Is Indycar Harming its own Commercial Growth?

I see a lot of people saying Indycar needs to be bigger. More people need to watch it. But there seems to be a lack of willing for Indy to grow. Maybe not to challenge Formula One, that's not going to happen, but enough for it to become an internationally watched series rather than being a domestic series that spills out.
Is it just coasting off the 500? Is there too much gatekeeping? Let's have a look.
Enjoy! And remember to like and subscribe for more!
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[@Roush97BC]

The problem is they learned to have everything revolve around the Indy 500 after the CART/Indy car split. Tony George had the Indy 500 and even with no good teams, drivers, schedule, and sponsors he came out on top.

[@precesionnoreaster1507]

Absolutely and the problem is the indy 500s biggest draw in the 90s was big bump days 45 cars going for 33 spots and the excitement it created

[@AidanMillward]

He only got there after Penske and CGR came back tho.

[@cco53587]

@@AidanMillward That was after the sponsors forced their hand. I don't know how much Chip and Roger minded not racing at Indy, but we sure as hell knew how much Target and Marlboro did.

[@shaneparrish4721]

Aidan Millward you need to try to look up David land.He will tell you everything you need to know about Indy car .

[@shaneparrish4721]

kzbin.info

[@Skilan506]

I think a race at Lausitzring would help a lot, Germans are still really annoyed over 3 GPs in the US and none in Germany so if a big open wheel series would hold a race there they could gain a lot of fans.

[@DemijanJuric]

They should rather d Nürburgring or Hockenheim. Nothing against ovals, but they deserve a proper to track with long heritage in Europe

[@betaich]

@@DemijanJuric the Lausitzring has both and is closer to international airports than either Hockenheim or Nürburg

[@illdeletethismusic]

bring back AVUS for this !!!!

[@crazyfrog9877]

@@DemijanJuric you are driving around an hour from BER to the Lausitzring.

[@crazyfrog9877]

@@illdeletethismusic the grand stand is new so why not

[@tylerensminger]

Indycar needs to promote better outside the indy 500. Hyvee helps with the Midwestern events but they need more. They have international drivers though they're not as well known. A drive to survive series is something I think this series needs

[@pulaski1]

For anyone wondering what "Hyvee" is, it's a grocery (UK: Supermarket) chain in the mid west, mostly stretching from Missouri north to the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

[@RRaquello]

If IndyCar promoted drivers from the short track oval series in the US, they'd have a built in audience in the US instead of chasing the forlorn hope of attracting fans from overseas by bringing in drivers who couldn't cut it in Formula One. If you want to know what's wrong with IndyCar's business models, it's right there. Somehow, they're all to smart to go with the model that used to work, which made IndyCar the biggest racing series in the country. Instead, they doggedly stick with a system that has reduced the sport to a marginal one over the last 40 years.

[@andrewcarter9649]

@@RRaquello Tony George tried that stupid idea and it got him absolutely nowhere. The problem is that those short track cars have nothing in common with modern single seaters, and haven't since the 60's. When the IRL started George tried to get those short track racers to join up, several did but they all failed to do anything of note becuase their skill sets didn't transfer over at all (with one exception, Tony Stewart).

[@RRaquello]

@@andrewcarter9649 No, Tony George DID NOT try that idea. He basically came out with a second rate CART car. He didn't have the guts to really step back and reboot the series with cars that had even the slightest relevance to racing that actually exists in the US. Instead of merely replacing the CART cars with cheaper versions, he should have taken a Silver Crown car and had it re-engineered for speedway racing. Then put Indianapolis back where it is supposed to be, at the top of the ladder for US style circle track racing. Then he would have had a series where drivers like Stewart, Gordon, Ryan Newman, Kenny Irwin, Steve Kinser, Dave Blaney, Mike Bliss, Ken Schrader, etc. etc., could have been the drivers, bringing to the series the fans they had attracted as they rose through the ranks. He ended up with a second rate CART, which, itself, was a second rate F1, instead of having a first rate series of its own type, which is what IndyCar was before they started chasing the F1 crowd, who didn't and don't want them anyhow. The current situation in US open wheel racing is the same as if Major League Baseball decided they were going to play cricket instead of baseball, and you had hundreds of baseball leagues in the US, from Little League up through High School, College, and the minor leagues up through triple-A, who, on graduating from triple-A, would have to try to learn cricket to play in the majors, and would, of course, fail, and then the Majors would have to import cricket players from overseas, who weren't good enough to play in the top leagues over there, to play MLB, because there were no development level cricket leagues producing players in the US. It's a farce. Also, once the IRL started, they were hardly better than CART in giving opportunities to US short track racers. They had no intention of even giving Tony Stewart a ride. I remember this very well. I was on the CompuServe racing forum at the time, and we were all calling for a boycott of the IRL if Stewart wasn't given a shot, because we said if the IRL couldn't find a spot for Stewart, which after all their blather about opportunities for guys like Stewart, then they were no better than CART and wouldn't get our support. Only then did Tony George have to practically beg John Menard to wheel out another car for Stewart, like right before the first IRL race. Going into that weekend, Stewart didn't even have a ride! After that, the only short trackers to get a shot in the entire history of the IRL were Davey Hamilton, Billy Boat & JJ Yeley. What a sadly lost opportunity to save the sport.

[@pulaski1]

@@andrewcarter9649 I agree, and have no idea what RRaquello is rambling on about - TL;DNR. Tony George specifically said that he wanted to "bring the little guy to Indianapolis", and what resulted was a field of enthusiastic semi-pros, including IIRC a practicing dentist. Needless to say, the result was not a quality field. 🙄

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

People are truly missing out on IndyCar. I just wish there’s better ads and better everything to promote the sport. It sucks that IndyCar is known for the Indy 500 only for an average Joe and thinks that the Indy 500 is the only IndyCar race that exists and that’s it. I’m hoping to god there’s ways for the sport to grow moving forward!

[@niplbby0073]

It probably has to be said that from what I can tell, the sport is still recovering CART/IRL split, the whole thing was so political you feel like you are reading up on the Cold War and the sport hasnt recovered to CART’s fanfare at its peak. Controversies such as Las Vegas 2011 havent helped and neither has the decline of most racing series in relevance with the exception being F1.

[@snorri788]

Netflix was huge in building the F1 fan base in North America. Perhaps Indycar should do something similar.

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

@@snorri788 yeah but then Netflix would fake the IndyCar stuff like they do to F1

[@NonFlyiingDutchman]

I agree. There was a time where I could get all the races, all be it highlights, free to air and I really got into it. Now it's behind a pay wall so I can't follow it.

[@mrterp04]

I agree-I *really* wish there was more marketing and promotional effort put into races beyond the 500. As it is they’re pretty much like horse racing or ice skating where people only care about the big event(s)

[@AndyFromBeaverton]

The scheduling of motorsports in America has a lot to be desired. Yesterday, the NASCAR and F1 races started at the same time. This year, NASCAR and Indycar were racing at the same time. I even think there was I time when all 3 were racing. There doesn't have to be a winner take all in viewership, fans can love more than one series at a time. WWF vs WCW was great at its peak, but one of them didn't have to die.

[@jackfoster3652]

I'm sorry but Nascar is not racing anymore. It's just entertainment with cars at this point

[@crazyfrog9877]

Playing something like that is very difficult. There are F1 races when DTM or ADAC GT Masters is Running (German examples)

[@soisaidtogod4248]

F1 is never seeking the same fans as Laughcar or the indy series. Those are minor National series, not in the same league as any global series.

[@AndyFromBeaverton]

@@soisaidtogod4248 Pure BS. F1 is trying to win over NASCAR and Indy fans. You would have to be naive to think these fan groups will have nothing to do with the other series.

[@AndyFromBeaverton]

@@jackfoster3652 NASCAR has lost its way, but they still have some extremely talented drivers. Watching Kyle Larson yesterday drive inches from the boards was something very few people in the world could do. Go ask Kimi how hard it is to drive NASCAR.

