Stick a fork in yet another IndyCar oval race, it’s done? Maybe Not (2nd Update)
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| With few winning Americans in IndyCar, American fans stay away in droves. Sage Karam is American and from nearby Nazareth. Did IndyCar make sure he had a ride for Pocono? Of course not. |
Traffic may have been an issue on certain roads and highways in the Poconos as the Fourth of July weekend came to a close on Sunday night.
But it wasn't a problem outside Pocono Raceway in Monroe County.
First, a very fast Pocono IndyCar 500 — the fastest 500-miler in the open-wheel brand's history according to average speed — concluded around 3:30 p.m., well before the heart of the mass exodus home from Pocono resorts and campgrounds was underway.
Second, the crowd at Pocono Raceway, generously estimated by press box veterans at about 20,000, quickly dispersed following the race won by Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya.
Montoya took note of the flag-waving shouting Colombian contingent in Pocono's vast grandstand and said in the post race press conference: "I am amazed how many fans were in the stands today for an oval race. It was pretty cool."
Question is: Was it "cool" enough to warrant another IndyCar race at Pocono next year?
Pocono Raceway and IndyCar don't release attendance figures, but before the weekend Pocono Raceway track president and CEO Brandon Igdalsky tried to get the attention of the IndyCar racing fans by warning the race may not return for a third year because of lack of support. He called advance ticket sales "kind of scary."
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| Sandwiched between two NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono, the IndyCar race does not have a chance |
Nick Igdalsky, the track's executive VP largely deferred comment to his brother on Sunday, but said: "We definitely picked up … absolutely. So, it's very optimistic and we'll look into it a little further and see how it goes."
Brandon Igdalsky, who has always been accessible since succeeding his late grandfather, Dr. Joseph Mattioli, in running the so-called "Tricky Triangle" in Long Pond, declined interview requests on Monday.
However, he issued a statement, saying: "We had a nice crowd at [Sunday's] race. Concerning the future of IndyCar racing at Pocono, we will be talking to our fans and stakeholders as well as looking at all the final data and numbers from the weekend.
"We want to make IndyCar a part of Pocono's exciting future and growth strategy. The competition was great yesterday and we are excited about the direction that IndyCar's leadership is moving."
From that, it sounds like Pocono would like to bring IndyCar back next year and fulfill the third and final year of a contract.
However, it may not be in the same spot on the calendar.
If the schedule remains the same, next year's race would be held on Sunday, July 5.
Certainly, Pocono and IndyCar will have to weigh the merits of holding a race on the summer's biggest weekend in the heart of a region known for vacationers.
"Having it on July 4th weekend is always a hard one," said driver Graham Rahal, whose father and team owner Bobby Rahal enjoyed considerable success at Pocono in the 1980s and won the 1988 race. "A lot of people like to be at home with their families.
"If I had any sort of a suggestion, [the 4th of July] wouldn't be the weekend that we're trying to race here. That's just my opinion."
Racing legend Mario Andretti, who did his famous two-seater rides for Honda before the race and then spent the 500 miles with the pit crew for his grandson Marco, said that holding the race on the holiday weekend "could have a big effect."
"The Fourth of July weekend is traditionally a weekend that people like to do their picnics and everything else," Andretti said. "So, I don't know. It could be an issue. I know NASCAR also went this weekend, but going on Saturday night is a little different. During the day, people have to commit more time to it."
Before the race, Brandon Igdalsky offered the possibility that the 4th of July weekend could be a detriment to better attendance.
"Maybe it is and we're going to do a deep dive with people who were here this year and last year and people who may not have been here, but at least expressed interest, and we'll see if that's the reason," Igdalsky said.
Igdalsky said then he was being honest in expressing concern before the weekend and admitted that "being honest sometimes hurts people's feelings."
"I've gotten so many tweets from fans who are driving great distances to be here, but what about the 300,000 people who live locally?" he said. "We need a race in the Northeast. The data shows we have huge race fan populations and the Poconos are the No. 2 destination in Pennsylvania behind Philadelphia. So the people are already here and they're vacationing, especially on the 4th of July."
However, having a lot of people in the Poconos celebrating the 4th of July and having them come to a race are two different things.
"We don't have all the figures from this weekend, but we do know that most of our resorts were close to, or completely, sold out," said David West, vice president of marketing for the Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau. "Most of the people come for the fireworks at the various resorts.
"IndyCar is a very specialized race and we do get a lot of people interested in that. It's one of the amenities of coming to the Poconos. It's not the biggest draw, however. We had a phenomenal weekend, largely because of the weather. But the crowds are mostly fireworks-driven."
West said that what helped Pocono's resort business was that the Fourth of July fell on a Friday and built into a three-day weekend.
"The holiday being on a Friday made it a special weekend," he said. "One of the things that may have happened is that because it became a three-day weekend, a lot of people wanted to find more family-oriented alternatives.
