Remark to group reveals deadline for Indy Racing League
(by Anthony Schoettle ibj.com 5-2-09)
Indy Racing League founder Tony George dropped a bombshell in December when he told an industry group that he would shut down the open-wheel series if it didn’t break into the black soon.
When pressed about the possibility of being profitable by 2013, George responded, “It has to be, or or there won’t be a 2013. We expect a return on that investment.”
The remark before the Sports Business Journal Motorsports Marketing Forum in New York was scarcely reported outside racing circles and received virtually no attention from Indianapolis media.
Now racing analysts wonder what would happen to the fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway if the IRL were to collapse.
“It’’s difficult to envision the Indianapolis 500 without a supporting series,” said Tim Frost, president of Frost Motorsports, a Chicago-based business consultancy. “I’m not sure any of us know what would happen if Tony George pulled the plug on the Indy Racing League. I can tell you, it wouldn’t be good.”
Most analysts are optimistic George will hit the goal and see the series thrive. Even Frost rates the IRL’s chances of reaching profitability within four years at around 70 percent—a figure other analysts agree is reasonable.
It’s been an uphill battle. Analysts estimate George has poured more than $250 million into the series in its 13 seasons. When asked in the New York forum if the league had turned a profit, George responded, “Not yet.”
IRL lieutenants are preparing for an all-out sales and marketing assault during one of the worst economic downturns since the Great Depression. The marketers are counting on last year’s unification with rival open-wheel series CART, and a three-year centennial celebration surrounding the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indianapolis 500 that starts this year, to rev the engine.
One thing is certain: Results of the campaign will profoundly affect open-wheel racing worldwide, not to mention in Indiana.
“We’re talking about tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact,” said Tom Weisenbach, Indiana Motorsports Association executive director. “We find new racing-related companies in Indiana every day.”
Post-IRL options
If the IRL doesn’t turn a profit in the next four years and George keeps his word, the Speedway would face interesting options. George, who is also IMS chairman, could maintain the Indianapolis 500 as a stand-alone open-wheel event, or make it part of an open-wheel series that starts in the wake of IRL’s death. Both options seem unlikely.
The other option would be to join Formula One. As strange as the idea might sound, the Indianapolis 500 was a fixture on the F1 calendar from 1950-60, though most of the drivers who raced here didn’t compete in many other F1 races.
“If the IRL went away, they wouldn’t have tumbleweeds blowing down the front stretch,” Frost said. “It’s just too much of a valued fixed asset to let sit during May.”
The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard NASCAR race and the MotoGP motorcycle race are thought to bring in a combined $35 million to $50 million in revenue, but motorsports analysts said those races don’t hold a candle to the revenue generated by the Indianapolis 500.
The Speedway doesn’t release the number, but ticket sales are just the tip of the iceberg. Whatever the number, it’s augmented by hospitality, merchandise and concession sales during almost the entire month of May, Frost said.
Progress and skepticism
While the IRL has gained some traction in the last year, skepticism abounds about its future.
“I’m not sure I’d bet they’ll be in the black within four years,” said Dennis McAlpine, a motorsports financial analyst based in New York.
However, Terry Angstadt, president of IRL’s Commercial Division, pointed out that the series has signed five major sponsors this year: Apex Brasil, Izod, Hot Wheels, Orbitz and The National Guard. The Apex, Izod and Hot Wheels deals now constitute three of the series’ five biggest sponsors, Angstadt said, along with Honda and Firestone.
Angstadt said there’s a 70-percent chance the league could sign a title sponsor for 2010. IRL officials hope for a deal worth at least $10 million a year.
Zak Brown, whose locally based motorsports marketing firm, Just Marketing International, has been hired by the league to hunt for title sponsors, said, “I think that deal could be enough to put the league at or very near profitability.”
While the current economic swoon has dramatically slowed the search for a title sponsor, Brown feels confident one will be signed well in advance of George’s ultimatum date.
“I’ll quit the sport if we don’t have a title sponsor by 2013,” said Brown, whose company represents several of the biggest sponsors in NASCAR and F1. “This series has too much going for it.”
Brown counts the drivers and their personalities, on-track competitiveness, racing venues and the Indianapolis 500 chief among the assets that will sustain the IRL.