[@matthewlawrenson3628]

I'm one of the (I hear) approximately 40,000 UK viewers of IndyCar in the UK. What I've heard is that Penske Entertainment is keeping its cheque book out of reach, which is why there's never any meaningful promotion. The whole "it's just the 500 and a load of satellite races" thing has plagued the series for nearly 50 years now and was a big part in causing the "issues" in 1979 and 1996. From what I can see (and this is just my OPINION, of course), IndyCar will never be anywhere near F1 - IndyCar's race product is arguably better but it lacks glamour and cachet. A lot of its races take place at bumpy and ramshackle tracks, and you're not going to see Brad Pitt at Mid Ohio or Portland. A "Drive To Survive" type show would help a bit (and any IndyCar fan could tell you there ARE personalities in the paddock there who would be good on such a show), but IndyCar is unlikely to become what it was even in the early 90s no matter how much money you pump into it. Best just to keep stuff stable and try to grow the audience slowly and organically. And that seems to be the conclusion Penske has reached too.

[@RRaquello]

IndyCar in the 90's wasn't what IndyCar was in the 60's & 70's. A decline had already set in. The sport had turned its back on the fans that were their main support. Those fans turned to NASCAR and fueled NASCAR's boom in the 90's, which was entirely at the expense of IndyCar. When the old name popular drivers like Rutherford & Foyt, or the sons of popular drivers from the old days, like Michael Andretti & Al Unser Jr., who inherited their fathers' popularity, aged out of the sport, and were replaced by drivers from overseas with no built in support or connection to the ticket buyers, the fall was bound to happen, split or no split. Tony George saw this, and the Chip Ganassi types didn't, which was why there was a split in the first place. George's problem is he didn't make it enough of a split, just creating a second hand CART, instead of a genuinely new series that went back to American racing roots.

[@MrDeez1111]

Quite frankly most Indy car people probably don't want Brad Pitt there anyways. Just because your sport can pull a bunch of celebrities doesn't mean it's a good sport it just means that it's popular. There's a difference between being popular and being good. In the car is a phenomenal racing series but yes but it's not heightened up like like formula one is. Every formula 1 race is an event it's a thing it's a big deal. Indy car is just another weekend to race And that's a bummer

[@RRaquello]

​@@MrDeez1111 That's because every country that has a Formula One race has only one that year, outside of the US. So it IS a big event, in that country.

[@maxbrower2139]

@@MrDeez1111 A-List celebs like David Beckham or Brad Pitt show up to F1 races because they're getting paid to do so, not because they went there on their own volition for a "glamorous can't-miss-event" (which is the "illusion" that is aimed for though, of course).

[@TheShockninja]

I think what IndyCar really needs to do right now is to have both a few more races at the east coast states as well as one on Mexico, the latter based on the success of Pato O'Ward.

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

I'd like to see a schedule shake-up too. There's no reason for the grand prix course at Indianapolis to have two races anymore. One thing that kinds of ties the series' hands is wanting their season to be over by the time the NFL begins play.

[@altpersonas]

Just a minor point for what you said at 4:53 The cars have ads, but the broadcaster (NBC) doesn’t benefit from them really, other than getting paid a small bit of change to mention those sponsors during onboards. NBC has to generate the money to pay indycar and their teams, so the ads are inbound

[@freshpescado3000]

As an American I must say your way of saying “Dale” and “pickup truck” is Magnificent!!!!

[@Staggs2200]

MotoAmerica had a DTS style show this year that was extremely well done and kept me interested in the whole season. They knew they had to capitalize on the new viewers brought over by Danilo Petrucci coming to race and they did a great job. Not to mention they upload full races 1 week after every race. IMSA does the same. Side note: the IMSA mx-5 cup is some of my favorite racing I've watched all year. I highly recommend anyone go back and watch some of the races here on youtube

[@Davivd2]

Dude I've been hooked on Mazda MX-5 cup. Aiden Fasnacht has been amazing to watch. If he can avoid penalties he could dominate that series.

[@stephenbritton9297]

IMSA crash-miata, er, MX-5 cup. It's great racing, but sometimes they also test the limit of how many cars you can put on the track at the same time. That and the IMSA Porsche races are way too often crash fests...

[@fandavidbeckham]

In spite of the fact I am in Europe close to Spa-Francorchamps I used to enjoy Indycar. But since 2021, I can only see the highlights I have no longer the upload of the races. Could you let me know where they are uploading full races after every race ? Thank you in advance for your reply.

[@Staggs2200]

@@fandavidbeckham Indycar doesn't upload full races, only IMSA and MotoAmerica. Sorry if that wasn't clear

[@fandavidbeckham]

@@Staggs2200 This is what I knew also. So in other words I will stick to what I can see. I am already happy with F1, IMSA, WEC, GT worldwide, Nascar, Moto GP, and highlight of supercar Australia and 32 minutes of Indycar.

[@RacingNationTV]

I was finally having a good day not thinking about IndyCar’s downfalls until I saw this😂

[@maxpower2377]

As someone who was an IndyCar fan before becoming an F1 fan it's honestly very frustrating that more people don't watch IndyCar. The racing is SO good and the drivers have so much personality.

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

Agreed. I'm an American so I got into F1 though Indycar. Both series are great and I love the doubleheader Sundays here in the US: F1 in the morning and Indycar in the afternoon.

[@nigelgearsleystanaccount66]

Personally for me, Social Media is such an underrated form of marketing like F1's success with younger people certainly comes from F1's social media and how accessible it is to learn about F1's history and drivers if IndyCar does the same with methods similar to Team Guides, those driver profiles and Grill the Grid, I think IndyCar will become more popular as a result

[@jarmandalitz95]

I attended my first IndyCar race this year whilst on an American holiday. Admittedly it was Iowa but the promotion in the lead up thanks to HyVee really let everyone know the race was on. They in 3 country artists and Gwen Stefani performing pre and post race concerts. The crowd was something I think NASCAR would have been envious of and the whole event was well put together. But one thing I think was key was that they raced in a state that is starved of NASCAR events and hence the appetite for a major racing series was there. If they continue to build up Iowa and then maybe get themselves 2-3 other big events outside of the NASCAR strangleholds then they could really start to see good growth.

[@roxman199]

I got into it earlier this year mostly because of Scott Mclaughlin. When I came across an article after he won the opening roace at St Pete this year I started watching the half hour highlights packages they put out on youtube and really got interested in it. I really like the racing but I can't watch them live because I live in Australia.

[@ChrisCroft77]

All races live and on demand on Stan Sport here in Aus.

[@aidandare]

An Aussie here that moved over to watching because of Scotty Mac. It was a bit hard to follow in 2020 when Scotty was having little success, but this year I've tuned in for every race, even if it's often the 30min KZbin highlights (I'm paying for Stan Sport). The post-race interviews (for more than the top 3) they're uploading to KZbin are even more engaging which is excellent! I agree that being able to latch onto a driver really helps keep your interest in a sport, even if you change alliances later on. DTS was brilliant because it dropped a documentary into a completely new set of eyes. No-one will watch a documentary or behind the scenes content of a subject they don't care about, the 'show' of DTS was why it worked so well.

[@B-A-L]

Brit here who used to follow Scotty Mac in the V8 supercars when it was free to watch here until it was shoved onto the pay to view channel. Never forgot him and finally this year I managed to get a great Sky Sports deal so get to see him in every Indycar race but kinda think I may have jinxed him!

[@BenS44]

I don't know if it's been mentioned but as well as everything already touched on I think the fact they haven't managed to get a licensed video game out in about 20 years Is criminal..

[@B-A-L]

Exactly! There was a huge surge in international interest in the 90s when Papyrus made an Indycar game that was better than the equivalent F1 game at the time. They also produced a NASCAR game that made non-Americans finally realise it's not as easy as it looks to just drive around in circles.

[@sracing021]

The frustrating thing about IndyCar is the lack of promotion they do as well. As you said, it revolves around May; nothing else matters, not even the championship. This season was one of the best seasons of open wheel racing in my somewhat short time on this earth that I've seen and yet no one outside of a few people I know got hyped for it. I'm from Indianapolis, so I have a bit of bias when talking about IndyCar, but the sport can become massive if they sort out the promotional side of things.

