[JacobP]

In my opinion, the only truly ugly thing about IndyCars is the big bulky insert between the front and read wheels. I understand it's there for safety, but why make it rise so conspicuously above even the rear tires? Just build that section to the minimum allowed size that's required for safety, and make that part as inconspicuous as possible.

Next, I don't think that car "beauty" is what's holding IndyCar from being popular. Just look at two important examples. First, NASCAR. The Sprint Cup cars look like huge soap bars on wheels. They're truly ugly, and yet NASCAR is as popular as ever. Next, the LMP1 cars in WEC and ALMS are probably the most beautiful cars ever, and yet the LMP1 racing has been relatively bland for the last few years. Perhaps people still pay attention to LMP1 in 24 Hours of Le Mans and the rest of WEC, but no one really cares much any more about the procession known as P1 in ALMS. The new TUSCC after ALMS/Grand Am merger killed the LMP1 category and we don't see many fans shedding crocodile rivers of tears because of that, even though LMP1s were the most striking cars in the ancestor series. Why is that? The racing is boring. They can't even have a two horse race.

Now in IndyCar we have truly badass cars and great racing. The cars may look ugly on TV, but they sound pretty mighty at the race track. So why isn't IndyCar more popular? I don't know. There has been a major cultural shift. Americans care a lot about sports, but they don't really care much for motorsport it seems.