Sponsorship growth isn’t the only thing pointing toward increased IRL revenue, Angstadt said. New races are another potential revenue source. He said venues in Houston; Cleveland; Birmingham, Ala.; Brazil and China are showing strong interest in the series.
Can Indy 500 save IRL?
Doug Boles, formerly a part owner of an IRL team, thinks the IRL is heading in the right direction, unlike its former rival, CART.
A bitter dispute with CART over the governance and direction of open-wheel racing led to the creation of the IRL in 1996. It didn’t take long for CART to suffer the consequences. The series, which was headquartered in Indianapolis and had roughly the same number of races the IRL does now, racked up as much as $143.3 million in annual expenses and made a profit only once in its last eight seasons.
CART hemorrhaged as the series bought TV time for its races, promoted its own races and subsidized teams. By 2003, losses had shot to a whopping $93.6 million.
“The Indy Racing League doesn’t pay to promote races, and has never had to buy TV time,” Boles said. “Tony George has made the decision to financially support some teams, but that is way down from years past.”
In contrast to CART’s TV deal, ESPN/ ABC paid the IRL $10 million annually for the right to air its races, motorsports business experts said. The IRL forged a new 10-year TV pact following last season, with Versus airing 12 races and ABC/ESPN carrying five races, including the Indianapolis 500. That contract is valued at slightly less than the previous deal, but far ahead of where CART was in its last few years.
Boles, who was director of motorsports development under former Mayor Steve Goldsmith, thinks the Indianapolis 500 will drive the IRL to profitability.
“In a bad year, the Indianapolis 500 brings in 50 percent more hospitality revenue than the Brickyard 400,” Boles said. “In a good year, it brings in two and a half times as much. That’s how big an event the Indianapolis 500 is.”
Boles thinks Indianapolis 500 revenue alone could offset the IRL’s expenses.
“You can make a pretty stout argument that it makes sense for Tony to lose money on the IRL,” Boles said. “With the IRL in place, Tony can go to bed at night knowing he’s going to have a product at the Speedway he controls, with no fiascos like you saw at the [2005] F1 race. It’s a loss leader to attract people to the store.”
Frost isn’t as sure.
He estimates the IRL’s annual expenses at $50 million to $70 million, not including the Indianapolis 500. “That’s a different animal altogether,” he said.
“It brings in a great deal of money, but it also carries significant operational expenses,” Frost said. Still, he said, $15 million to $25 million in profit from the month of May isn’t unreasonable.
One thing is certain. The Indianapolis 500 remains at the center of the debate about open-wheel racing. Most analysts agree the event remains the foundation on which the future of the sport rests.
Showing posts with label indycar 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label indycar 2008. Show all posts
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
IndyCar magazine goes bye-bye
(posted on 1-31-2008 after learning that the IndyCar magazine has ceased publication due to lack of interest)
We regret to inform you that IndyCar Series magazine will cease publication with immediate effect. Unfortunately, the last print issue was the 2008 Season Review and the last digital-only issue was the Mid-Winter 2008 Special, published December 2008.
Haymarket Worldwide would like to thank you for being a loyal subscriber and supporting the magazine.
For a limited time, you can still enjoy all the IndyCar Series free digital back-issues available on the Digital Archive page of www.indycarmag.com .
As an IndyCar Series fan, we want to introduce you to RACER, our monthly print magazine packed with the same top quality stories and photography you've come to expect from IndyCar Series. With RACER, you'll still get the inside line on all your favorite IndyCar Series drivers and teams, plus the latest news and views from Formula 1, ALMS, NASCAR and much more. Simply visit www.racer.com to find out more information, or to subscribe.
And for the latest news, results and multi-media content from the IndyCar Series, visit www.indycar.com , the official website of the IndyCar Series.
TravelGal
About time, I wouldn't let that thing touch my butt.
cartcanuck
Awwwwe. Too bad for the gomers. I guess they'll have to unstick the pages of their old issues if they want to see pictures of Danica and Sara in their nomex.
Sleeping Dog
They had a magazine?? Surprised it lasted as long as it did. But wait, they'll blame the bad economy instead of the fact that no one bought it, read it or advertised in it.
TheStranger
No economy is bad enough to convince the world that the EARL crapwagon junk formula is worth watching, or reading about.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE POOR WRITERS AND PRINTERS AND AD SALESMEN WHO WILL NOW BE OUT OF THEIR $7.50 AN HOUR JOBS? THEY NEED MONEY TOOO!
