Critics of Mark Miles urge IndyCar to focus on driver development (Update)
Daly doesn't think any approach will work unless it has the mission of developing "American stars" as a centerpiece. Miles says he's largely happy with the current stable of IndyCar drivers. Daly contends that even successful foreign drivers like Scott Dixon and Will Power won't draw the attention of the masses the way a stable of American hot shots would.
I think that the Indianapolis Business Journal also needed to emphasize that it's not just American drivers that's needed – it's WINNING – SUCCESSFUL – HERO American drivers that need to be developed. A HERO has to do something heroic – something heroic would be winning big races on a consistent basis like our past heroes did. When that happens the media takes notice – and when that happens the sponsors take notice and when that happens the sport can only grow.
This type of driver development system has NOT existed in America for the past 25 years. If it did, we would have world class Americans taking on the world and sending them home WITHOUT trophies. Just look at the statistics of IndyCar and Indy Lights champions in the past 25 years and you will see that the rest of the world has largely taken over American racing. When we had Mears, Andretti, Andretti, Unser, Rahal, Sullivan, etc we had something to cheer for. When we lost these heroes the stats show that we also lost interest. Unless we develop our American drivers to the European level at least, and start winning and dominating again, the rest of the world will continue to take our trophies and prize money and we will continue to wonder why the American public just don't care.
When that happens, TV turns to other programming trying to find an audience who does care. And when that happens sponsors question why they should be involved (IZOD & GoDaddy?). There are many things that need to be fixed and there are some good people trying to fix them, but unless the very foundation is set, we will forever be working on the symptoms and not the problem.
During the upcoming Olympics, NBC will show us hours of coverage mainly based around the American involvement – WHY? Because that’s what the American audience is interested in. The Brits will highlight the Brits and the French will do the same for their countrymen. It’s called national pride and there is no more compelling TV that a human drama story wrapped in National pride. I sat in TV production meeting for 25 years and the first question a producer asks is "What’s the compelling story today that we can tell". The compelling stories have dwindled as the American heroes disappeared. Stories are ALWAYS more compelling when it is a home grown story (just watch for the up close and personal pieces the NBC will air during the Olympics). When Lindsey Vonn pulled out of the Olympics it was headline news. WHY? because she was an American hero and NBC would have followed her every move. Just this morning the LA Times headlined a story saying that NBC’s ratings figure to take hits without injured Lindsey Vonn competing.
In England, the Vonn story never got a mention, WHY? Because the Brits don't care about Vonn – they only care about the Brits. Derek Daly
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| Why is there a dearth of young American talent in IndyCar? Simple – money. Why should they buy an IndyCar ride when they can make a career in another series getting paid to drive. |
02/04/14 According to an all-encompassing report in the Indianapolis Business Journal, critics of Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles, including Mario Andretti and Derek Daly, would prefer to see the IndyCar marketing arm focus on driver development rather than aesthetic improvements.
In his first year at the helm of IndyCar, Miles has secured $100 million in tax revenue over the next 20 years to restore and overhaul the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He's also unveiled a variety of changes to the traditional month of May and festivities surrounding the Indianapolis 500.
As the report notes, there is an ever-increasing amount of concern that Miles is failing to focus on driver development and encouraging talented Americans to enter the sport.
"[IndyCar officials] are focusing on the symptoms and not the problems," Daly, a former F1 driver who now lives in Indianapolis told the IBJ. "The symptoms are, nobody shows up at the races and no one watches on television.
"The problem is (that) no one cares. So why does no one care? Because there's nothing to engage them. The drivers are the key components to engaging fans."
Andretti has been critical of Miles decision to schedule the IndyCar Series around the National Football League and college football, creating a shorter and more compact schedule that Andretti has called "not plausible."
In a June interview with SB Nation, Andretti said that IndyCar has to focus on their wealth of second and third generation drivers with familiar last names, including Graham Rahal and Mario's grandson, Marco.
"You have to start with the third generation drivers," Andretti said. "They bring a strong lineage and sense of history. Marco (Andretti) and Graham (Rahal) bring that classic family rivalry to the current days. (James) Hinchcliffe is so entertaining and is part of a strong international field.
"We have strong Americans and great diversity. You're not going to fix things overnight, but things are starting to fall into place and we're in a good position to get people's attention."
"We had to get the building blocks in place," he said. "We felt we had to get the organization aligned."
Miles urges his critics to have patience and is moving ahead with his plans to focus on marketing and driver promotion. That begins with his desire to have a new title sponsor in place to replace IZOD prior to the March 30 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Fla.)
"We're having serious conversations with more than one prospect," he said. "Any of the organizations we're talking to would be instantly recognizable and have substantial advertising budgets."
Though Miles would not comment on possible terms of a sponsorship deal, any agreement is likely to require promoting the series and its drivers.
"[Sponsors'] ability to help us grow the sport, project the brand and enhance our fan experience is the highest priority," he said. "The rights fee is secondary to that."
Despite the concerns of such industry experts, Miles has accomplished much in his first year in the IndyCar cockpit. In addition to securing funds for IMS, he also revamped the IndyCar front office with the hiring of Derrick Walker, CJ O'Donnell and Jay Frye to lead the competition and marketing/revenue departments respectively.
In short, these are moves that will play dividends over the next couple of years, even if the impact isn't seen overnight, thus the call for patience from Miles to his fanbase.
"We had to get the building blocks in place," Miles said. "We felt we had to get the organization aligned." Matt Weaver/SBNation