 drivers this year, that's 102 lead changes in two races. There weren't that many lead changes in the Fifties! From 1950 until 1959 there were 90 lead changes. More different drivers and teams have won races with that "ugly" car. You want to know how many lead changes their were in 1963 - four - Parnelli led 171 laps, Jim Clark 27, Roger McCluskey 1 and Jim Hurtubise 1. The only real drama was if Aggie could talk Harlan Fengler out of black flagging Jones - which he did - otherwise Jim Clark would have won in his rookie year!
Until IndyCar management realizes a few realities they're gonna keep scratching their collective heads and getting nowhere.
1. Only one race a year at the Indianapolis 500! No support races (Indy Lights), no stock cars of any kind - including trucks, no Formula 1, no MotoGp, no infield road course. Nothing is going to bring in 150,000 fans for qualifying ever again. But if you want the fans to come to see a race, give them only ONE option, as Carl Fisher figured out in 1910 and Wilbur Shaw and Tony Hulman kept that tradition going.
2. The popularity of any form of racing starts with the DRIVERS. Without star drivers people won't come. If you don't believe me, how many times have you heard this statement, "the only reason why I even watch NASCAR is to see how Tony Stewart is doing." Oh really, you don't watch to see the stunning difference in the Gen 6 COT, tub of shit, from last year's unrecognizable Gen 5 tub of shit. I thought it was about the cars?
Increased speed is also a misconception. If more speed is what the fans want, why do the keep coming back even though it's been 17 years since Arie Luyendyk went 237 MPH. Fans have kept coming. Why? It can't be an increase in speed. The Daytona track speed records are ancient. Bill Elliott's one-lap at 210.364 was 1987 and Buddy Baker's remarkable 177.602 was set 33-years ago in 1980. If IndyCar changes the car so it can break Luyendyk's record can you guess what will happen? The two teams with the most money will once again dominate the races - one step backwards! There was even more crying back then.
For IndyCar to attract more fans they need to change is this: No one thinks there are any "stars" driving any more. I say if marketed correctly, folks might find out there are many drivers currently involved in IndyCar that are star quality, we've just been conditioned over the years to find other things to complain about, while all the time we've been watching some very good racing in spite of what we tell others is wrong with our sport. Yeah, the boring Texas race won't go down in history as "great" but it also wasn't the end of the world as a lot of folks were more than happy to tell the world. There is nothing wrong with the cars or the overall quality of the races. Not every races is going to produce 68 lead changes, but I would rather watch IndyCars than that WWE Tag-Team match the Daytona 500 has become or any of the boring races at any of the tracks the cabs are running on these days.
Let's start telling the racing world that there is a lot of GREAT stuff really going on at an IndyCar race near you!
The biggest blow to IndyCar racing's popularity is two-fold in my estimation.
First: When the Speedway opened its doors to allow other cars onto the Speedway to race. That came at the height of "NASCAR is the greatest form of racing there is" and the Speedway is just a second-rate dump unless the glorious Winston Cup cars are allowed to race there. That move diminished the Indianapolis 500's stature in the eyes of the casual, even some not so casual racing fans. One of the most unique aspects of the history of the Indianapolis 500 was it was the ONLY race at the track each year. Its non-conformity was one of the best things about the Speedway - it separated it from all other tracks. The more races they add to try and attract more people in August, the less significant the 500 becomes.
Second: With the split in open wheel racing a more devastating blow came to IndyCar racing and it remains to this day. At the time of the split, the perception was (at the time it was correct but no more) the "best" drivers no longer come to the Speedway. Meanwhile the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company was marketing the taxi cab drivers as the best since biblical times. The money flowed so freely out of Winston-Salem, NC that kids who dreamed their entire life of winning Indy became Cup drivers - can you say Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne! Worse yet, the 500 even became viewed as merely a stepping stone - "now that you have won Indy Sam Hornish, are you going to MOVE UP to NASCAR? What a slap in the face to the Indy 500 that was/is! What a mistake that was for Sam, but he's in NASCAR so he's great, right?
If you want to blame Tony George for creating the problems, go ahead, however, what is done is done. The only people we can blame for not making it better today is ourselves for not supporting IndyCar. So-called IndyCar fans are the biggest bunch of cry babies in the racing world.
Here's what I am saying, the 2013 edition of the Indianapolis 500 was one of the most exciting races of the last decade, perhaps in the history of the 500 itself. More different records were broken this year than in Speedway history, including the 187.433 mph average, which was 23-years old! Did you hear fans lining up to tell NASCAR or the media that this is what racing is supposed to look like - NO! All I heard was people whining that it ended under a yellow flag! So what impression does that leave of the folks at Sports Illustrated and ESPN - it must have been a stinker if the loyal fans are all bitching about the finish, they ought to be doing it like NASCAR.