TheMapman
That's what happens when you market a magazine to people who can't read.
PhillipT631
For laughs I went to the EARL website to see if they had any story on the mag going AWOL. No mention however they still have a link for the rag. Went to the link and nothing but trying to sell subscriptions. Went to the subsciption link to subscribe and it comes up "INVALID PUBLICATION"
westhilthril
Damn!!! What a good week. Looks good on them. They can spew all the drivel they want to try and sugarcoat things. However, anyone with half a brain can see right through it. I guess that eliminates all 5 earl fans. Oh well!!
cartcanuck
Anyone looked at ToothlessForum to see how they are taking all this good news?
Hayden Fan
I fear that my brains would turn to mush if I looked there. Studies have shown that with each visit has the equivalent on the body as smoking 3.444 ounces of crack.
We regret to inform you that IndyCar Series magazine will cease publication with immediate effect. Unfortunately, the last print issue was the 2008 Season Review and the last digital-only issue was the Mid-Winter 2008 Special, published December 2008.
Haymarket Worldwide would like to thank you for being a loyal subscriber and supporting the magazine.
For a limited time, you can still enjoy all the IndyCar Series free digital back-issues available on the Digital Archive page of www.indycarmag.com .
As an IndyCar Series fan, we want to introduce you to RACER, our monthly print magazine packed with the same top quality stories and photography you've come to expect from IndyCar Series. With RACER, you'll still get the inside line on all your favorite IndyCar Series drivers and teams, plus the latest news and views from Formula 1, ALMS, NASCAR and much more. Simply visit www.racer.com to find out more information, or to subscribe.
And for the latest news, results and multi-media content from the IndyCar Series, visit www.indycar.com , the official website of the IndyCar Series.
TravelGal
About time, I wouldn't let that thing touch my butt.
cartcanuck
Awwwwe. Too bad for the gomers. I guess they'll have to unstick the pages of their old issues if they want to see pictures of Danica and Sara in their nomex.
Sleeping Dog
They had a magazine?? Surprised it lasted as long as it did. But wait, they'll blame the bad economy instead of the fact that no one bought it, read it or advertised in it.
TheStranger
No economy is bad enough to convince the world that the EARL crapwagon junk formula is worth watching, or reading about.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE POOR WRITERS AND PRINTERS AND AD SALESMEN WHO WILL NOW BE OUT OF THEIR $7.50 AN HOUR JOBS? THEY NEED MONEY TOOO!
TheMapman
That's what happens when you market a magazine to people who can't read.
PhillipT631
For laughs I went to the EARL website to see if they had any story on the mag going AWOL. No mention however they still have a link for the rag. Went to the link and nothing but trying to sell subscriptions. Went to the subsciption link to subscribe and it comes up "INVALID PUBLICATION"
westhilthril
Damn!!! What a good week. Looks good on them. They can spew all the drivel they want to try and sugarcoat things. However, anyone with half a brain can see right through it. I guess that eliminates all 5 earl fans. Oh well!!
cartcanuck
Anyone looked at ToothlessForum to see how they are taking all this good news?
Hayden Fan
I fear that my brains would turn to mush if I looked there. Studies have shown that with each visit has the equivalent on the body as smoking 3.444 ounces of crack.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
For better for some, for worse for others, these are the 2008 Oreo Awards
(By John Oreovicz on ESPN.com 12-29-08)
The holiday season is upon us, so once again it's time to look back on the past year and conjure up another edition of the Oreo Awards. No particular qualifications are needed for nomination -- just one reporter's whimsical look back on the events that shaped open-wheel racing in 2008.
Without any further ado, the envelopes, please!
Best News: The February announcement that American open-wheel racing would join forces under the IndyCar Series banner.
Best Driver: Scott Dixon. Hands down, Dixon was the class of the IndyCar Series field in 2008, leading key categories such as race wins and laps led. It's baffling that the championship outcome remained in question for as long as it did.
Best "Transition" Driver: Oriol Servia was by far the most consistent of the ex-Champ Car newcomers and the only one to finish in the top 10 in the championship.
Rookie of the Year: Graham Rahal. Hard to believe he's still just 19 years old.
