[ptclaus98]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

I think the problem lies with the history of sportscar racing, many of us think the classic era of drive to the track, race and then drive home is the anchor of our sport. A lot of teams, like Intersport, are run like that; they have under 5 paid team members and a bunch of friends that come with and help because they LOVE being at the track. Teams like Audi and Pug, and even Highcroft, are new things to sportscar and it will take away for the sport to figure out where professional long-term teams like those in NASCAR and now F1 fit in. Wasn't it just a short time ago the garagistas were the admired little teams in F1 that fought and hung on with a lot less resources and have since been left behind. The little guys like Interport could fight for podiums even 5 years ago but are slowly getting left behind and it's a REALLY bad time to ask for cash when most companies are saving it or spending it to merge or buy into other companies. If there were more companies like Patron where an exec could go have some fun on the track and be able to present the benefits of sponsorship.
With ESPN moving back to NASCAR because of their falling ratings and reduced costs, we've lost a spot to move up like NASCAR had managed in the early/mid 90s. And sorry but this season is done now, football starts in 4 weeks so weekends are pretty much OVER for coverage on any US sports network or nightly news. Having PLM end the season as the biggest event is great but even NASCAR has a hard time selling the end of their season to sports fans. As I'm sure any southeastern college football fan can tell you, there's a LOT of crossover between the wine and cheese crowds at ALMS events and many of the SEC/ACC football games in the fall.

There's also plenty of beer and brat crossover as well.