Let's check out the other guys & girl. Man that race in Charlotte was GREAT because a cable holding up a TV camera snapped and hit Kyle Busch's car delaying the race for almost an hour so we could watch the drivers use their Sprint Cell Phones to send pictures of their damaged cars over "the fastest 4G Network." Then, Danica Patrick's boyfriend tries to pass a car on the race track, suffers aero-push and starts a 14-car crash that took her out after she charged all the way from 31st starting spot to 29th in 100 laps after a great pit call where she only took two tires to improve track position - which to any enlightened/bamboozled NASCAR fan is a GREAT run! What's the reaction from your typical NASCAR fan after six hours, four lead changes among three drivers with virtually no passing among the 43 cars who started - That race was GREAT!!!!! And will Ricky Stenhouse , Jr. get "any" tonight?
Ana Beatriz passes 15 cars in the 500 without the help of a yellow flag over 133 consecutive laps and all you hear from IndyCar fans is that she is from Brazil and never drove a sprint car at Knoxville! Come on IndyCar fans?
Another misconception that is perpetuated but not true is fans watch the races to see the cars. Really, that is a load of horse dump! The cars are really an after thought. Old timers, ask yourself, and be honest, were you really attracted to the Indianapolis 500 because of a Kurtis or Watson Offy Roadster? You're lying if you say you did. You went to watch Bill Vukovich, Jimmy Bryan, A.J. Foyt, and Parnelli Jones drive them.
You're also full of crap if you say, "bring back the roadsters" and then say "it's innovation that makes Indy special." During the heyday of the roadsters they all looked like A.J. Watson built them. You say you want innovation, but complain about the Dallara DW012. That's that most innovative Indy car in the 21st century and all I hear out of the non-believers is that "it's ugly." You want to know the truth - so was the 1977 STP turbine! You loved that car didn't you? I'll be happy to tell you why - PARNELLI JONES! If Andy had hired Bobby Grimm to drive the car it wouldn't be in the museum. I don't hear any of you chirping about the innovative Jack Adams Turbine. Then again, Bill Cheesbourg drove it and missed the show.
Let's look at some facts - that ugly car you guys are bitching about produced 34 lead changes in 2012 and 68 lead changes between 14 drivers this year, that's 102 lead changes in two races. There weren't that many lead changes in the Fifties! From 1950 until 1959 there were 90 lead changes. More different drivers and teams have won races with that "ugly" car. You want to know how many lead changes their were in 1963 - four - Parnelli led 171 laps, Jim Clark 27, Roger McCluskey 1 and Jim Hurtubise 1. The only real drama was if Aggie could talk Harlan Fengler out of black flagging Jones - which he did - otherwise Jim Clark would have won in his rookie year!
Until IndyCar management realizes a few realities they're gonna keep scratching their collective heads and getting nowhere.
1. Only one race a year at the Indianapolis 500! No support races (Indy Lights), no stock cars of any kind - including trucks, no Formula 1, no MotoGp, no infield road course. Nothing is going to bring in 150,000 fans for qualifying ever again. But if you want the fans to come to see a race, give them only ONE option, as Carl Fisher figured out in 1910 and Wilbur Shaw and Tony Hulman kept that tradition going.
2. The popularity of any form of racing starts with the DRIVERS. Without star drivers people won't come. If you don't believe me, how many times have you heard this statement, "the only reason why I even watch NASCAR is to see how Tony Stewart is doing." Oh really, you don't watch to see the stunning difference in the Gen 6 COT, tub of shit, from last year's unrecognizable Gen 5 tub of shit. I thought it was about the cars?
Increased speed is also a misconception. If more speed is what the fans want, why do the keep coming back even though it's been 17 years since Arie Luyendyk went 237 MPH. Fans have kept coming. Why? It can't be an increase in speed. The Daytona track speed records are ancient. Bill Elliott's one-lap at 210.364 was 1987 and Buddy Baker's remarkable 177.602 was set 33-years ago in 1980. If IndyCar changes the car so it can break Luyendyk's record can you guess what will happen? The two teams with the most money will once again dominate the races - one step backwards! There was even more crying back then.
For IndyCar to attract more fans they need to change is this: No one thinks there are any "stars" driving any more. I say if marketed correctly, folks might find out there are many drivers currently involved in IndyCar that are star quality, we've just been conditioned over the years to find other things to complain about, while all the time we've been watching some very good racing in spite of what we tell others is wrong with our sport. Yeah, the boring Texas race won't go down in history as "great" but it also wasn't the end of the world as a lot of folks were more than happy to tell the world. There is nothing wrong with the cars or the overall quality of the races. Not every races is going to produce 68 lead changes, but I would rather watch IndyCars than that WWE Tag-Team match the Daytona 500 has become or any of the boring races at any of the tracks the cabs are running on these days.
Let's start telling the racing world that there is a lot of GREAT stuff really going on at an IndyCar race near you!
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