Best Actor: Helio Castroneves. Another driver (Tony Kanaan, I believe) deserves credit for coming up with this press-kit gem a few years ago. But HCN earned his Oreo Award in 2008 by maintaining his usual bubbly personality all year long while knowing he was under investigation for tax evasion.
Best Finish: Chicagoland Speedway, where the Indy Racing League had to use images from a finish-line camera to determine that Castroneves was the race winner over Dixon.
Best Finish (Alternate Ending): Dixon reeled in a fuel-saving Castroneves over the final few laps at Kentucky Speedway and snatched victory at the line when Castroneves' car ran dry.
"You Make Show!" Award: Danica Patrick, who continues to display her emotions openly, often to comical effect. The tears shed in Japan for her first win were understandable, but the angry march down the Indianapolis Motor Speedway pit lane to confront Ryan Briscoe and the arm-waving show she put on in Australia trying to get the marshals to give her a push-start were just over the top. Then there was the pit-lane catfight with Milka Duno memorably caught on amateur video at Mid-Ohio.
Best Turnaround: After the Indy 500, Briscoe was 19th in the standings and potentially on thin ice at Team Penske. A week later, he was on top of the world after a dominant win at the Milwaukee Mile on the way to fifth in the championship.
"What Are You Thinking?" Award (also known as the Marty Roth Award): Stanton Barrett says he will compete full time in the IndyCar Series in 2009.
Spoilsport Award: Champ Car co-principal Gerald Forsythe's team did not participate in the "unified" IndyCar Series, leaving star driver Paul Tracy on the sidelines.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words Award: Tracy finished fourth at Edmonton in his only IndyCar start of the season.
Close-Up Award: Dan Wheldon sported a new look in '08, thanks to a reported $40,000 worth of cosmetic dental surgery.
Toxic Teammates Award: Andretti Green Racing, where Kanaan and Marco Andretti sparred on and off the track, Danica Patrick said she couldn't hear her radio and Hideki Mutoh was an innocent bystander.
"Where Did It All Go Wrong?" Award: Tomas Scheckter.
The holiday season is upon us, so once again it's time to look back on the past year and conjure up another edition of the Oreo Awards. No particular qualifications are needed for nomination -- just one reporter's whimsical look back on the events that shaped open-wheel racing in 2008.
Without any further ado, the envelopes, please!
Best News: The February announcement that American open-wheel racing would join forces under the IndyCar Series banner.
Best Driver: Scott Dixon. Hands down, Dixon was the class of the IndyCar Series field in 2008, leading key categories such as race wins and laps led. It's baffling that the championship outcome remained in question for as long as it did.
Best "Transition" Driver: Oriol Servia was by far the most consistent of the ex-Champ Car newcomers and the only one to finish in the top 10 in the championship.
Rookie of the Year: Graham Rahal. Hard to believe he's still just 19 years old.
Best Actor: Helio Castroneves. Another driver (Tony Kanaan, I believe) deserves credit for coming up with this press-kit gem a few years ago. But HCN earned his Oreo Award in 2008 by maintaining his usual bubbly personality all year long while knowing he was under investigation for tax evasion.
Best Finish: Chicagoland Speedway, where the Indy Racing League had to use images from a finish-line camera to determine that Castroneves was the race winner over Dixon.
Best Finish (Alternate Ending): Dixon reeled in a fuel-saving Castroneves over the final few laps at Kentucky Speedway and snatched victory at the line when Castroneves' car ran dry.
"You Make Show!" Award: Danica Patrick, who continues to display her emotions openly, often to comical effect. The tears shed in Japan for her first win were understandable, but the angry march down the Indianapolis Motor Speedway pit lane to confront Ryan Briscoe and the arm-waving show she put on in Australia trying to get the marshals to give her a push-start were just over the top. Then there was the pit-lane catfight with Milka Duno memorably caught on amateur video at Mid-Ohio.
Best Turnaround: After the Indy 500, Briscoe was 19th in the standings and potentially on thin ice at Team Penske. A week later, he was on top of the world after a dominant win at the Milwaukee Mile on the way to fifth in the championship.
"What Are You Thinking?" Award (also known as the Marty Roth Award): Stanton Barrett says he will compete full time in the IndyCar Series in 2009.
