Hmm, somebody gave me a bottle of Bullseye Barbeque
sauce for Halloween…
Yeah, I know this is Uber’ late to thee Party.
And like Racer’s Marshall Pruett said over a month ago now. Everybody’s already
said 1,000 times how they Hate Texas being off of next year’s IndyCar
scheduled.
https://racer.com/2023/09/25/milwaukee-in-texas-out-as-indycar-releases-2024-schedule/
I suppose part of what made me wait to post
this upon No Fenders was that initially I came away feeling very apathetic towards
Indy Cars really, really, Big reveal. And the usual IndyCar PR Speak of trying
to make Milwaukee’s return seem like the Bestest part of the 2024 calender’s
delayed introduction. And Don’t look over Thar, The Eyes of Texas are definetly
not upon us, Chirp Chirp, Beuller!
Another couple things strike me as odd or annoy
me. The first being how many year’s have I heard the vaunted phrase Date
Equity? Well you’ve moved quite a few races around IndyCar! Like I dunno, moving
Portland up a week earlier. Which means it most likely will only be Hotter!
Not to mention one of the main reasons the “Crew”
I attended the 2022 race with. Went because they didn’t have to worry about
going to work the next day, since it was held on Labour Day weekend. Making me
wonder how many casual Fans will skip next year’s Portland IndyCar race because
they’ve got to go to work Monday morning?
Absolutely No reason to rehash the gaping six
weeks Gaff, Err Gap between points paying races, or the nearly month gap between
Thermal and Long Beach.
Whilst IndyStar’s Nathan Browne pointed out how
Dismal last year’s Iowa’s Double Header weekend’s race attendance was, with many
seats being given away. Noting how Bud Denker thinks Milwaukee can possibly replicate
Iowa’s business model. Even though with IndyCar changing the first race to a
Saturday night event, how will that work with those Superstar Music Acts?
OH yeah, Iowa’s since reduced ticket prices for
next year’s Iowa Cornfest, Err IndyCar races since they’re weren’t enough “butts
in Seats!”
Along with noting how Milwaukee only drew
17,000 spectators for this year’s Craftsman Truck race. With Marshall Pruett
noting how Milwaukee’s first race goes Head-to-Head with the Wisconsin Badgers
College Football game just down the road. Where 90,000 Stark raving Mad College
football Fans will be instead…
Marshall also sagely points out in the Racer
article below, how the Biggest Hit to Indy Cars schedule next year is the
reduction of races airing upon big NBC, which Y’all know are down from 13 to
nine. Although I don’t know if that includes the Made for TV “Come On down”,
somebody at The Thermal club’s gonna win a Half million dollars Sweepstakes
race?
Since I’ve since read and heard how IndyCar
Teams still rely upon the traditional Neilsen TV ratings for sponsorship rates.
Meaning the move to USA Network and Peacock’s Pay Wall will Arse-sumedly cost
them money!
But Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that Milwaukee’s
back on the calender next year. With it being a Double Header to make up for
Texas’s disappearance. As I cannot understand why Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) is
so adamantly Anti-IndyCar?
As the perfect solution would be twinning
IndyCar with NASCAR and run the IndyCar race as the Saturday Night opener!
As how will TMS survive with just one single marquee
race on it’s entire year’s calendar?
And whilst I “live & breathe” for IndyCar
races every year! Even if we’re forced to endure the ridiculously elongated, El
Stupidio Offseason each year!
But the 2024 IndyCar Schedule does absolutely
Nothing to move my needle! Or even minutely get me Revved-up over it’s 17 race
schedule! Especially with the Start-stop-start-stop racing Stoplight to
Stoplight nature it takes with the Texas debacle and the stupendous Summer
Olympics, Yawn!
Although I’ve got Zero clue what IndyCar can do
to improve their yearly calendar, other than Quit being so afraid of the NFL!
Since I easily get tired of the Slow season start, followed by cramming six
races down our Craw! Until getting past some 500 mile Oval race and then the
calendar gets a little bit less frenetic with actually taking a weekend off
in-between some following races…
And let’s not even get started upon how weather affectsIndy Cars truncated five months schedule. Since I’d Arse-sume that only more ‘n more weather delays will become a yearly occurrence going forwards…