Indycar News & Rumors.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Penske fined and docked points.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/108040

[Down F0rce]

That's the second year in a row an illegal car has won Texas (after Justin Wilson with Dale Coyne last year)!

[formerf1champ]

Originally Posted by Matt

You have no idea how wrong you are.

Don't want to expand on that?

[ptclaus98]

Originally Posted by formerf1champ

Don't want to expand on that?

He doesn't need to. You're wrong.

[HJJ]

06/12/13 Franchitti to pilot 'diaper' car Chip Ganassi Racing Teams (CGRT) has joined forces with Kimberly-Clark North America as the primary sponsor of CGRT drivers in back-to-back race weekends in Wisconsin, home of Kimberly-Clark’s North American brands that include Huggies, Cottonelle and many more. On June 15, Kimberly-Clark’s Huggies brand will adorn the Indy car and firesuit of four-time IZOD IndyCar Series Champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 Winner Dario Franchitti’s No. 10 Honda for the race at The Milwaukee Mile. One week later, the Cottonelle brand will be the primary sponsor of young driving sensation Kyle Larson’s No. 32 Chevrolet Camaro in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at Road America.

.

So I guess it really is a crapwagon.

[HJJ]

Originally Posted by SimonY

A bit of selective coying there, the SPEED articles also says this between the 5th and 6th paragraphs:

Used the article on racer.com.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by HJJ

.

So I guess it really is a crapwagon.

Every time I think this crowd in the irl world has really done it, they always find a way to top themselves in spectacular fashion.

[FordCosworthPanoz]

Originally Posted by formerf1champ

Don't want to expand on that?

Perhaps you should expand on how you, an Australian, knows more about the American sporting landscape than multiple U.S. Posters? Go to a US hotel, pick up the newspaper they give you (USA Today) and then look at the sports section...The fact that you think viewing figures that are comparable with the NBA and MLB, nationally known drivers, and the amount of media coverage both the 500 and the Chase receives aren't enough to make it a national top sport in the U.S. is laughable at best.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Here is a list of the most watched sports on TV in the US during 2012. The data is supplied by http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2013...s-of-the-year/

The highest viewing figure achieved by IndyCar in 2012 was 6.8m and that was for the 500.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by FordCosworthPanoz

Perhaps you should expand on how you, an Australian, knows more about the American sporting landscape than multiple U.S. Posters? Go to a US hotel, pick up the newspaper they give you (USA Today) and then look at the sports section...The fact that you think viewing figures that are comparable with the NBA and MLB, nationally known drivers, and the amount of media coverage both the 500 and the Chase receives aren't enough to make it a national top sport in the U.S. is laughable at best.

I think DRT and f1champ are cast adrift out in the south Pacific down in Australia and probably think back to the ole days when we visited Surfers Paradise. They probably think it's like 20 years ago when this "sport" was ever present in the public conscience.

These days there is just about zero coverage in print or online media of the indy racing league. Unless you read a specialist publication like Autosport, which a few thousand might do in the USA, if that, or maybe the odd article on the soon to be dead Speed TV website or a rare article on ESPN, there is just no coverage at all. Indystar is about the only paper that reports on the irl.

The irl just has no real public standing or interest out there and you just don't see it in the media.

I think the big elephant in the room is that this is not the product people want to consume and partake in and that being the case, anything the speedway does is just turd polishing. The American people are not interested in an ugly GP2 car.

Nascar IS professional motorsport in the USA. When you bring up motor racing in the USA to anyone in the public, this is what they think you are talking about 999 times out of a thousand.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

The irl just has no real public standing or interest out there and you just don't see it in the media.

USA today hasn't reported on Indycar this year?

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

USA today hasn't reported on Indycar this year?

I dunno have they? Who reads USA Today? Their whole business model revolves around hotels buying them for their frequent stayer programs dumped on the floor in front of people's hotel rooms. Most of them end up tripped over in the morning by guests and end up in the trash. How exciting.

[Paradise City]

The champions of 'niche' sports don't get invited to the White House lawn every year. 'Niche' sports don't get prize of place on the major networks in America. 'Nuff said.

[Matt]

I feel like it needs to be reminded to some people that the Indy Racing League(proper noun, capitals), hasn't existed since 2007.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Here is a list of the most watched sports on TV in the US during 2012. The data is supplied by http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2013...s-of-the-year/

The highest viewing figure achieved by IndyCar in 2012 was 6.8m and that was for the 500.