Spoilsport Award: Champ Car co-principal Gerald Forsythe's team did not participate in the "unified" IndyCar Series, leaving star driver Paul Tracy on the sidelines.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words Award: Tracy finished fourth at Edmonton in his only IndyCar start of the season.
Close-Up Award: Dan Wheldon sported a new look in '08, thanks to a reported $40,000 worth of cosmetic dental surgery.
Toxic Teammates Award: Andretti Green Racing, where Kanaan and Marco Andretti sparred on and off the track, Danica Patrick said she couldn't hear her radio and Hideki Mutoh was an innocent bystander.
"Where Did It All Go Wrong?" Award: Tomas Scheckter.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Opportunities knocking
(by Dave Lewandowski on indycar.com 12-15-08)
Less than 10 months ago, Indy Racing League founder and CEO Tony George seized an opportunity to unify North American open-wheel racing after a contentious and monetarily costly decade.
The 2008 season was quickly approaching, allowing little time to integrate and update teams that sought to transition to the IndyCar Series from Champ Car. While the process wasn't without headaches, results on and off the racetracks were immediate and portend for steady growth.
"I think the first year of unification went as well as anyone could have hoped," George said during a wide-ranging question and answer session. "There was plenty of opportunity to have not lived up to anyone's expectations. Given the late opportunity -- the season was about to start -- there's was a tremendous amount of challenge to be overcome. But everyone pulled together and made sure that the equipment was in the hands of the teams so they could go about their business."
Officials of the sanctioning Indy Racing League, manufacturers and teams worked with new entrants to get them up to speed as quickly as possible. With Graham Rahal of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing winning on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., in the second race of the season - becoming the youngest winner in IndyCar Series history - it validated the procedures and spirit of cooperation. Rahal was among the six first-time winners in the 2008 campaign, and one of nine different victors.
"After we got through the first couple of races, it was always my feeling that by Indianapolis we would really start to come together and I think we did," George said. "There was still some uncertainty in the minds of many that whether the (new teams) were going to be competitive. Getting to Indianapolis you had a couple of weeks of practice and four days of qualifying and then a 500-mile race with the big stage and the spotlight on everybody. I think it kind of settled everyone and that's when we started coming together as one.
"Up until that point, there was still a lot of talk about Champ Car drivers and IRL drivers, and I think we all became IndyCar teams at that point. We went from transition teams to we're all one series. I would view 2008 as a great success and I look forward to 2009."
Now the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Centennial Era, which kicks off in 2009, dovetails with unification under the IndyCar Series banner. The Speedway celebrates its 100th birthday next year, with programs and special events planned to commemorate its contributions to American automobile history and sports.
"It's nice to have a big milestone or a big anniversary to celebrate on the heels of unification," said George, the CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "We look to take full advantage of the beginning of our Centennial Era celebration and I'm excited.
"I think unification was a long time coming, but it's now behind us and we have a very deep and competitive field of cars. We're all looking forward to next season. There will be some challenges pulling things together for next year, but we've been through the biggest challenge and I think that was pulling it together at all.
"I hear every day of more drivers that are interested in coming to the series and hear talk of new potential teams for next year. There will probably be one or two that don't return, but hopefully a team that comes in will be able to take advantage of this opportunity that's been created."
George also sees opportunities in the long term, such as two IndyCar Series seasons.
"In 2013, we'll be through our Centennial Era and our new technical package will have been introduced for a couple of years," George said. "I think you'll continue to see a predominantly North American-based championship. I think 16 to 20 races for what we do now is a comfortable number. I know there will be opportunities for us to do some more international outreach, whether it's through licensing or actually taking our product and creating a winter season.
"Drivers want to drive every week and if the operating budgets and sponsorships we depend on are there I think you could see us do as many as 22, 24 races a year. Or you could see something like ALMS has done in licensing our specifications, our name and brand for a European schedule."
Less than 10 months ago, Indy Racing League founder and CEO Tony George seized an opportunity to unify North American open-wheel racing after a contentious and monetarily costly decade.
The 2008 season was quickly approaching, allowing little time to integrate and update teams that sought to transition to the IndyCar Series from Champ Car. While the process wasn't without headaches, results on and off the racetracks were immediate and portend for steady growth.