"Last year, the holiday was on a Thursday. People went back to work on Friday, so you didn't have that continuation. When people have a chance to extend their weekend, they're going to shift focus to the family resorts. The IndyCar fans who came were diehard fans who will always come, but the fringe fans who just wanted to do something on the three-day weekend were probably less likely to go to a race."
West said that the Pocono businesses get a boost from the large numbers of fans who come to the NASCAR races in June and August, although even those numbers are not where they were 10 or 20 years ago.
NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon took note of the difference last year when he attended the IndyCar race at Pocono and said: "When you drive in that tunnel [to get inside the Pocono infield] for an IndyCar race, and you drive in here for a NASCAR race, you get a perspective of how big our sport is."
Of course, 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan shot back and said that there is also a difference at Indianapolis where the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" still draws well over 200,000 every Memorial Day weekend, about three times as many as the NASCAR event in late July draws.
Still, there's no question IndyCar has struggled in popularity for several decades and Gordon Kirby, who has authored several books and written for numerous motor sports publications, noted in the Pocono press room that over the past 20 years, 42 IndyCar racing venues — including Nazareth Speedway, which closed in 2004 — have shut down.
"We were all so happy to be back at Pocono, but unless it's supported it's going to disappear," Mario Andretti said. "Just like Nazareth." Morning Call
07/07/14 I eased myself into Seat 1 in Section 228, Row 30 of the terrace grandstand at Pocono Raceway with 82 laps remaining in Sunday's Pocono IndyCar 500 Fueled by Sunoco.
I walked down there in the first place because, from my view in the press box, the section seemed exceptionally empty and I was curious why.
The first thing I noticed was the heat generated by a blazing July sun reflecting off the aluminum stands. Wonderful for working on your summer tan.
Great view, too. Right at the head of pit road. Every inch of the track is visible. Excellent look at the cars coming off the third turn onto the main straightaway.
No one questioned my decision to sit there and no raceway worker came up to throw me out.
Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the closest spectator to my left was 13 seats away, and the two rows in front of me were completely empty.
Pocono's main stand had lots of perfect seating situations like the one in Section 228 Row, 30, which means that when the plans are made for the 2015 Pocono IndyCar 500 — and I'm taking the positive side in that debate — that seat will be for sale.
It would have cost $75 this year. And, if you brought along a child 12 years of age or under, you could have had him or her sitting alongside of you for half that price.
I walked across Row 30 on Sunday to talk with my nearest "neighbors." Joe and Sheri didn't want to give me their last names, and they would only say that they were "from Jersey … down at the shore."
They hadn't purchased their seats for Sunday's race. They were a gift. Joe said the couple were more fans of NASCAR than IndyCar racing and they admitted this was the first time they had been to Pocono for any race.
"Would you come back if you had to pay?" I asked.
"Yes, I would," Joe said.
"NASCAR or IndyCar?" I asked.
"Both," he said.
Sorry, Brandon and Nick Igdalsky, but I can't even give you a name for correspondence purposes, but the New Jersey duo obviously was not unhappy with what they saw.
Actually, I, an unabashed pusher of IndyCar racing in the midst of NASCAR Nation, was probably more disappointed in the product than the majority of the maybe 20,000 fans who experienced a perfect tanning day and a Juan Pablo Montoya-Team Penske Racing victory.
My problem had nothing to do with the racing, because (1) for the most part, the second leg of the Verizon IndyCar Series Triple Crown featured enough competitive cars to keep things interesting, and (2) no one really wants to see a wreck that causes injury.
Call me picky, but starting only 21 Indy cars on a 2 ½-mile track for a 200-lap, 500-mile grind can make for some dull moments; but the makeup of the Verizon IndyCar Series is such that the numbers simply are not there — except for Indianapolis. That is not going to change, either.
And, the absence of an occasional caution period to bunch up the field leaves all but the most astute race-watcher scratching his head about where the action is at any given time.
I remember sitting through some NASCAR races at Pocono that got extremely complicated for the fans until suddenly, what we came to refer to as the mysterious "NASCAR yellow" brought the cars back into contact with one another.
Sunday's event had just one caution, and it took place on Lap 159. Fans interested in keeping track of the leaders, especially during green-flag pit-stop sequences, had their challenges.
Maybe the hard-core racing fan doesn't concern himself with such trivialities, but I'm concerned for people who may be new to the sport. Following a 500-mile no-cautions race has to be almost as confusing for the unschooled spectator as understanding offsides or some of the other nuances of a World Cup soccer match.
Nothing can really be done about cautions, either; in fact, there are days when they become a major detractor in what could otherwise be a pretty exciting race. But on a track as big as Pocono and with a field as small as IndyCar put out there, the chance for what happened on Sunday is very real. Last year's race, for example, had just two cautions. Maybe the situation was exaggerated this year because of the additional 100 miles.