I loved that list, not really surprised by the popularity of the Olympics and NFL, but good to see real numbers.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

I dunno have they? Who reads USA Today? .

Haha so now it's only media that you approve of?

This gets better and better. Thanks for your input mountainstar but I think the forum can do without it.

[formerf1champ]

Well, clearly using the word "niche" has been a little inflammatory, particularly when I've attempted to back it up. So I'll say that "niche" is the incorrect word to use. Niche is a word that's better used to describe hillclimbs, drifting or anything ending with "khana". Maybe saying second, third tier comp, in terms of relevance, was better. So, before this potentially devastating handbag war blows all out of proportion, I've gone back to my original post #1184, and Paradise City's response #1185.

Originally I said "Motor racing, as a whole, is a niche sport/competition, and nascar is even further of a niche..." I'll use an even better word than the term 'second/third tier", and that is the word "alternative". Motor racing is an alternative sport. The popularity of it requires varying degrees of mainstream attention, but it's still alternative competitions. I'd like to point out that I said ""Motor racing, as a whole, is a niche sport/competition", but PC did not acknowledge this and chose the "Nascar isn't a little brother/no2" line.

Speaking of PC, he responded by saying "NASCAR isn't a niche sport but a major national one in America". I would say that that's not quite right, I would replace the word "NASCAR" with "motor racing". Is motor racing big/popular in America? Yes. Is the popularity of motor racing a direct result of only Nascar? No.

Nascar is the biggest motorsport series in America atm, so it enjoys the benefits of that. Media space, while having it's benefits, is just media space. Cultural/historical significance is another matter and nascar, as a series, is lower down the order.

Originally Posted by FordCosworthPanoz

Perhaps you should expand on how you, an Australian, knows more about the American sporting landscape than multiple U.S. Posters?

What are you on about? The guy's had 4 days to make a point and hasn't bothered so far. Not my fault ptclaus98 has had his jimmies rustled as well.

Originally Posted by FordCosworthPanoz

Go to a US hotel, pick up the newspaper they give you (USA Today) and then look at the sports section...

Tell someone who cares.

Originally Posted by FordCosworthPanoz

The fact that you think viewing figures that are comparable with the NBA and MLB, nationally known drivers, and the amount of media coverage both the 500 and the Chase receives aren't enough to make it a national top sport in the U.S. is laughable at best.

You wouldn't even know what you're laughing at if you were. It seems 10 years on popular tv figures negates 100 years of history and cultural relevance. 100 years where the whole of American motorsport has revolved around the Indy 500, and as a result Indycar racing. But no, what did the tv say?

[Matt]

I think myself, as a resident of the USA, would know a bit more about the US sporting imagine than you, as an Australian.

NASCAR is not a niche sport. The rest of motorsport in the USA is, though.

[Paradise City]

f1champ, I think you're struggling to the point where your original point insofar as I can understand your original point at all is now meaningless.

NASCAR isn't a niche sport in the US and NASCAR is a category of motorracing or 'motorsports' as they prefer that term. That's just a factual statement. Guys like Petty, Foyt, Earnhardt and Andretti are big names of historical import and national recognition in sporting contexts. I'm not sure what convoluted definition of 'niche' you are operating from.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Beatriz returns to Coyne for Milwaukee.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/108065

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

Haha so now it's only media that you approve of?

This gets better and better. Thanks for your input mountainstar but I think the forum can do without it.

Steady on there.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Right, this thread is really going off topic and is becoming a bit of a slanging match. The thread's about IndyCar News & Rumours not an argument about whether NASCAR is a niche American sport or not. If that's what you want to discuss, I suggest someone start that thread on the NASCAR section of 10-Tenths.

Keep the thread relevant please everyone.

[ptclaus98]

I like how I'm the one with rustled jimmies.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

Haha so now it's only media that you approve of?

This gets better and better. Thanks for your input mountainstar but I think the forum can do without it.

Doesn't matter what I approve of or not. As it stands the series has no full time journalists that cover it anymore and it doesn't get any interest from media or the public.

Proof is in the results of no real tv audience, struggling to maintain venues and empty or half empty stands.

Also DRT, if you have information or your own opinion, feel free to add and lay out the case of all this supposed massive media coverage of the irl. Otherwise stop wasting my time with all your nagging petty personal jibes.

[NaBUru38]

The Iowa heat races on Saturday 22 will be streamed live at 6:45 Eastern. Cool!!!