"I think the first year of unification went as well as anyone could have hoped," George said during a wide-ranging question and answer session. "There was plenty of opportunity to have not lived up to anyone's expectations. Given the late opportunity -- the season was about to start -- there's was a tremendous amount of challenge to be overcome. But everyone pulled together and made sure that the equipment was in the hands of the teams so they could go about their business."
Officials of the sanctioning Indy Racing League, manufacturers and teams worked with new entrants to get them up to speed as quickly as possible. With Graham Rahal of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing winning on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., in the second race of the season - becoming the youngest winner in IndyCar Series history - it validated the procedures and spirit of cooperation. Rahal was among the six first-time winners in the 2008 campaign, and one of nine different victors.
"After we got through the first couple of races, it was always my feeling that by Indianapolis we would really start to come together and I think we did," George said. "There was still some uncertainty in the minds of many that whether the (new teams) were going to be competitive. Getting to Indianapolis you had a couple of weeks of practice and four days of qualifying and then a 500-mile race with the big stage and the spotlight on everybody. I think it kind of settled everyone and that's when we started coming together as one.
"Up until that point, there was still a lot of talk about Champ Car drivers and IRL drivers, and I think we all became IndyCar teams at that point. We went from transition teams to we're all one series. I would view 2008 as a great success and I look forward to 2009."
Now the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Centennial Era, which kicks off in 2009, dovetails with unification under the IndyCar Series banner. The Speedway celebrates its 100th birthday next year, with programs and special events planned to commemorate its contributions to American automobile history and sports.
"It's nice to have a big milestone or a big anniversary to celebrate on the heels of unification," said George, the CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "We look to take full advantage of the beginning of our Centennial Era celebration and I'm excited.
"I think unification was a long time coming, but it's now behind us and we have a very deep and competitive field of cars. We're all looking forward to next season. There will be some challenges pulling things together for next year, but we've been through the biggest challenge and I think that was pulling it together at all.
"I hear every day of more drivers that are interested in coming to the series and hear talk of new potential teams for next year. There will probably be one or two that don't return, but hopefully a team that comes in will be able to take advantage of this opportunity that's been created."
George also sees opportunities in the long term, such as two IndyCar Series seasons.
"In 2013, we'll be through our Centennial Era and our new technical package will have been introduced for a couple of years," George said. "I think you'll continue to see a predominantly North American-based championship. I think 16 to 20 races for what we do now is a comfortable number. I know there will be opportunities for us to do some more international outreach, whether it's through licensing or actually taking our product and creating a winter season.
"Drivers want to drive every week and if the operating budgets and sponsorships we depend on are there I think you could see us do as many as 22, 24 races a year. Or you could see something like ALMS has done in licensing our specifications, our name and brand for a European schedule."
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Pat on Danica's back? Let's not race to be condescending.
(by Gregg Doyle on CBSsports.com 4-22-08)
Why do we set the bar so low for women in sports?
The world's top female tennis player, Billie Jean King, beats a 55-year-old male has-been named Bobby Riggs in 1973, and it's a huge day for women's rights? I get the timing of the whole thing. It was different in the early 1970s. Men were men and women were somewhere in the background baking us cookies.
We were sexist pigs back then, and nobody played the sexist pig better than Riggs. But King was at the top of her game. Riggs was an old man. Beating him wasn't the most she could do. It was the least.
Decades have passed, but we're still condescending when it comes to women in sports. A high school senior named Candace Parker enters the (boys) slam dunk competition at the 2004 McDonald's All-American Game, gently pushes the ball through the rim, and wins the event. J.R. Smith practically sat on the basket for a few of his dunks, but Parker won because, well, she won because she was a girl. And don't tell me I'm being sexist, because I'm not. The judges were being sexist for symbolically patting Parker on her pretty little head and telling her, my, what a sweet thing she is.
At least Danica Patrick competed with men on a level playing field when she won the Indy Japan 300 on Sunday in Motegi, Japan. Patrick played the exact same sport as everyone else, was held to the same standards, and won. What she did was more impressive, from a sports standpoint, than King's tennis win over a washed-up Riggs or Parker's condescending dunk "victory."