[@nopetarpan]

I Starded watching indy this season. didnt know it existed before that tbh. i like it but it feels cheap. on the other hand i watch f1 since 98. im 28

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

@@nopetarpan What do you mean by "feels cheap"?

[@nopetarpan]

@@BiggieTrismegistus it look like f1 in 90, and it way way less budget in indy, its obvious, i didnt mean anything bad, maybe sounded like that but its facts

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

@@nopetarpan It's cool. I wasn't mad or accusing you of anything; I was just curious by what you meant. If you compare Indycar to F1 I suppose it does feel cheap but I kind of like about Indycar. There's less hubbub and glamor and it's more about the racing itself, but that's just my opinion. That's not to say I think F1 should be more like Indycar in that way either. I like both series for what they are and they each have their own charms. One thing I do wish F1 would do is try to work in some more local flavor to the way each race is presented. Most F1 fans only ever see races on TV and from that perspective all the races might as well be happening in the same country. One of the selling points of F1 is having races all over the world but if you didn't know that you'd probably never realize it from the way the races are presented on TV. Every race kind of feels the same (other than the track being different obviously). Even something as simple as having cowboy hats at COTA and sombreros at Mexico City on the podiums instead of baseball caps is appreciated.

[@clayfoster8234]

Agreed. Back before the split they used indy to promote everything before and after: Long Beach was big, Milwaukee was the biggest race outside of the 500, Michigan was also a big deal. But most importantly they promoted the drivers, owners AND the 230 MPH sex on wheels cars. Gotta have rockstars ppl can root for. Now it’s just Indy the race for the most part…

[@kevinbarry71]

As an American who watched IndyCar and Formula One since the 1980s; indyCar, has fallen quite a distance. Of course, the split is what caused it. And although they have reunited; they are a far cry from what they were. I tried watching Indy car again more than once. It never lasts. But formula One is a constant for me.

[@dancallahan4183]

In short - you are correct. I went to COTA this weekend and it is always amazing how they make it an event. For reference, I last went in 2018 when they weren't sure the contract would be renewed, the Indy race there and yearly in Ft Worth. Put simply the presentation of the teams and event is far superior. Simple things that Indy could copy, like the signboard for all the teams as you enter the plaza, the pit stop booth, the e-sports booth and the omnipresent circuit wide marketing of the drivers, teams and series. Indy barely puts up a football field length of trailers that half sell F1 gear as it is. The other part is that Indy doesn't really know what it is since the split ended. It promotes the 500, but doesn't have another superspeedway on the schedule. Although cliché, coupling with Amazon or HBO Max on a DtS style show would be helpful. Not with Netflix, as it would come off as a second rate copy.

[@danilomancini]

IndyCar IS a national championship indeed. There's plenting of national championship with people from all around the world. IndyCar has some prestige, and a big legacy from the past, with the interaction with F1, the importance the 500, but that's pretty much it.

[@brendan7632]

Indycar has a ton of problems. Their biggest problem in my opinion is their inability to grow the sport on the sponsor side of things. They’ve been trying for close to 10 years to find a third engine manufacturer. And it’s very obvious NO ONE is interested. The cars they drive every week are 10 year old chassis. There’s zero innovation at this point in the sport. And that’s part of what makes racing amazing. They advertise their product as the most competitive/closest field in the world. But when it’s the same cars and engines for the last decade, that still gets old right? Indycar is what got me into open wheel racing. The Indy 500 is my favorite day every single year. You will find me in turn 1 with butterflies in my stomach all day. But F1 is where I spend the majority of my time now. The innovation, variety in engine manufacturers and car design, The tracks. This is whats turned me into a bigger F1 fan than indycar. And that’s mainly Indycars fault. Same product every year. Sad to see If you made it this far. Happy Monday

[@w.arnold8806]

That's interesting. You only watch the Indy500. Since 2018 that race is rather boring while most of the other races got really exciting. So you miss the best part of it ;) Though I understand the special atmosphere of the 500.

[@brendan7632]

@@w.arnold8806 No I will still watch other races. But I am not making room on my sunday schedule to make sure I see every race. I do that with F1. and I agree, the current indy 500 product is not great. Cars can't pass because they cant follow close behind, and they are all the same. theres almost no advantage. Occasionally one engine is better than the other, and thatll create stories. But most of the time theres no difference creating no real drama before raceday. IF bumping is apart of the month of May, it makes it a ton better. Need more engines and sponsors to get more teams and cars.

[@afp5013]

My opinion is that Indycar needs to solely focus on promotion in the States at the moment. Outside of the Indy 500 Indycar is almost an unknown racing series to non-fans. The northeast hasn't had an IC event in over 3 years and thus they're missing out on a huge market to any potential new fans. But at the same time when they land another northeast event, they need to market the hell out of it to make sure people know about it and show up. It was embarrassing how few showed up to the last Watkins Glen race in 2017.

[@JeromeLMA]

I've been watching it for several years now, since it's broadcasted more widly by Canal+ in France. Yeah the racing is overall very good, the level of the grid has really stepped up in the recent years with also lovable characters which is great. I think there's some room for making it bigger than it is now, but you can only grow so much. Every sport everywhere tries to grow, and people only have so much time to give to entertainment in their lives. The amount of content accessible now is absolutely ridiculous. But if they want to grow, they need at least to forbid one thing that is just SO CONFUSING (Nascar does it too). The change of livery for local sponsors. That surely makes sense for local TV and onsite attendance, but for tv and especially non die-hard fans, it's a nightmare. Sometimes they even change colors that make you mistake them for another car. This is absolutely crazy to me.

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

The changing liveries annoy me too. One thing I've found is that on Indycar's website they have a "spotters guide" that shows what each car will look like. It's not a good as them just keeping the same livery but at least I can go in knowing some cars will look different and how they'll look on track.

[@landiahillfarm6590]

Quality broadcast as always Aidan, thank you. Couple of thoughts from an old timer... I honestly don't mind that Indycar is just an "American" thing, and by that I would certainly extend that out to mean "North American" as our friends in Canada and Mexico have been longtime fans as well. I would even venture to guess that if Indycar really wanted to expand it could find a welcome home in South America as well if it tried hard enough. But as someone who started watching as a kid back in the late 60's, two things stand out in my mind and each has driven my interest further and further away from Indy. The first was the Tony George CART/IndyCar split. I believe it did irreparable harm that can still be felt today, even after all these years. The second was the decision to move to a singular and standardized chassis. You can make the argument that it's why the racing is so close, but in my mind it's taken as sport that was historically ripe with innovation and turned it into an overly priced and overly glorified spec series. If I want to watch spec racing, I'll visit my local SCCA events. There are PLENTY of ways to bring innovation back to the sport without breaking the bank. It might help get manufacturer interest back as well. But until then, I barely watch any Indycar any more, it did a great job mimicking NASCAR and become a stagnant snoozefest.

[@RRaquello]

The die was cast when they stupidly moved away from cars that are actually raced in the United States to European Formula cars that have no functioning support in the US. This basically bars drivers from lower level series, like Sprint, Midget & Silver Crown Cars, or World of Outlaws, from ever competing in Indy Car. These drivers have actual followings where IndyCar actually races, and would bring their fans with them to watch IndyCar. It's completely upside down-you have a top level series racing the Euro cars, with no real support series in the US (and don't give me Indy Lights, which is BS), while you have a large base of drivers and fan support for open wheel cars with no top level series to advance to. This situation has absolutely killed IndyCar, especially since the sports car guys took over the sport with the formation of CART. It's easy to blame Tony George & the IRL, but the seal of doom was already set when Jeff Gordon & Tony Stewart were told to kick rocks, and the geniuses at CART thought Teo Fabi and Raul Boesel would be bigger attractions for American racing fans. How did that work out? And two years ago we were told that Roman Grosjean, who never won a Formula One race, would be the tipping point to make F1 fans become IndyCar fans. The delusion will never end.

