IndyCar Series Poised for Take-off?

By: Bert Beiswanger

Open-wheel racing in America is unified once again due to the acquisition a couple months ago of the Champ Car World Series by the Indy Racing League. This unification should pave the way for growth of the IndyCar Series - both in audience numbers and corporate dollars. I think we’ll begin to really see the fruits of this unification as the season plugs along and we head into 2009.

I attended the Honda grand Prix of St. Petersburg on April 6 and sensed added excitement among the fans. It didn’t hurt that Graham Rahal won the race and became the youngest winner in series history. His Dad, Bobby, won Indy in 1986 and Graham seems destined to become a star - along with the likes of the talented Marco Andretti, Will Power and Danica Patrick. In addition to the young rising stars, established veterans Helio Castroneves, Dan Wheldon, Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan help round out a deep, talented core of drivers and personalities.

Before the open-wheel split in the mid-’90s, Indy car racing was neck-in-neck with NASCAR in sponsorships and TV ratings. Once the split happened, it drastically hurt open-wheel racing, while NASCAR continued to soar in popularity. Now that it is once again under one umbrella, I really feel the IndyCar Series will grow steadily during the next few years. It will take time. There’s a lot of lost ground to make up. However, I feel corporate America will embrace the IndyCar Series moving forward (DirecTV signed on as a major sponsor recently), as will the fans. I also feel this will result in the decreased likelihood that drivers, such as 2006 Indy 500 winner Sam Hornish, Jr., will leave IndyCar for NASCAR in the future. Just my hunch.

The IndyCar Series races this Sunday at Kansas Speedway - ESPN2 Sunday at 5 p.m. (ET). This track always produces outstanding IndyCar racing and should provide us with more exciting storylines as we gear up for the 92nd Indianapolis 500. It promises to be a very busy, yet, exciting month of May.

I’ll report from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway all month long and will post notes and insight on a regular basis. This should be an exciting year at Indy.

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Bert is a freelance writer and passionate and knowledgeable Midwest sports fan. Having lived his entire life in Central Indiana, he ranks the Indy 500, "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," as the single best sports event in the world.

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