But this was not all that impressive. Not if you look with the jaded eyes of neutrality, which very few of you undoubtedly possess. Then again, maybe I don't possess those eyes either. Not on Danica Patrick. She has rubbed me the wrong way for years, including her ridiculous marketing choices, like when she stares seductively into the camera to hawk antifreeze or pretends to peel down her racing suit and makes beaver jokes -- I'm not making that up -- for GoDaddy.com.
Patrick has bugged me for a while, and I'll tell you exactly when it started: It started in July 2006 when she said she was considering a move to NASCAR. No problem there. But then she smugly wondered how high those TV ratings would be. Big problem there. At the time, Patrick was 10th on the Indy Racing League -- 10th out of the 15 drivers who raced every week. She was a non-factor on her B-list racing circuit. And she's wondering about the ratings for her NASCAR debut? Hey, sweetheart, try qualifying for a NASCAR event. Then we'll talk ratings.
If you're wondering why I'm wrapping a wet blanket around what Mike Freeman is foolishly calling a warm and snuggly story, that's the biggest reason: the IRL is not real racing. Not real good racing, anyway. It's not the best car circuit in this country -- that would be NASCAR -- and it's not even the best open-wheel series in the world. That would be Formula One.
So what is the IRL? It's a training ground for decent drivers who hope to be good enough to race somewhere important some day. Sam Hornish Jr. won the IRL season championship in 2001, '02 and '06. Dario Franchitti won the IRL title in 2007. That's the best the IRL has to offer -- or had to offer. Both left the IRL for NASCAR, where they are overmatched. In 17 career NASCAR starts, neither has finished in the top 10. Hornish has broken into the top 20 once in 10 tries. Franchitti? Never. Patrick Carpentier, another dominant open-wheel racer in this country, can't break into the top 10 of a NACAR race, either.
The IRL is the junior varsity of racing, is what I'm saying. Danica Patrick finally won herself a JV race, and that's good for her, and it's a neat story. The first woman to do anything -- the first man to do anything, too -- is always cool. But let's not take this too far, OK?
Winning in the IRL isn't a matter of talent. It's a matter of time. Race 50 times, as Patrick has done in the IRL, and you're bound to win eventually, especially when you have the best car and support team money can buy, as Patrick does.
A typical NASCAR weekend will have nearly 50 drivers trying just to get into the field. In the IRL, the field is less than half that large -- and, as I've already explained, significantly less skilled. To win the Indy Japan 300 on Sunday, Patrick had to finish ahead of 17 other drivers. That's it. She beat 17 cars. Do that at Talladega, and you finish 26th.
Those are details nobody wants to hear, and I don't understand why. Maybe you think I'm sexist for pointing those details out. Maybe I think you're sexist for not wanting to know, for wanting instead to feel good about the pioneering done by Patrick and therefore to feel good about your socially uplifted self rather than holding women, and men, to the same standards.
Drag-racer Shirley Muldowney won the NHRA's elite Top Fuel season championship three times. Jockey Julie Krone won more than 3,700 career horse races, including the 1993 Belmont. After the Professional Women's Bowling Association went under in 2003, three PBWA bowlers -- Liz Johnson, Kelly Kulick and Cathy Dorin-Lizzi -- joined the men's tour and earned their way into fields.
Those are all remarkable stories of women vs. men, but if you ask me, the most impressive story involves Michelle Wie. Before unraveling at the hands of her pushy parents and marketing reps, Wie nearly made the cut at the 2004 Sony Open on the PGA Tour. She shot an even-par 140. She finished ahead of nearly 70 male professionals and missed the cut by just one stroke. She was 14 years old.
That beats the hell out of anything Patrick did this weekend, or next weekend, or any weekend, on the IRL.
Why do we set the bar so low for women in sports?
The world's top female tennis player, Billie Jean King, beats a 55-year-old male has-been named Bobby Riggs in 1973, and it's a huge day for women's rights? I get the timing of the whole thing. It was different in the early 1970s. Men were men and women were somewhere in the background baking us cookies.
We were sexist pigs back then, and nobody played the sexist pig better than Riggs. But King was at the top of her game. Riggs was an old man. Beating him wasn't the most she could do. It was the least.
Decades have passed, but we're still condescending when it comes to women in sports. A high school senior named Candace Parker enters the (boys) slam dunk competition at the 2004 McDonald's All-American Game, gently pushes the ball through the rim, and wins the event. J.R. Smith practically sat on the basket for a few of his dunks, but Parker won because, well, she won because she was a girl. And don't tell me I'm being sexist, because I'm not. The judges were being sexist for symbolically patting Parker on her pretty little head and telling her, my, what a sweet thing she is.