[@connorbingel7134]

Nascar isn’t supposed to push things in the same way as open wheel cars. It’s always been a different style of racing and has the support of local stock car events and some crossover with sports cars. Indycar is largely reliant on the F1 ladder but doesn’t have the same appeal as F1. This is despite the fact that F1 racing wise is the single worst racing series I’ve ever seen tied with NHRA and trans am. No passing and no excitement. Indycar has some great racing but has a huge prestige problem.

[@RRaquello]

@@connorbingel7134 It's complete idiocy for Indycar to be reliant on the F1 ladder for its driver talent. This basically excludes American drivers from competing in IndyCar. This video is about IndyCar being a national series, yet it is set up to, in effect, bar drivers from the very country it's a national series for. And they wonder why they don't draw fans? Sure, let's have a national racing series in Japan and have no Japanese drivers. Or a national racing series in England and have no English drivers. That's how CART ended up by the last few years of their existence. It was lunacy.

[@connorbingel7134]

@RRaquello, I find it wild personally that they can’t/don’t want to either create a new and much better road to Indy ladder or go back to using the old American open wheel ladder. It’s not like there’s a ton of sprint car races or a bunch a road courses all over the country that they could set up series at. Nascar does it. F1 does it. Sports car racing is a little different and complicated but they have ways to go racing at low levels. Rally does it. So why can’t indycar do it?

[@alexisborden3191]

@@RRaquello The long and short of it is fans show up to road course races, so there are more road course races on the schedule, and road ladder guys are better on ovals than oval ladder guys are on road courses. There's a reason Helio became a 4 time Indy winner while Hornish was dreadful at every road race he went to.

[@Icehammer97]

The irony of me getting a KZbin ad during the compliant about ads in racing

[@francesco165]

fan from italy, thanks to Zanardi i started to watch indycar like in 2003 (and i recover allthe season from 93 to 2002 i even had the game for pc), my point is that indycar should come overseas to promote itself better

[@simonkevnorris]

I saw Zanardi race in 1996 at Assen, 1997 at Mid Ohio and Road America (Elkart Lake). All these were on trips from the UK. I did go to the Cart race at Assen in 2007.

[@CompletelyDriven]

Its not in a strong enough place to leave the US. The series needs to do more with the races it has. The only race that I think would currently work is Gold Coast.

[@connortheandroidsentbycybe7740]

I think the biggest thing they could do for it in Europe (or at least, the UK) is broadcast it on SkyF1, as they do with the 500. I'm sure a lot of F1 fans would love to watch it, but don't know where to watch it, or can't afford yet another streaming service

[@CompletelyDriven]

Its been on Sky F1 for at least 4 years...

[@B-A-L]

I know this is a bit too late for 2023 but next year watch out for the start of the F1 season because you will be able to get a year's Sky Sports subscription for £21 a month on NOW that will get you the whole Indycar season plus F1, F2 and F3. They do do other offers throughout the year too.

[@chevypower22350]

I will agree that one of the biggest issues is everything centering around the Indy 500. That's the main focus but the racing hasn't been as good since the intro of the aero screen. The racing is great everywhere else and I think they can make improvements to make Indy specifically better. What would really help the series in general is opening up the pocketbook for the series and increasing the schedule. Spend more on advertising and getting the word out. Give better paydays for the races to incentivise more teams to join. As far as the schedule F1 and Nascar both start before IndyCar and the IndyCar season ends currently in September. If they could increase to maybe a 25 race schedule and add in another race in Canada and possibly one in Mexico that would definitely help. Try to even use the F1 circuit the week before or after F1 in Mexico or Montreal. I do hope IndyCar can grow to the levels Champ Car was at one time because I think it's the best all around series in the world. The mix of road, street, and ovals challenges every drivers skill set. It also says something about the series that the "world's best" drivers are scared of the ovals because they are so fast and demanding.

[@onnayoung7699]

I love Indy but even here in Canada I watch on sky because they cut out the ads. I makes it a whole new product. I think Roger is doing a good job modernizing and and a few yours will really be ready for a world market.

[@stevegillies1687]

I started following IndyCar this year thanks to their KZbin channel posting 30 minute highlights of all the races, and I'm hooked now... I think it's fantastic! I love how the drivers have to wrestle with the cars and the racing is always close. I think that a lot of series could learn from GT World Challenge and them live streaming their coverage on KZbin outside the US, just having live racing on free to air is rare these days (another thing BTCC does well) so I think just putting it out there would draw people in, especially as more drivers from Europe are making the move across so its not as unknown to the average fan as it was say 5 years ago. It has a lot to like about it :)

[@connorbingel7134]

I’ve started watching euro nascar just because they stream the races free on YT about when I wake up and the product is great. The races are also short and on short road courses so it doesn’t get to spread out. The first major series to stream its races for free online will be the most watched. Doesn’t matter if it’s IMSA, rally, Nascar, F1, Aussie V8s, or indycar. They need to take advantage of it.

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

I think streaming the races for free on KZbin outside the US is a great idea. They can't make much money off foreign TV deals so just make it easier for fans outside the US to watch and generate some buzz. I'm biased because I'm an American who has loved Indycar for 25+ years but I think there a lot of potential fans like you outside the US. Indycar isn't F1 and it's not trying to be so they can both draw from the same audience of race fans.

[@bloqk16]

Maybe this was written earlier, but F1 would rather that IndyCar not expand, as it is a competitor for TV viewers and racing preferences. I recall decades ago when Bernie Ecclestone ran F1; as the talk back then was he put pressure on overseas race organizers for IndyCar (CART as it was known back then) not to get an international foothold.

[@chrisguardiano6143]

The thing Indycar really needs right now is more manufacturers entering the series. Right now it is just Chevy & Honda. The series needs to go back to the CART days in which the two I mentioned along with Ford, Toyota & Mercedes were duking out every weekend. By bringing in more manufacturers especially a global one like Mercedes, it attracts more fans to the product.

[@BrettJones27]

I've been watching F1 and been an interested fan since 1982-83 or thereabouts, and watched the Indy 500 most years from around the same time. In Australia, only the 500 was shown on TV, and it wasn't until much later I found out there was an accompanying full race series. From the first IndyCar round held in my own backyard, so to speak (I lived twenty minutes' walk from the Surfers Paradise street race at the time), I followed both F1 and Indy with about the same amount of interest. But as CART declined and the split happened I drifted away from Indycar. I still follow, but in a very casual way, missing the occasional race, and not keeping up with the behind-the-scenes news. Since the heady days of the mid to late 90s, when CART looked set to challenge F1 (a pipe-dream, looking back on it), it has returned to being a National series for me; fun to watch and great racing, but no more important that the BTTC, V8 Supercars or perhaps even Japanese Super Formula in the world of motor racing.

[@barneyward6448]

As someone who loves IndyCar and the racing it produces, I do agree. I feel like they've been wasting opportunities to grow and advertise the sport more even if it may be tough to trump F1's numbers, but that shouldn't stop them from trying more. You do have drivers and teams in the series who have KZbin channels now though and are doing good things with them, so perhaps those could get more people into the sport than IndyCar is doing so themselves.

[@wibblewabblewoo6249]

Something that has really helped in the UK is the whole Indycar season being on the SkyF1 channel (without adverts!) before that, and I have to be honest, before Alonso, the Indy500 was something I knew existed but never took an interest in. Now I won’t miss any Indycar race any more than I wouldn’t miss an F1 race.

[@B-A-L]

I took out the Sky Sports F1 deal this year just to watch the Indycar season and it has been far better than F1 so far with more lead changes in just ten laps of one race than 3 F1 races!

[@jackfoster3652]

I think this is pretty spot-on to be honest. As primarily an IndyCar fan it really does cover the basis of where the sport sits now. I think your point about the series being a national championship is spot on. I never viewed Indycar as an international series it's always just been an American series. That being said treating it as a national championship should still give it more weight in the FIA super license system. I still think the sport is undervalued at an international development level. Other than that yeah the whole sport pretty much does revolve around the 500 and that's worked for 30 years, I don't see Roger changing it anytime soon :/

[@guarddave]

I live in Indy and follow the entire IndyCar series. I watch the races live on NBC and USA networks with side-by-side. But I subscribe to Peacock for all the practices and qualifications (including for the Indy 500). There are no commercial interruptions on Peacock except for the races themselves, but as you noted, no side-by-side. And you are correct; side-by-side is a must for IndyCar. I believe IndyCar has a super product, but even with a tight points race going into the final race of the season, like this year, everything seems to peter out due to lack of focus on the series as a whole.

