Times change, and because of new business considerations, some NASCAR and IndyCar traditions must address the new commercial paradigm that drives each series. The cost of racing has increased dramatically over the years, and at the same time, fewer fans are buying tickets or watching on television. Fans may not approve of all the changes, but without change, the events get stale, which increases the difficulty of attracting new fans to the sport. Fans are the lifeblood of any sport, and both NASCAR and IndyCar are struggling to attract new fans and are making changes to increase the attractiveness of each series to new and, most importantly, younger fans.
IndyCar is considering a plan that teams that comprise the “Leaders Circle” will be guaranteed starting spots in the Indy 500. The thought process is that teams who commit to the entire season deserve a spot in the most lucrative race on the IndyCar schedule. The thought process is logical as the operating costs of an IndyCar team are high, and missing the 500 could financially cripple or force the team to close, and IndyCar cannot afford to lose any teams.
Traditionalists are upset but must face the reality that IndyCar car changed the traditional qualifying process years ago to control costs and be television-friendly. First, the days of 50-60 cars attempting to qualify for the race are over. The number of bumped cars is usually 1 or 2 a season, and most of the non-qualifiers are one-off deals created by larger organizations such as Ganassi and Andretti. Secondly, qualifying finishes in 1 weekend compared to the four days over two weekends when Tom Carnegie was the voice of the 500. It’s not your grandfather’s race.
Teams need guarantees to entice sponsors to support the effort. Like the NASCAR charter system, which guarantees a sport in every Cup race, ensuring a spot in the Indy 500 for Leaders Circle members is a strong inducement to entice sponsors and, hopefully, create interest in forming new teams. Trackhouse and 23XI are examples of the charter system attracting new ownership to NASCAR. Marketing dollars are tight, and racing audience demographics are not what marketers want; they are too old, so there must be assurances that the team will be in the biggest shows.
Do the changes impact the actual race? Nope. Fans will still see 33 cars race every Memorial Day weekend, just like NASCAR will have at least 36 cars in every cup race. Relax and enjoy the race.