At least Danica Patrick competed with men on a level playing field when she won the Indy Japan 300 on Sunday in Motegi, Japan. Patrick played the exact same sport as everyone else, was held to the same standards, and won. What she did was more impressive, from a sports standpoint, than King's tennis win over a washed-up Riggs or Parker's condescending dunk "victory."
But this was not all that impressive. Not if you look with the jaded eyes of neutrality, which very few of you undoubtedly possess. Then again, maybe I don't possess those eyes either. Not on Danica Patrick. She has rubbed me the wrong way for years, including her ridiculous marketing choices, like when she stares seductively into the camera to hawk antifreeze or pretends to peel down her racing suit and makes beaver jokes -- I'm not making that up -- for GoDaddy.com.
Patrick has bugged me for a while, and I'll tell you exactly when it started: It started in July 2006 when she said she was considering a move to NASCAR. No problem there. But then she smugly wondered how high those TV ratings would be. Big problem there. At the time, Patrick was 10th on the Indy Racing League -- 10th out of the 15 drivers who raced every week. She was a non-factor on her B-list racing circuit. And she's wondering about the ratings for her NASCAR debut? Hey, sweetheart, try qualifying for a NASCAR event. Then we'll talk ratings.
If you're wondering why I'm wrapping a wet blanket around what Mike Freeman is foolishly calling a warm and snuggly story, that's the biggest reason: the IRL is not real racing. Not real good racing, anyway. It's not the best car circuit in this country -- that would be NASCAR -- and it's not even the best open-wheel series in the world. That would be Formula One.
So what is the IRL? It's a training ground for decent drivers who hope to be good enough to race somewhere important some day. Sam Hornish Jr. won the IRL season championship in 2001, '02 and '06. Dario Franchitti won the IRL title in 2007. That's the best the IRL has to offer -- or had to offer. Both left the IRL for NASCAR, where they are overmatched. In 17 career NASCAR starts, neither has finished in the top 10. Hornish has broken into the top 20 once in 10 tries. Franchitti? Never. Patrick Carpentier, another dominant open-wheel racer in this country, can't break into the top 10 of a NACAR race, either.
The IRL is the junior varsity of racing, is what I'm saying. Danica Patrick finally won herself a JV race, and that's good for her, and it's a neat story. The first woman to do anything -- the first man to do anything, too -- is always cool. But let's not take this too far, OK?
Winning in the IRL isn't a matter of talent. It's a matter of time. Race 50 times, as Patrick has done in the IRL, and you're bound to win eventually, especially when you have the best car and support team money can buy, as Patrick does.
A typical NASCAR weekend will have nearly 50 drivers trying just to get into the field. In the IRL, the field is less than half that large -- and, as I've already explained, significantly less skilled. To win the Indy Japan 300 on Sunday, Patrick had to finish ahead of 17 other drivers. That's it. She beat 17 cars. Do that at Talladega, and you finish 26th.
Those are details nobody wants to hear, and I don't understand why. Maybe you think I'm sexist for pointing those details out. Maybe I think you're sexist for not wanting to know, for wanting instead to feel good about the pioneering done by Patrick and therefore to feel good about your socially uplifted self rather than holding women, and men, to the same standards.
Drag-racer Shirley Muldowney won the NHRA's elite Top Fuel season championship three times. Jockey Julie Krone won more than 3,700 career horse races, including the 1993 Belmont. After the Professional Women's Bowling Association went under in 2003, three PBWA bowlers -- Liz Johnson, Kelly Kulick and Cathy Dorin-Lizzi -- joined the men's tour and earned their way into fields.
Those are all remarkable stories of women vs. men, but if you ask me, the most impressive story involves Michelle Wie. Before unraveling at the hands of her pushy parents and marketing reps, Wie nearly made the cut at the 2004 Sony Open on the PGA Tour. She shot an even-par 140. She finished ahead of nearly 70 male professionals and missed the cut by just one stroke. She was 14 years old.
That beats the hell out of anything Patrick did this weekend, or next weekend, or any weekend, on the IRL.
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