[@chasefollett4107]

Solid points; one thing you left out is that Indy Car has a younger fanbase while NASCAR’s is aging out. Yes, they need to expand there commercial appeal, but they have a growing fanbase that a lot of EVP’s for NASCAR are drooling for..

[@paulday5722]

I've been a racing fan for 5 decades. Indy Car has ALWAYS had a younger fan base than NASCAR. Their problem is most of those fans lose interest after age 30 or switch to following NASCAR. The mentality that a persons interests and spending habits are permanently etched in stone at age 25 is totally wrong.

[@maxschweid78]

5:04 ironically right after this I got an ad for a Chevrolet pickup truck 😂😂

[@rumblemcfrenzy8728]

Perfect timing when you said "BUY THIS TRUCK" KZbin interupted the video with a Ford F150 ad

[@stephenbritton9297]

I can only speak for the race at Road America, as its the only one I've been to for multiple years. The fan base there is engaged and well spread out from young people to older folks (who loved to mob Mario and Bobby Rahal for pictures, while the kids probably don't even know who Bobby is!)

[@chrissaunders1276]

Having been a lifelong Indy car fan this is what I have noticed. 1) Outside of Penske, Ganassi, and sometimes Andretti, the talent is a revolving door. There were some drivers that I thought could make it at the top teams but weren’t given enough time to develop. 2) Failure in new markets, it seems as though every other year a “excellent addition to the schedule” gets axed because of lack of commercial success. This is due to there being little in the way of national marketing for Indy car for people to get excited about, and Indy car choosing small tracks that cannot really afford the hosting fee without a success of an event, hampering long term growth in that area. (Side point, you hit the nail on the head with the amount of ads, but sadly it is American sports, they’re practically designed for ads.)

[@senorsoupe]

The series focusing too much on the Indy 500 is a complaint going back to the 1970's. It was one of the complaints that Dan Gurney put in his white paper that led to the formation of CART in 1979

[@hawksite]

5:07 - buy this pickup truck - and what happens - KZbin sticks in an ad for a GMC Canyon!

[@Stormynormy42]

I'm an American f1 fan and I agree with everything you said, it highlights the reasons I have a hard time getting invested in the series. I actively tried to get into both indycar and f1 at the same time, made sure to watch all the races for a couple of years, and just couldn't maintain interest in indycar. Part of it may have been that when I finally started to feel like a fan of a particular driver, that driver was Robert Wickens and then Pocono happened. Left a bad taste in my mouth, especially since my previous foray into indycar had been in 2011 and I was becoming a Dan Wheldon fan. But yeah, hasn't been for lack of effort that I can't get into indycar, and that's a shame because when I do watch, there generally is some pretty good racing. I even accidentally got into Aussie V8s and watch at least two of their races live every weekend they race, plus some of th3 support series, and that all stemmed from videos they posted to KZbin and in tweets. Indycar could see a lot of growth if they marketed themselves better, though never to the level of F1 for the obvious reasons you mentioned.

[@alainaverio9245]

5:03 that made my day

[@Bryan2799]

Indycar and Formula 1 have been my favourite series (from favourite sport) since the early 90s. I love both. On iRacing I am 98% Indycar, and love everything around the sport. However, on TV, I sometimes will not watch live. At least in North America. Stopping for commercials the way they do is straight up annoying and I end up more frustrated than anything. Nevermind the fact Indycar has some horrid live timing and presentation (qualifying I have NO idea what is happening) and watching is so difficult. Also they tend to try and promote rivalries (much like DTS has done) without the pesky bit about making the audience care about the drivers. A few exceptions aside their marketing front to back has not been great. They do not have the pocket books Liberty has for F1, but still need to do more. I am not sure what to do about it all though. I am 30+ years into the sport, and even I have trouble getting into it sometimes. Cannot imagine how you overcome that and bring in new people, or re-energize the old. And while I would personally LOVE to see bumping come back, and more manufacturers, etc. I just don't see how it can happen without someone footing a huge bill, and then not sure IF it would actually work. Anyways, that's what I have on my lunch break :)

[@ArnoldTriyudho]

If NASCAR, IMSA, & Motoamerica can upload the full races without commercials on KZbin, then Indycar should do the same

[@andrewcutler4513]

Hi there., Aidan. :) I'm a long time IndyCar fan (roughly 40 years), & I think that you're pretty much right on the money. All of the attempts at overseas events was part of what tore this series apart in the 90's/'00s, & I for one am not sure that they need to be trying that again. A race in Canada &/or Mexico would be fine, but that's about it. The money just isn't there for most of these teams to do anything more. As much as I love it, IndyCar will probably always be something of a "niche" sport, & I'm fine with that.

[@ncsetc.musicvideos8721]

In my opinion, V8 Supercars has the cleanest racing by far. All the drivers respect each other and they all know the risk of pulling stupid moves so they leave each other space etc. It's a really good, clean and interesting series

[@stephy806]

It's sad that we are not able to atleast try to watch every type of motorsport cause a lot of people do not have the possibility to watch, I mean it depends on where you live but the point is that motorsport is not everybody's sport and because of that smaller types of motorsport are simply not covered on tv or internet that much

[@user-xn3vj4eu8l]

It's basically similar to WEC(World Endurance Championship). People more known about Le Mans 24h, Indy 500 as 2 of 3 Triple Crown race. The problem is the lack of promotion on other race and whole championship that basically let those 2 Triple Crown race overshadowed the championship respectively

[@Cramhead43]

Great video! Small thing Aiden 8:30 Chair shooting meme is eric andre show. Very very different program

[@Javadamutt]

I've always wanted to watch many of these series but it's always came down to access. Even then DTM or Formula E was a PITA to watch as I had to go out of my way to find or remember the race was on

[@bruces3613]

Without the Indy 500 CART/Champ Car died while having everything except the Indy 500 at the onset of the open wheel split. In 1996 they had the stars, the manufacturers, the sponsors, the international following.

[@shaun_sharlev]

I just love your videos dude! How bout they do a European series like the Whelen Euro Nascar thing? Perhaps just a euro Indy Lights for a start

[@Walker_41279]

Regarding the topic discussed in 5:50, There are plans for an expansion in the calendar with the first International Race in Argentina in 2024 at the Circuit Termas de Río Hondo after a big announcement added with the almost certain addition of Agustín Canapino to the Juncos Hollinger Racing in 2023. Canapino is important to the picture because he's a 4-Time Champion of the Turismo Carretera Series in Argentina, one of the oldest racing series on the planet (started in 1930) and he's the face of motorsport in Argentina currently with Franco Colapinto and some others. Canapino is not a stranger to international racing, he has taken part of the 2019 Rolex 24h with a Juncos Cadillac DPi which finished inside Top 7 in class (decent for a small team at the time). Closing the idea, Argentina alongside Brazil and Mexico, those three alone carry 90% of Latin American Motorsport, an expansion to the Latin American market seems the first step the teams and the Indycar association are willing to take, and seems fair to start with the harshest trip (since Argentina is the southernmost country of the expected expansion plans for Indy) to then ease off the costs of traveling. Like a Latin American sweep. Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and then back to the US. Heard some plans there, and with Argentina almost 100% in, Brazil and Mexico seem likely to follow suit.

[@BRMdrivingschool]

I think finishing the series in September also doesn’t help as it’s not on for about six months of the year. Maybe add one or two races and spread everything out would be better, a bit like what F1 was throughout the 80s up until to the early 2000s

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

Tne season ends when it does because the series doesn't want to compete with the NFL. Personally I think they could go for a few more weeks. Hell, why not do an Indycar race at COTA on Saturday followed by the F1 race on Sunday?