Nick Igdalsky, the track's executive vice president and chief operating officer, told me he would rather defer to brother Brandon, the president and chief executive officer, for comments about the attendance and the future. I have no idea whether Brandon thinks his "shaking the trees" the other day had positive results.
Nick did say, "The decision lies with the family and the board, how they want to pursue." Asked whether the numbers improved Sunday over what they had been earlier last week when Brandon went public, he said, "We definitely picked up … absolutely. So, it's very optimistic and we'll look into it a little further and see it goes."
My hope is that Pocono and IndyCar will both be amenable to honoring the three-year contract that was originally drawn up because I'm not ready to give up on a series that I think just needs to do a little of its own homework to optimize the positives it has shown in the last couple of years.
I'm not alone in looking forward to more IndyCar in Long Pond.
"I was amazed how many fans were in the stands today for an oval race," winner Montoya said. "It was pretty cool."
He made a visit to a bunch of Colombians after his victory, signed some autographs and thanked them for coming out.
"This is a cool place, so near to New York, where there are so many Latinos. The crowd was real good here."
And second-place finisher Helio Castroneves said, "I don't know about the rumor about not coming back next year because everybody enjoyed it and seemed to have fun. Hopefully, we will continue coming back." Paul Reinhard/Morning Call
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| They came, they saw, they won't be back. Stick a fork in Pocono…..again. How many times has AR1.com told you that a market cannot support two NASCAR races and an IndyCar race. Has never happened in the history of the sport and it won't happen now. NASCAR has American heroes to attract fans, IndyCar has none. |
07/03/14 The future of IndyCar at Pocono Raceway is in jeopardy because of a dramatic attendance drop expected for Sunday's race.
IndyCar returned to Pocono last year after a 24-year absence for the first race of a three-year contract. Track CEO and President Brandon Igdalsky said this week he planned to speak with IndyCar CEO Mark Miles and other series executives about possibly dumping the final year of the contract.
Igdalsky refused to divulge numbers, but said ticket sales "were kind of scary" compared with last year. While the track does not disclose attendance figures, about 30,000 to 35,000 fans were estimated at last year's race.
Igdalsky said he brought the series back because track research showed fans wanted the racing and would support IndyCar. He will not guarantee IndyCar will race at Pocono in 2015.
"As of right now, I can't say yes or no," he said. "We can get out (of the contract). If we have to, we'll do it. No sense in losing money, especially a significant amount of money."
Pocono Raceway has had two NASCAR weekends on the schedule for decades. He blamed the fans — not a glut of racing in the mountains — for the possibility of IndyCar leaving the track.
"The big thing is the fans," Igdalsky said. "The fans begged us to bring it back. Every study and report we did, they all said they'd come. But they're not coming in the numbers we need them to come in. Are these fans really here? In Pennsylvania? In the Andrettis' backyard? Why aren't they coming out? Where are they?"
A number of factors could be involved, including an undesirable holiday weekend date. The IndyCar race is sandwiched between the June 8 and Aug. 3 Sprint Cup races. The race also added 100 miles this year, and is now a 500-miler.
Igdalsky said he came out of last year excited about the turnout and had great hope for mutual success with the series. Tickets start at just $25 for the grandstand and children are admitted at a reduced rate. There are a variety of ticket packages that include amenities such as a fan session with Mario Andretti.
"You'd think Mario Andretti could help you sell a bunch of tickets," Igdalsky said. [Mario isn't driving anymore. He was a winner. A hero. An icon. His grandson Marco is not a winner and not a hero. Hence he does not sell tickets.]
Jay Frye, chief revenue officer for Hulman Motorsports, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This isn't the first time Pocono and open-wheel racing have reached a crossroads. During the days of the dueling USAC and CART series in the late 1980s, Pocono racetrack founder Joseph Mattioli wanted out. Mattioli, who died in 2012, chose not to seek a new deal after 1989.
Indianapolis 500 champion Ryan Hunter-Reay said the series needs to race in the East.
"We're in the right market," he said. "We need to be putting on our races there. It was a major part of the schedule back in the day, and it seems to be that now it is again. Hopefully, the fans will receive us well there. If we keep on putting on great shows, there's no reason it can't work."
NASCAR star Jeff Gordon attended last year's IndyCar race and couldn't help but notice the difference in attendance between the two series.
"I am very, very appreciative of this sport and this series that we are in because when you drive in that tunnel for an IndyCar race, and you drive in here for a NASCAR race, you get a perspective of how big our sport is," he said.
Gordon also said how much he loved attending the race and how "very cool" the open wheel cars are.
Igdalsky, Mattioli's grandson, said he would not use his NASCAR receipts to prop up IndyCar race losses. He said he was happy with attendance for the June NASCAR race and numbers are "looking great" for August's NASCAR race.
But fans have balked at shelling out more money on IndyCar.
"They do a lot more talking than acting, for one," Igdalsky said. "It's kind of a shame if it does go away because of the fans. If IndyCar racing goes away from Pocono, it's because the fans did not come out and support the event." AP Story