IPS to run at Indianapolis motor speedway

[evo]

You could argue that the Daytona 500 and the Monaco GP are bigger events than the Brickyard 400 and the USGP.

[I am Tifosi]

Do you know how many tickets are sold for those events? The Brickyard 400 is right next to the Indy 500 at approximately 450,000. They say there is closer to 600,000 at these races. The others are just there for the party and watch the race on "TV in the RV" just outside the track. Actual attendance numbers are probably higher for the 400, but not ticket sales. The inagural USGP was about 250,000 but has dwindled the last two years to about 150,000 (my best guess). I do not think Daytona or Monaco compare, but I may be wrong.

[Jay]

Yes but, if F1 could only keep one race of Monaco and the USGP, I think the one they'd axe is pretty obvious. Same with Nascar and Daytona vs the Brickyard race. The Indy races may have a large attendance, but in terms of importance to their respective series, they don't rate that highly, especially for F1.

btw, anyone want to comment on the Infiniti Pro (series?) Indy (race?). That was even worse than I could have imagined. I think it speaks for itself.

[evo]

Thanks Jay, that's what I meant.

And I'll hope Carpenter running away with the IPS race was just a fluke in getting a FAR superior setup, even though I know it isn't.

[Tim Northcutt]

Sorry, Jay, but a U.S. presence seems very important to F-1, and the only logical choice for it was Indy...if for no other reason, Tony George has the deep wallet to sustain a long-term building of a crowd and an audience for it....


The seating area along at IMS holds 250,000 people, and the single day crowds for the 500 or the brickyard 400 are twice as large as any other single race day crowd anywhere on the planet...those are facts...no one else comes close....

[Jay]

A US presense is important to F1, but Indy is not. Bernie has even hinted that the race should be elsewhere(and many wish it was too). An infield road course is not a good setting for F1, even if it can attract a large crowd, it's the international audience that's important. Hence why you'll see trackside ads for companies that don't even have operations in the US (such as Orange). I haven't heard too many favorable quotes about Indy from the F1 drivers either, except that there's a lot of history there...but not F1 history. Try and find one F1 personality that prefers Indy to Montreal...pretty hard.

The reason the Brickyard race draws more than Daytona is simple seating capacity. No doubt, if Daytona could hold more, more would come. Attendance isn't everything.

[racer69]

Originally posted by Jay
A US presense is important to F1, but Indy is not. Bernie has even hinted that the race should be elsewhere(and many wish it was too).

Yeah but Bernie was saying in 2000 that the only place F1 would work in the US was at Indy and that this was F1's last chance in the US.

[Tim Northcutt]

If nothing else, Bernie knows that Tony George would spend whatever it would take to make a U.S. Grand Prix work here...Tony's reputation is on the line....

No other potential promoter in the USA (not North America, the US) would have the truckloads of money and the patience to stick to it for as long as it will take to make it a success...

That's why it was Bernie's best bet....and ultimately, it will work here...I even think that they will sell the tix they need to sell for this year's race...

Concerning NASCAR....

I think that the Brickyard is probably the WORST race to watch on the NASCAR circuit...it is like a conga line and the flat curves are not conducive to speed or passing....

I lived in Florida for 7 years and went to the Firecracker 400 once...stockers on that track are a pretty entertaining show...and there are many high-bank ovals in the US that are better for NASCAR that Indy would ever hope to be....


But Tony and the France Family can't ignore the incredible size of the gate crowds, and the tickets in the seats start at $40, with most running anywhere from $75 - $150 at face value...and they sell out every year....multiply that by 250,000 permanent seats that the bottom line would make your mouth water...

No businessman would pass up that kind of cash...even if the racing stinks and people are willing to pay it...