Another lost weekend for IndyCar

UPDATE A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1, Some say the Indy 500 should never be a night race. A noon start is tradition. Sam Plumer

Dear Sam, Times have changed. The fan base is different. Most people would prefer to spend Memorial Weekend Sunday afternoon with family at a barbecue or at the beach. No one sits in front of the TV on a Sunday afternoon anymore. Maybe in February when it is cold for the Daytona 500, but not the end of May when it is nice outside. In fact the record high TV ratings for the Indy 500 were in the 1960s and early 70s when ABC Wide World of Sports used to tape delay the race until Sunday evening. Back then the ratings were between 20 and 30. This is a fact that cannot be disputed. If IndyCar wants to see the Indy 500 TV ratings continue to fall and the sport eventually die, then yes they can hold onto their antiquated traditions, or they can move the race under the lights on Saturday night and watch it prosper. They will do it for NASCAR, but not for the race they themselves own. Go figure. Mark C.

02/10/13 This is now the second weekend in 2013 that IndyCar could have been the only game in town for race fans when there would be no football games on TV and no other race series in action. TV ratings would be solid. The IndyCar season should begin in late January and conclude by Labor Day to avoid conflicts with popular American Football. That makes too much sense, hence IndyCar will likely not do it. But they will install lights at the Indy Motor Speedway to help arch enemy NASCAR succeed.