Think about the big sporting events. The NCAA just had a football season that was the best in history right across the board. Average game attendance was up. Average television ratings were up and they had more people watching the championship game than ever before.

So far, NCAA basketball ratings have been as high as ever.

The Superbowl just broke M.A.S.H.’s 27 year old record for the largest american audience.

Hell, last Saturday’s ARCA race just set SPEEDtv records for viewers with 2.4 million people turning in. How many years has it been since Indycar had 2.4 million viewers for a race that didn’t take place in Speedway?

The reality is that the compelling sports that interest viewers are doing better than ever. It simply hasn’t mattered that there is more competition, if you’ve got an interesting product the viewers and money is there.

I think the number one issue for Indycar is that the people in power and the talking heads simply don’t have a clue what it was that actually interested the huge fanbase from days gone by.

There is an enduring belief that popular drivers and close racing are the recipe for more than just fan interest, but that those are the keys to sustainable growth. Unfortunately those things are a result of an interesting racing formula, not a cause.

The slow death of the Indy 500 is never going to be reversed until they do the one thing that interests the world… allowing the competitors to chase glory by building the fastest car they possibly can. This will never happen so long as there is an impotent, financially draining series that almost nobody watches holding the 500 back.

It is disgusting that the few remaining fans are sitting around looking at concept cars that have been designed for every criteria imaginable with the exception of going as fast as possible. Dallara, Swift and Delta Wing have literally been told that a key design criteria is having substantial space for sponsors! We are pining to see multiple chassis on the track, but since these aren’t designed with speed as a key performance criteria, there aren’t any two that would even be closely matched enough that the slower one would be purchased by anyone.

If they reduce the series to Indy, Long Beach and maybe 2-3 more races and open up the rules to a basic set of specs. they have a chance to return the 500 to glory.

If Randy Bernard cannot figure this out, he has zero chance of success.

People in promotions and the media have absolutely no clue. All they know is to reprint and believe everything Darrell Waltrip says, and that is apocalyptic in its stupidity.

Think about the 100 million plus tv viewers and 1.7 million people who attended PBR events in a year. How does that compare to the total television viewership and attendance of the indycar series when you exclude the 500?

Out of all of those eyeballs there was only enough league income to distribute $11 million to the league competitors. An average of a measly $13,000 and change per competitor!

That kind of income won’t even cover TEAM payments for 10 cars, much less cover the massive operating costs that the league racks up covering everything from safety crews to television production.

Quite honestly, I don’t believe that the league’s business model is in any way financially sustainable. I also don’t believe for a minute the the family will allow the league to continue to be the financial drain on speedway that it has been. Add to that the fact that the existing powers are already pigeon holing him into a new spec. car that will not in any way inspire the lost audience and I believe he is in a no-win situation.