[@imperialmodelworks8473]

I watch World of Outlwas sprint car racing more than any other national/world touring series. After watching close, fast paced racing like that, it's really hard to get into Indy car or F1 to the same extent. I honestly enjoy the tech of F1 more than the racing/championship.

[@f1jones544]

A big problem I've had with Indycar in recent years is the one off car sponsorships. There's no identity to the teams. I've followed Indycar since about 1980, but I don't know the current teams well. The drivers, yes, but I can't tell you who they all drive for. Those revolving liveries cause me to not know who I'm seeing for the first quarter of each race, or more. The broadcasts never explain these changes either, do instead of just enjoying the "great racing," I'm trying to figure out who everyone is this time. To that end, they have larger "car counts" but the number of full time drivers is similar. I think there were fewer Indycar drivers than F1 in 2021, barring illness or injury. Also, these Dallaras now officially qualify for vintage races being over a decade old. With no replacement in sight... It's the world's best funded historical series. Lastly, with Penske, Ganassi and Andretti being the only teams to win championships in the last 20 years, or even further if you go back and overlay CART and Champcar during the IRL years, it's no more "competitive" in terms of championship winners than F1. Arguably less. Race winners can sometimes be more varied, but Pagenaud proved almost anyone can win with a Penske as much as "anyone" could win in a Mercedes. The same with Ericsson at Ganassi. And this is still a spec series. Its reputation for "competitiveness" is very exaggerated IMO.

[@DJDouglasWarden]

great analysis thank you! I'm torn with the whole reality show type thing they're working on for Indy car. yes I want more eyes drawn to the series because it's an awesome series but I don't want people drawn to it only because of some fabricated drama on some reality show that The producers thought they needed to get people to watch. I don't want a bunch of trendy people tuning in and then having arguments over drivers because they're just paying attention because it's the cool thing to watch.

[@BowkerAero]

NBC apps sucks. They have always been very heavy on the adds. Few years ago when they had the F1 contract the coverage was so bad I didn't watch half the races. This video is a great starting point for the Indy vs f1 conversation...and possibly a second conversation about: what's good for "racing" is actually bad for business. IMO the reason Indy is not bigger is because its a mostly a spec series with just two engine manufactures. This means the wins are not as valuable from a marketing stand point so the really big money doesn't come to the sport. It doesn't get shoved down your throat as the premier version of motor sport, so fans have to decide on their own if its good or not.

[@jamesmchenry4708]

One of the things I thought of this May was to leave the Miami course up an extra week, and run there instead of the Indy Road Course twice. The first thing I drove Miami in in a sim was a '20-spec DW12, and it seems to suit the circuit well. A little F1 rub wouldn't hurt, so long as we understand...well, they're not going to be any faster. Axing TMS from the schedule (or at least leaning on them to stop it with the stupid dragstrip traction compound) and replacing it with COTA would be nice as well. Going back to Milwaukee would be nice but keeping it and Road America on the schedule would probably cause attendance issues. Glad they're not involved in NASCAR's Chicago mess, though. As for pipe dreams, Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport is teetering on the edge of abandonment, so that's not likely, and Nazareth is in a weird legal limbo, Pocono's too deadly, so a Pennsylvania return isn't likely any time soon. Though there's always The Glen, I guess...But now I'm rambling and this isn't about a race wishlist. NBC's coverage doesn't help, no. I can see it especially being jarring to foreigners who aren't used to so many ads, but I suppose as a 'mercun I've become desensitized to all the ad breaks. It's the way US TV is. Except for PBS. Good on ya, Viewer-Supported Public Television. But, ultimately, you are right. It is a national series. It's going to take time, ambition, and wise choices to get Indycar back to where it was in the mid '90s before the split. Opening up to multiple chassis constructors, even with IMSA-style BOP, could end up being a nightmare if handled poorly. But I think keeping the product decent quality and just...being nice and spreading the word (Telling D2S fans Grosjean's in Indycar these days does help,) will help grow things organically. We're still healing, I think, from some pretty deep wounds, and it's going to take a very long time. May never fully heal. I'm just glad we still have our own high-level open-wheel series, even if it's not the same as when I was growing up.

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

What Indycar needs is a Saturday race at COTA during the F1 weekend.

[@jamesmchenry4708]

@@BiggieTrismegistus A support race there or at Miami might be good for the rub, might not, not sure. Part of it, I'm sure, is the separate US TV deals (ESPN is owned by "The Mouse," but oddly enough Sky and NBC are owned by Comcast. Hm.) but it'd be for sure neat if it did.

[@minibus9]

nice video, would be nice to see a bit of Indycar coverage here in the UK.

[@stevewilson4563]

Sky Sports F1 have been showing Indycar for the last 3 years.

[@AidanMillward]

@@stevewilson4563 whacking it behind a paywall and not telling anyone it’s there is going to alienate a lot of people.

[@stevewilson4563]

@@AidanMillward other than a delayed broadcast by Channel 5 back when Mansell tried his luck in the '90, its always been behind a pay wall. Whether it was Eurosport, then SKY Sports (around the time Dan Wheldon died) or BT Sport.

[@robertjones9200]

@@stevewilson4563 they show the races, but there Indy 500 coverage was rubbish, they just kept going forward and back with nbc, commentators. But missed all the fab interactions that nbc had

[@stevewilson4563]

@@robertjones9200 the coverage depends on the type of "world feed" that Sky secured. The quality of the "filler" between NBC's ad breaks depended on who was available (usually Tom Gaymor).

[@stemartin6671]

Loved indy and cart back in the 90s and early 2000s... these new indy cars look really mad now. Still have a soft spot for it though, the street races were/are epic. Anyone remember Haas Racing for the PlayStation? Loved that game too 😂

[@Spermwhales93]

With the amount of non-US drivers that are in IndyCar now, they NEED to do at least once race outside of America. Even if it's going to cost the series money the first time it's held. Have it at a smaller capacity circuit that's still got enough room for the cars to fully wind up their speed like Donnington. Also, a Drive To Survive-style series would help a lot if it was done in a different way that doesn't do as much 'creative' editing. There are some drivers in IndyCar with great personalities and a DTS-style series would provide a platform for people to warm to them, much like people warmed to Ricciardo during the first two seasons of DTS.

[@_NoDrinkTheBleach]

IndyCar has been a glorified Spirit Halloween since about 2003. A fly-by-night operation that shuts down after an absurdly short season and disappears for 6 months. There is some big money thrown around every May, but a lot of the teams struggle to survive every season. I really enjoy the racing and the personalities, but I can't sit here and pretend like the series couldn't go under tomorrow with very little fanfare outside of the Indianapolis area. I honestly don't know who promotes their events around the US, but it's not uncommon to watch one of their races on tv and see fewer than 30k people in the stands. I had high hopes for what Roger Penske could do for the sport, but I think the whole Covid thing put all potential plans on the backburner. He's been way more focused on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway than anything IndyCar related.

[@maxbrower2139]

Penske has been a huge disappointment so far, not willing to invest and not upping the promotional efforts.

[@mgers75]

Indycar definitely should focus on being the North American championship and being proud to be the second-best racing series in the world. Couple races in Canada, one or two in Mexico, expand schedule to about 20 races, find a TV partner that doesnt bury your races on a premium platform or CNBC2.

[@tmcg1882]

Even a limited-run "Drive to Survive: Indycar" would go a long way.

[@RoyKimOrchestra]

Great video as always, Aidan! If you want to sit down with a well-written (but in many ways depressing) read, find a copy of "Indy Split" by John Oreovicz, I'd highly recommend it.

