As anticipation mounts over another insidious 43
weeks Offseason coming to a Close!
Diehard IndyCar Aficionados will already know
about the major news items for this year’s NTT IndyCar Series season, beginning
this weekend at St Pete. The biggest being the switch to FOX, with All 17 races
being hosted live on network television.
With FOX’s TV Booth lineup being announced just prior to IndyCar content days in January, with Will Buxton being the new lead Play-by-Blay Anchor, with James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell as the Driver Analysts. Or should that be protagonists? Whilst Ryan Hunter-Reay, Jack Harvey and Charlie Kimball’s names were thrown round as potential Pitlane reporters…
FOX is also bringing the advent of Drones to
its IndyCar coverage. As no jokes about Amazon making deliveries, or pepperoni
pizzas dropping from the skies here, Hya!
Along with the debut of the “Birds eye”, Err
Driver’s Eye system at the St Pete season opener. As the miniaturized in-helmet
camera system which has been used in Formula 1 and NASCAR, now joins IndyCar.
Which Y’all can read in detail below…
https://racer.com/2025/01/15/indycar-drivers-eye-system-to-debut-on-fox/
I’ll save All of the Driver switches for my
yearly, IndyCar team previews, Groan! Other than to say once again it’ll be an
action packed, nearly nonstop 17 race calendar from the beginning of March to
the final day of August.
Since I still firmly believe that IndyCar sold
its Soul for the FOX Network TV Deal!
And are simply shooting themselves in the foot
(again) by limiting the season to a tiny, six months period. Since we won’t
even get started about what happens when Mother Nature reeks havoc upon race
weekends! And that doesn’t even include running in Iowa in the middle ‘O
summer, Oh Never Mind!
Look, I get it, and am resigned to the
irritating fact that IndyCar is too afraid of the Big, Bad NFL 986lb Gorilla!
And that others have pointed out that both Sports seasons are the same
duration, But!
I’d argue that the NFL keeps it firmly in our
minds with All of its offseason activities, i.e.; Draft, OTA/Spring Training
and Pre-season Games, et Al.Not to mention the monumentous playoffs to the
Super Bowl…
Thus it seems that IndyCar could at least
resume holding an official Spring Trainning Pre-season weekend accessible to
All Fans at the very least. Whilst I for one would appreciate further
“Offseason” international races. As surely the Braintrust at Starship Penske,
Err Penske Entertainment can come up with a viable way to extend the IndyCar
season for All of us Diehard Fans who Don’t give a Tinkers Damn about Stick ‘n
Ball Sports, Righto?
Hell! No wonder why Formula 1 is encroaching
upon IndyCar’s turf and TV viewing numbers! I mean they were in the midst of
Hamilton Fever in late January when He arrived at Maranello. Before everyone
whent Gaga over His testing a two year old Ferrari at Fiorano…
Hey, you didn’t think this entire, riveting No
Fenders post was gonna be 114% Sunshine, Bunnies and Rainbows, did Yuhs?
As I just hope the Intrawoods’ connection or that
IndyCar Radio at least used some brand new dental floss for its tin cans
broadcast connection this weekend at St Pete! And I can listen to an
interruption Free radio broadcast from Ye Gory Apple Orchard. As Y’all know the
words…
Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!
And lookie Thar
Mom, I didn’t even mention a word about Josef Schlick’ Newgarden using the
button Illegally at St Pete…
While I’d enjoy seeing the “conquistador ‘O concrete”, aka Alex Palou do what the Kansas City Chiefs couldn’t accomplish! Seeing the Spaniard “three-peat” for Championship titles this year, Ole! Just as long as everybody runs roughshod over Schlick!
