Feedback on IndyCar editorial
05/01/08 Great article! You made a number of good points. Regarding one – sponsor activation – I did a little consulting work for a NASCAR team a couple of years ago. I am big racing fan, but I don’t know much about NASCAR; although I do have a lot of admiration for the business model. So I thought I would get up to speed on how NASCAR worked. It didn’t take me very long to realize that a key component of NASCAR’s success is sponsor activation. Actually, NASCAR does relatively little advertising, but you see the brand all over. That’s because the sponsors advertise their involvement. Like you said, go to Menards, Target, or 7-Eleven store and see there is any indication that they are involved with IndyCar.
On a closing note – Gene Simmons – I haven’t got a clue if he brings anything, or if they just don’t listen, but I know that he told them that IRL sounds like a disease, that it needs to be called IndyCar only. That was a year ago, and to this day, this website and everybody else calls it the IRL. They (the IRL) could fix that with a Press Release. My guess is they don’t listen to Simmons.
Bottom line – IndyCar is, and Champ Car was, in the sports entertainment business, but I am not sure they get it. Donn Kelly
04/30/08 Our latest editorial, The Unification Was Great, Will Anything Change? is generating a lot of feedback. Here are few:
What a great article!! Jason couldn't have hit the nail on the head better. If you need a case in point, I have one from earlier today. I stopped at an Exxon station, the kind with the convenience store added in, to buy a soda on my lunch break. What do you think I saw there? No fewer than 6 different promotional ads, those being in just the limited portion of the store I went through, proudly featuring former 2 time Indy Car Series Champion, Indy 500 winner and all time Indy Car Series race wins leader now full time NASCAR driver, Sam Hornish Jr. in his Mobil 1 racing suit and a big NASCAR logo on the sign hawking different food and drink deals encompassing one's entire day from breakfast to late night snacks for the Exxon Mobil company stores. He was all over the store and on the windows facing out of the store so you could see it when walking into the store. NASCAR's masterful marketing dept. working its usual way, all to the complete discredit of the Indy Car Series. Tony George should see this as a big slap directly to his face from the France Family and ISC because that's exactly what it is and they know it. Don't think for a second that NASCAR isn't loving every minute of running that ad campaign for all race fans and non race fans to see all day and night long. They are loving it, and to be perfectly honest, they should be. They took a major American born Indy Car Star away from the series completely and are putting him out there in a marketing campaign for their series, for everyone to see at every single store that chain has, even without him having accomplished all that much since he made the switch to full time NASCAR driver. I am a devout open wheel racing fan and this type of stuff that NASCAR does bothers me greatly. Time for the Indy Car Series to fight fire with fire, I say.
I know this is kind of long so if you want to edit anything and post it, you have my blessing. I get a little "winded" sometimes. If not, that's OK too. Just wanted you all to know what I saw today that played right into what was written in that article, which you have probably already seen yourselves.
Keep up the great work there. Brian Schofield
Jason Peter's article was an absolute breath of fresh air! It is about damn time journalists that cover motorsports get "a set" and start telling the truth. Quit playing to The NASCAR Cartel and drinking Kool-Aid in the King's court. Flash back to 1995 -1996 ……..What was wrong with CART and open wheel racing?
Let's begin: Great TV coverage on ABC with a intelligent and articulate broadcasters who loved the sport and knew every detail about. Page, Gerald, and Arute were awesome. Bobby Unser was also a lot of fun. Sam Posey, negative that.
Crowds and venues: awesome………. Drivers: name recognition, exceeded NASCAR.
Sponsors, hospitalities, promotion and advertising: over the top. Car count: on par with the number of starting spots at INDY.
Manufactures and engines: Cosworth, Ilmor, Chevy, Ford, Buick, Porsche, Lola, Reynard, Honda and Toyota just starting, Swift and the Gurney Eagles forthcoming, etc.
Indy: Full house fat and happy.
Racing: The best. Ovals, roads, streets. The best venues in the world.
Engineering: Reward excellence, go fast. You miss the mark, better fix it or you won't be able to give it away.
Race Safety: The absolute best in the world. The envy of all motorsports. And still is. CART Safety/Champ Car safety the best!
So where does that bring us today? A substandard racing series that has put all of the chips on a driver who never won in Atlantics, got a freebie in Japan to boost Indy, The King drunk up on his own Kool Aid and letting the same players that help doom CART have the keys to the Kingdom, and because of the unholy alliance with NASCAR are now paying the price for open wheels failure to attract sponsors and corporate America because NASCAR now controls that avenue.
Dead spot on about Phoenix and Las Vegas.
Thanks Jason for telling like it is. Don't think NASCAR is going to ever allow open wheel the chance to be on top. Indy is just NASCAR's "lap dog." Feel the Speed, BK
Bravo, Bravo….. Mr. Peters nailed it on every level, except the Gene Simmons thing. Bruce, Lansing, MI