[@thedamienharveygroup7014]

Very good video. Frankly I don't know why there is discussion about expanding INDY CAR outside of the US because INDY CAR IS a national championship. To grow, the series must secure it's fan base and expand outward. They have to select the numerous positives that the series has to offer then sell as hard as they can. But as many of us race fans know, Indy Car's marketing has been abysmal for over 30 years. Suggestions: 1 The league must devise a revenue sharing plan that gives greater support to the teams and takes the stress of of sponsorship. That will enable more teams to participate. Fans want more cars on the track. 2 The new "Drive to Survive" type series is a good start. 3 Fan experience at tracks. Track owners need to work with the series to provide much greater fan immersion into the world of formula racing. Not just technologically but also with on emphasis on the history and nostalgia. Also, concentrate on boosting the the quality of the merchandise vendors. 4. Make the series attractive to multiple engine suppliers, tire manufacturers and chassis builders. Remember fans go to the races or watch on TV to see THE CARS. The thrill of watching the most exotic vehicles on Earth, performing on a knife's edge, is the reason there is a sport called motorsports. 5. At the end of the day remember INDY CAR, you are in the entertainment industry seeking disposal income from the public. The race fan is your most important asset.

[@Mhjeffrey027running]

Bigger following in Australia than most in terms of both drivers (Will Power, McLaughlin, Scott Dixon of local trans-tasman interest, guys like Alexander Rossi have run at Bathurst before) and teams who have either been in the Supercars paddock (Penske, Andretti) or have been around since the CART days (Ganassi, Dale Coyne).

[@sachit9212]

The shooting the bloke on the chair meme is from The Eric Andre show btw.

[@Malachi_Marx]

I'm an American and an Indy Car fan who started following F1 BECAUSE of Indy. There are simple reasons that Indy is struggling in America... There is interest, lots of it, but its not accessible for most people, and I don't ONLY mean gatekeepers. Even as a fan who tries to watch every race, I cannot tell you from week to week what channel the race will be on. Even when they say it'll be on NBC, for example, since most NBC channels are local, if that channel wants to air something else (even infomercials) then I don't get to watch. When it shifts around to NBC sports, a lot of budget minded tv packages DON'T HAVE that channel. Even Peacock doesn't have all the races. Why pay $10 a month for Indycar when it only airs practice and a fastforward recap of quali, and takes 24 hours for race replays to upload where upon its probably already been spoiled. Indy isn't putting it's product in front of viewers. If you make me jump through 20 hoops just to watch, I'm going to get tired at around hoop 10 and find something else.

[@nathantuff8814]

I think I broadly agree with you. I do think striking a deal with a terrestrial broadcaster to not have ads (but, say, each race's title sponsor logo with occasional captions at the bottom of the screen) during races would be a good idea. Short term pain, but long term gain which can be compounded by bringing Indycar back to Europe, South America, Japan and Australia. Perhaps even accept that they are, in the short term, a national championship and agree with Liberty a primary support slot for Miami, Vegas and COTA. Maybe Mexico and Montreal too. That would highlight the action for F1 fans, rather than just letting them see the videos comparing relative pace. We all know there's 12 seconds a lap between Indy and F1 at COTA. But we also know there's a step between F1 and F2, but that the latter has better racing. So what's the difference really? Get more arses on seats, more fans, and then go global when sponsors start paying for the greater reach. Net win for everyone.

[@SimonWakefieldUK]

As much as I enjoy watching Indycar the fact cars in the same team are often in different colour schemes and the same car can switch colour schemes every race makes it so difficult to follow. In a F1 race you quickly learn each teams colours and learn who those drivers are so you can follow the race based on that. And even then f1 went further to make it easier to know which driver is which by adding the florescent strips to one car but in indycar knowing who are teammates and which driver that car is is nigh on impossible outside the odd few like Dixon whose colour scheme is consistent and clear, although Mclaren have even made that require a double take at times with one of their colour schemes being similar to dixons. It is almost like they only want people to watch the indy 500 and not the whole season so branding each team and car doesn't matter

[@alexisborden3191]

Yeah this used to be easier, similar to F1 teams used to have, well not all but a lot used to have the same sponsor for all their cars. Penske was the Marlboro cars, it was Target Chip Ganassi, and at one point they had 3 cars running those colours. Team Green and Newman Haas both had 2 cars with the same livery, granted not every team was like this. Patrick Racing had different sponsors a lot of the time. Andretti Green had different sponsors for each of their 4 cars. And certainly the less competitive multicar teams like PacWest or Rahal didn't have the same sponsor, I would guess that because Formula 1 became very regimented in that if you wanted to compete you had to have 2 cars you couldn't have any more or less, it was accepted that you have a team sponsor. Meanwhile in Indy there were a bajillion single car entries and some 3 or even 4 car teams, 5 or 6 I think one time even 7 at Indy, so sponsors probably figured they were getting more or their money sponsoring a single car as opposed to 3 or 4 cars in a given race, whereas in F1 they weren't allowed to, they had to sponsor each car of a team. Granted this is all speculation on my part, I don't know a whole lot about historic sponsorship negotiations in Indycar.

[@ibex485]

Couldn't make this up... KZbin cuts Aidan off short saying "buy this truck" to show a Currys advert which begins with the words "Buy this TV....". xD

[@jstech67]

Really good points. I'm in USA and Indy car has a wonderful history for us. I would agree that its appeal is dwindling. However, nothing stays on top forever. Cool thing about Indy car is it is diverse. They have road courses and ovals. F1 doesn't offer that. To be fair, why should Indy Car compete with F1? I mean both our different niches. I just started watching F1 this year. The main reason, less drama and more about racing. NASCAR could learn a thing or two from F1. Anyway, great video.

[@northwestrider369]

Yes!!! I love to watch BTCC. But I live in America and coverage is limited. I’m not sure if it’s the same and that’s just how they package it, but we get a “re air” that is a straight to the point 1 hour show that has all 3 weekend rounds. No interviews or extra stuff. They even cut out 3-5 laps of the race depending on length. I like my nascar and F1, but the BTCC is the best on track racing.

[@GilgaFrank]

The only flickers of interest I have had in Indy came when big name F1 drivers tried their hand at it. Mansell, Alonso, Wilson. Not so much with Ericsson, Grosjean and Sato though so I suppose that's the same as my interest in the otherwise tedious Formula E. Plus I'm not a big fan of spec series with no in-season development going on, the constructor battles and development wars really spice up the F1 season. Got to say the qualifying system is immensely confusing to newcomers too with Pole Days and Happy Hours and Fast Fridays never really being explained the same way that Martin Brundle repeatedly spoonfeds explainers during F1 events in an attempt to ensnare more casual viewers. I still don't know what a "Carb Day" is but I assume it involves carbohydrate consumption. Most of all, I just see Indy as a US-only racing series ... with Italian-made cars. And a lot of drivers not quite good enough for F1.

[@interstellaraudiodnb]

Well played with the placement of the mid roll sir. Well played

[@bigal2796]

"The guy shooting the bloke in the chair on SNL" you gotta put some more respect on Eric Andre

[@LucasOliveira-tt2ll]

weird that Indycar has a much better road course product since they started the new aerokit a few years ago. But that might be just us racing fans who got used with road and street racing (even though I'm a big fan of open wheel at ovals and miss some tracks that Indycar doesn't visit anymore like Fontana, Phoenix and Motegi)

[@theabsolutedrive]

Being and Indycar fan I have to agree. They don't seem to do enough to market themselves. When was the last time we had a IndyCar specific racing game...Almost twenty years agon now.

[@CompletelyDriven]

its coming!

[@faelirra]

I feel the problems with the perception Indycar right now are a few things. Firstly no superstar. There's no Mario Andretti right now, or in F1 terms a Hamilton or a Schumacher. Secondly ovals, Now there's only 4 in the calendar so it's not a major issue in of itself. But the perception is there among the less well known, the "US motorsport so obviously Ovals" among those who casually watch motorsport. Thirdly yes it's a US motorsport. That always puts off quite a few europeans, either through start time or cultural differences between what sports to watch. Also Sunday evenings at least in Europe is essentially where you get yourself ready for the week ahead, so people might not go out of their way to watch another race, especially if it is on the same sunday as an F1 race. Start time clashing or not. Yes the ads as well, they can be very intrusive and offputting. Watching Indy it is a good watch, sometimes the races are better than F1, sometimes not. But to get to the next level I can't think of anything that would help short term outside maybe Lewis doing a Mansell. Win say in 2023 and join a major team in the Indycar series. They could advertise how they have the champion of F1, it would also get all the hardcore Lewis fans watching because they would love to watch him potentially win. Maybe even the more extreme haters might watch just to see him lose.

