Indycars Oval Dilema

I read with dispare of the lack of attendance at the Indycar Series oval events.

Unfortunately I am not in a position to help these figures, living as I do on the other side of pond. Neither am I able to watch the races on TV as I cannot afford the TV station the races are on over here. If anybody wants to help with either of these issues please let me know...

Anyway...

The IRL was established as a series for American drivers, racing American cars with American V8's on American ovals. Today the Indycar Series looks much more like a direct replacement for the now defunct CART series with more road courses than ovals and less of an "American" feel.

In its day I loved CART. I used to enjoy the mix of oval races and some of the best open wheel road racing on the planet. But the IRL put on a better oval show.

The American open wheel world has always looked a bit disjointed to me. Over here if a kid wants to be the next Button or Hamilton they can start off at a young age in karts, move up to single seaters, say Formula Ford, in time progress through Formula 3 to the lower international classes and then if all goes to plan maybe become a Formula 1 driver. A nice progressive ladder from start to finish. I do not pretend to be an expert on the American open wheel ladder but going from short oval USAC Midgets and Sprints to the Indy 500 is a big leap. I understand there are single seater classes filling in the gap but the ladder still doesn't flow to me.

The greatest shame of the current situation is that in the early days of the IRL the oval racing was fantastic. Good drivers, good cars, wonderfully close racing and nail biting finishes. The last few years have seen the standards fall with close finishes a thing of the past. However the finish of the last race was very tight, just like the days of Sam Hornish at Texas.

The huge success of NASCAR over the past two decades has not helped either. The big crowds, TV and big money has made it hard for other series to generate the interest from drivers and fans, and with the majority of the three NASCAR series races taking place on ovals, the market for oval racing is pretty full.

The answer to this lies in the succes of the new generation of Indycar.

We all know the Indycar Series has been treading water, waiting for the new car to be signed off. If the series officials and Dan Wheldon can develop an oval package that enables the drivers to run side by side at any oval with minimal aero push, like the good old days of the IRL, then the crowds will come back. Good racing will always bring crowds.

I hope, if not for the sake of the series but for the sake of the Indy 500, that the new car brings life to open wheel oval racing in America.

The Indycar Series needs ovals to ensure the future, and the future importance, of the great Indianapolis 500.