Villainized one week ago, and criticized to no end by members of the media and all the Danica fans, Ryan Briscoe thoroughly served up several helpings of humble pie with his win this weekend. His drive through the field at the treacherous Milwaukee Mile, the first race at the track with 26 cars since 1999, was masterful as he worked the high line to his advantage. Then, when Scott Dixon closed to within striking distance, Briscoe held off all challenges and then narrowly avoided a catastrophic crash in front of him.
The Aussie had his head held high after the controversial pit incident a week ago and from replays it appeared as though he had pulled into the outside lane. But after letting the incident set in for a week, it is apparent the only reason he found himself in as much trouble as he did was because it was Danica. Had that been any other driver, chances are it would have been an afterthought.
A week ago I will admit a petition for Tomas Scheckter to be placed in Briscoe's Penske seat. Scheckter would be a natural fit in a full-time seat especially as he ran so well in limited time with the Penske offshoot, Luczo Dragon Racing. Briscoe's not off the hook by any stretch of the imagination but Roger believes in him now and several more good runs/finishes should quiet the doubters, myself included.
There was a bigger crowd than in recent years for either IndyCar or Champ Car races at the Mile, and the largest car turnout in nine years. Milwaukee's place on the schedule should not be in doubt.
Reflecting on the first several events so far, IndyCar has definitely gained momentum to the general public, if not immediately on the TV ratings front. A 4.5 rating at the 500 was not something to crow about when it was still outdone by the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600.
What drove Champ Car to its grave more than anything else was a lack of stability on all fronts. IndyCar has to do everything it can to maintain some of the assets picked up in their acquisition as well as some of their strongholds.
They must keep their manufacturer (Honda) happy and invite competition, and it appears steps are being taken in both directions. Honda re-upped for five future seasons with a roundtable of manufacturer execs to be assembled later this month to discuss new entries. Given Toyota's rampage in NASCAR it would not be a surprise, in my opinion, to see GM or Cosworth return. The latter is KV Racing co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven's company after all...
The new formula for 2011 must coincide with the changes in road cars, to be technologically relevant and environmentally friendly. Ethanol is a good start and after speaking with someone well-versed in the field in Indy, it was brought up that cellulostic ethanol would be viable. Engines must be turbos, a smaller block of 2.4 or 2.6 liters that is pleasing to the ears.
Long Beach and Edmonton have secured races for five more years at least, but former CC strongholds Cleveland, Toronto and Road America must come back. Portland could be added as well to give the series a race in the Pacific Northwest, a market NASCAR has not yet cornered. Some of the awful ISC 1.5 milers must go - the Kansases, Nashvilles and Kentuckys of the world.
The driver lineup cannot change but for a few spots. Period. The driver carousel of rotating European and Latin American pay-drivers doomed continuity in CC and already reared its ugly head a few races in once the talented French driver Franck Perera was jettisoned for the moneyed Brazilian Jaime Camara. Paul Tracy, Robert Doornbos and Nelson Philippe were CC winners but as they wanted to be paid, could not find seats in the merged series. Sometimes, the more things change the more they stay the same. PT is the most notable loss of the three.
While the Camara change isn't a move at the front of the field necessarily, it is a symbol of what could happen if teams can't secure the necessary backing on their own and have to resort to the services of less able pilots. Hopefully the new teams can find the financial wherewithall to survive past this year when they are in essence, racing on Tony George's dime with the TEAM enhancement program. Otherwise, the increased car count could drastically drop.
And the drivers need to be in advertisements with their sponsors. Why Marco Andretti has not yet dropped off a movie at a Blockbuster in his IndyCar is beyond me. Why Graham Rahal isn't saying "I'm lovin' it" at McDonald's is inexcusable. These two are the future of IndyCars as they continue to mature. Why Red Bull isn't on Buddy Rice's car is pathetic. Rice is a badass American, former Indy 500 winner, and able to turn a smaller-budget operation in Dreyer & Reinbold into a top-ten contender.
Finally, the TV package needs to change. ESPN or SPEED should be able to find a 1/2 hour, once-weekly timeslot for IndyCar Live! or something of the sort to return. Half-hearted projects were abandoned after a few years but had good ideas - the CART Friday Night show that ran during 2002 was great as it featured highlights of the race weekend atmosphere that you could get if you were there and could inspire new fans to come to the events.
Put together the media members of IndyCar, Robin Miller for sure and a couple others, together for a 6-8 minute roundtable segment to discuss the week's race and talking points. Bring the Up to Speed! online show to the TV airwaves, as it has the potential to capture a broader audience for the casual viewer who might be flipping through channels. If ESPN can re-air boxing matches from 30 years ago, or hours upon hours of World's Strongest Man, World Series of Poker and sanctioned gluttony (hot dog-eating contests), then certainly they can promote a series that blows NASCAR out of the weeds in terms of speed, technology, and variety.
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