[@sambird141]

You should watch MotoGP too Aiden. It's incredible racing.

[@assassssasa]

It's time Indycar and NBC figure out that is better for the entertainment value of the sport and broadcasts

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

When CART was on Eurosport, I was pretty much addicted to it. I even got to see Indycar for a few years (but I can't remember how - I wouldn't have been paying extra for it, that's for sure! Motors TV maybe?) If various formulae were on a "terrestrial" or other free-to-view channel here in the UK, I'd absolutely watch them (NASCAR, however, I honestly couldn't care less about it). Ditto with Supercars (or Aussie V8s as we knew them) when it was on Motors TV (under whichever name it was broadcasting at the time). The Indy & V8 races were usually delayed by a week, but with social media not being so all-pervasive as it is now, there wasn't much chance of them being spoiled. They'd mostly go to ads during safety car periods or occasionally, just pause the playback until the ads were over. And having a legally limited time for ads here, it wasn't quite the PITA it must be in the USA. It was obvious we had less because the commentary from the original broadcaster would go quiet. No wonder Indy in particular is not as popular as it could be. Let us have them, but not on Sky or BT - they were allowed to buy up numerous types of racing, including motorbikes (I haven't seen Moto GP in years, bloody BT... 🤬), ruining them for the audience, but put them on Eurosport and automatically the viewing numbers would sky rocket, I'm sure.

[@J5L5M6]

I'm a Yankee in my 30's. I loved watching CART. For many years we had a Grand Prix in September here in Denver, Colorado. It was my favorite weekend. Pity the series had to shutter... Yeah, for whatever reason, aside from DTM and Porsche Cup, I have a lot of difficulty getting into non-open wheel race series'.

[@blue2sco]

@Aiden Millward 🤣🤣 just got a advert when you did your "buy this pick up truuuck" mock advert. I disagree there are a lot of people following NFL in this country. We had a few teams in London and Edinburgh, along with a few games played and it's on radio and telly. Used to be big on Channel 4 at one point.

[@1_5RCBiker]

TT+ is growing the bike crowd . £15 a year and get a load of live racing from what is the equivalent per se as the Indy500. Micheal Dunlop, Peter Hickman, Dean Harrison, McGuinness etc with insights and extra content...

[@jensg.9457]

I enjoy watching Indycar highlights, but there are two major problems for me as an F1 fan to get hooked: First: The (non-oval) tracks they race at are usually way worse in layout and quality than any F1 track. Second: It is really hard for casual viewers to identify drivers and teams, since there are no team colours and every car may change its livery from race to race. That makes it harder to become a fan of a certain driver or team, because they just don’t stand out

[@davidfreiboth1360]

Well, you're spot on regarding the very American affliction of interrupting the race with commercials. Actually, early US broadcasts of F1 did the same thing and it was terrible. Fortunately some of us in the Northern states could tap into to Canadian BBC coverage which was like dying and going to heaven (I mean James Hunt and Murray Walker V. Bob Varsha and Larry Nuber, plus commercials ... please!) In terms of your other comments regarding a "national series" I suppose if the US was the size of the typical European country that might track but the US is the size of, well, Europe so it really doesn't track. As for the oval/Indy 500 issue, again you are right but what to do? It is what it is so ....

[@LowFatCurrantBun]

'90s IndyCar 🏎: Student life 🎓📜. Late night television 📺. Channel 5. '90s NHL 🏒: Student life 🎓📜. Late night television 📺. Channel 5. '90s Baseball ⚾: Student life 🎓📜. Late night television 📺. Channel 5. Buying some cookies real quick at 11pm 🍪😋, indoor aerials 📡, moving around trying to improve the reception 📶, the gay exchange adverts,.... That was some **serious** living! 😊. Loved all three sports, but you only got what you were given 🤲. Always wished I had better access 😔🙏.

[@GamersHolyArmy]

I think the main problem is that Indycar has become another Formula E in the sense that all the drivers are whatever scraps the formula ladder chews up and spits out, and they usually only stay around for a year or two before they get a contract to a series the drivers actually want to do, the Alex Palou situation is a great example, being so keen on getting the fuck out of Indycar he got bitchslapped for the world to see, and it's hard to get invested in Indycar if you know your favorite driver is just there because he couldn't find a ride anywhere else and is just doing this to pass the time until he can get his real career on track. Another thing I see is that in order to sway over those formula rejects they've gutted what made Indycar so special to the point where it might as well be American F2 with faster cars (and the Indy 500 I guess if I have to...) ...Which leads to another thing in that instead of lifting up other races to be more significant, the new regime seems to be keen on making the Indy 500 less significant outside of May. It seems like a race that Indycar simultaneously makes the race out to be the most significant race ever nothing else matters if you win and is also ashamed of hosting because it isn't "sophisticated enough" or some bullshit. Indycar frustrates me as a series because every time it starts looking good something happens to make it a laughingstock again. The Indy 500 is still a great race every year, but it needs a lot more than that and with how fundamentally flawed the series in it's current state is, I don't think it's going to happen.

[@Benz2112]

I've been following the sport since the mid 90's, and there was a mystique to the Cart era, but that was backed by cubic millions of dollars being spent by tobacco companies and engine manufacturers, so there is no going back to that. In the last few years leading up to reunification, I kind of thought the sport was done for altogether. The TV audience was down, attendance was down, car count was down, it was rather dire. There are a few fundamentals that are overall positive for Indycar: 1) Car counts have not been this high in ages. 2) The schedule is stable in terms of venues and dates 3) Peacock is a solid streaming platform. I think the WWE comparison is apt here, even down to being on the same streaming service. Although the WWE product has been lackluster in the past few years, the company is doing well financially. I think their philosophy is a matter of facing the reality of how niche all entertainment is becoming. The races at Iowa are a good example here. The promoters put on concerts throughout the weekend, packed the grandstands with people, and everybody spent a lot of money. I don't think chasing the lightning in a bottle that F1 captured with the Netflix show is the play here. They need to add a third engine manufacturer to make it easier for outside teams to come in for the 500. I think Andretti having a presence in F1 would be a positive for Indycar back home, just as having Ganassi and Penske at Le Mans will. They are moving into a new engine ruleset, and I think the biggest issue to address is what the next ruleset will look like after that. The elephant in the room for a lot of global motorsport is the changing marketplace, and they are going to have to address it.

[@upthebracket26]

It needs to hold races at consistent times and promote them. Start times for races are just all over the place, and not always on Sundays.

[@craigyirush3492]

Agree, the ads are interminable, much more intrusive than ESPN’s coverage of F1.

[@Strangekabuki]

Yank Here. I discovered BTCC and WTC Britain/Europe this year. I 100% agree that it is the best racing I have seen. You get moments in F1, but BTCC is non-stop great racing from lights-out to the checkered flag. And the announcers/commentators are so much fun! I love the two-race reverse grid format. I got VPN just so I could watch Touring car racing. BTW GT3 is a close second for me. Both these types have the same plusses, and different cars, but not so much as totally dominating and close, paint-swapping racing.

[@NonFlyiingDutchman]

TV coverage is the main issue. If the whole Indycar series was on free-to-air I'd start watching, get to know the drivers and teams and then buy into it more. But the most likely outcome if it started getting popular would be it would then sell out and go behind a pay wall. Indycar living off the Indy 500 is the same as endurance racing living off Le Mans. Both need to be full series, free-to-air, even if it's a KZbin channel, to grow their following

[@tunnelrat316]

I watch Indycar from time to time on sky sports F1 and it reminds me of the 90’s F1 not much over taking and revolves around the pit stops. Watch some of the live, you can tell when they go to ‘break’ the commentary stops. First time it happened I thought I’d pressed the mute button, until they said “and we’re back at ‘location’ “ then a recap of the silent bit. I can understand that if it is live you want to be in that groove of commentary not having them sell you something every 30 minute maybe they should take a leaf out of other live racing where there is no advert breaks during racing.