Vision Racing looks to fans for support

(Ed note: This is a great idea, and has been done before. They are right that sponsors could stand to know the fans support the sport too. They might get more support if it weren't someone exceedingly wealthy trying to run his own stepson. If they were looking to run a top talent that really deserved a ride, they might get more response. Ed Carpenter has come a long way, but we don’t see him as an IndyCar star for the future.)

If it worked for "Chuck," why can't a viral fan campaign work for Vision Racing?

Last week, the five-year-old IZOD IndyCar Series team announced it had suspended racing operations – note the distinction to ceasing or shutting down – as team principals and a few others continued to search for adequate sponsorship to get driver Ed Carpenter and the No. 20 entry on the racetrack.

Quickly, Vision Racing – one of the most active in social media outlets in all of motorsports — reached out to fans through Twitter, Facebook and its own Web site to request a favor. How about taking a few minutes to write a "letter of reference that we can use to find and secure sponsors that want your business?"

"The ongoing economic environment has been difficult on all the IndyCar teams and their sponsors," the note on the team's Facebook page continued. "Sponsors need to know that you are still there to support open-wheel racing, the Indy Racing League, teams and sponsors. If you don't want to do this for us, then please consider doing it for the teams/drivers you do support or for the league as a whole."

Response to the grass-roots effort has been overwhelmingly positive in the initial 48 hours of the campaign. Want to contribute? CLICK HERE to get started.

And now, back to "Chuck." Fan outreach last March through an organized letter-writing campaign gained the weekly show a reprieve from NBC, which was close to canceling it. Indycar.com