We Need to Talk About IndyCar
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- Опубликовано: 14 дек 2023
- IndyCar has had one of the worst offseason news cycles in recent memory, let's talk about it.
#Indy500 #IndyCar #Honda
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Indycar doesn’t need people kissing their arse, they need the hard truth. Keep doing what you do David
Someone said the same thing. . . .no one in indycar can spake "against" or "critisize" Indycar. Plus all commentary goes through indycar and they decide what goes through.
Roger Penske buying the series will KILL it. Hes a TERRIBLE series owner.@@rherbfm
@@Jkenns3488 I initially had faith in Roger improving the series, but with it being so stagnant lately, I'm worried that IndyCar will fall soon
@@smokeybandit9760People over 80 years old are never brilliant leaders, America. #HardTruth
@@Jkenns3488 Unfortunately it looks like it. . . .brilliant owner, he's done everything. Indycar, NASCAR, F1 even if it wasn't successful but tried. . . . .not sure what's going on. . . . could be age.
We support David Land and Kyle Cuthberson. Media for the people. By the People.
FUBU, right?
IMSA did new hybrid and chassis formula from nothing in 30 months. Manufacturers are flocking to it. Smart people, brilliant leadership
WEC too and F1 are Winning
Even NASCAR looks like they’ll have their hybrid system implemented faster than Indycar at this point
@@NewscasterNews4 Really ? it thought hybrid is too sosialistic 😂😂😂😂😂
F1 did it 10 years ago that s why they are the pinnacle of the sport.
@@jonpetter8921 WEC had real Hybrids before F1
Appreciate your thoughts on it all as always David!
I’ve found myself caring less and less about indycar in the last few years i think as a way to cope with the string of bad news. Would love to feel more positive about it again. Hopefully that day isnt too far away!
The cars aren’t exciting anymore nor are the tracks. That goes for modern racing as a whole. Thats why I watch GPLaps.
Why? It’s still the best, most compelling, most competitive big time racing series on the planet 🌏.
Nothing comes close imho in terms of racing action, wheel-to-wheel action, battles for the lead and all throughout the field race-after-race. A championship battle that almost always goes down to the final race with 5-8 drivers in the championship hunt for most of the season.
Easily the best series on the planet.
@@OhItsThat things like dirty and push2pass are the main problem
@@bobespirit2112 Super Formula is another contender for watchability.
0:12 Exactly how I felt David, hence why I avoided touching it with a ten foot pole. It's sad seeing the sport we love being mismanaged to the point of destruction through stagnation. Thank You David
Awesome channel. Thanks for the great content!
bot?@@DJDouglasWarden
@@kingjulian420 bot & paid for, But if not by the Russians or the Mainstream media... not sure where this out of context reply originates. Is it a Land grab? 🤣😂🙃
@@kingjulian420 I would hope not. He's been commenting on my videos for a while so I doubt he is.
@@DJDouglasWardenThanks Man!
I hope INDYCAR solves this problem and I hope the series is alive by 2027.
You assume that those in power now want to make this change.
It will be not only be alive but thriving.
Indycar will be thriving by then
David you are my sole source of indy car news other than articles and i appreciate all of what you do. as Indy car doesn't do enough real journalism media. You are my robin miller.
I met David at the Petit Le Mans a few years back and told him this exact thing when I ran into him in the garages. He's a great guy who cares about his motorsport passion, definitely a Robin-like figure in my opinion.
I miss Robin Miller😢
@@goodlife-rc2jh me too me too but least we got his final wish kyle larson to indy 500
Same
CMO David land
When I fell in love with this sport a few years ago, this channel was one of the most important parts of my growing passion. It has deepened my appreciation of IndyCar and even other motorsports. My IndyCar fandom matters to me, and this channel was an important part of that. Thank you, David, for all you have done and continue to do.
Started out as a NASCAR fan in 2017, but over the past 3 years or so, I’m proud to say that IndyCar is my favorite form of motorsport. It is not without its problems, which you have outlined fairly and directly. I hope their leadership takes clear and direct action to making the sport what it can and should be - great again! Thanks for your coverage, David. It also has kept me heavily invested in the sport. You’re a great story - humble, relatable, passionate, and smart… feel like I know you as a friend. Keep up the great work.
“If there was a little more transparency, there wouldn’t be as much whiplash.”
Nailed it. People appreciate honesty.
Great. Try running any business that way😂
Been a nascar fan most of my life and have only really gotten into indycar through your coverage. It shows in your content how passionate you are and making a video like this is a testament to that. I would not see or even know about any of this news or the criticism without your insight and I want to say I truly appreciate it.
Same here. Been watching NASCAR for years, and getting interested in Indycar through David’s channel.
I'm telling you right now, if Honda leaves, it's over for indycar.
Don’t think so
Yeah, just like Honda by Ilmor and the Offenhauser years killed it.....oh, wait.
Without new engine manufacturers coming into the series IndyCar becomes a strictly spec series with only one engine and an already spec car.
Honda enters and leaves different motorsports all the time. There are other engine manufacturers.
@@DG-wu7ke It's already a spec series.
I believe the only reason (at this point) Honda would publicly suggest backing out as an engine provider is to light a fire under Indycar to push the series forward and reinvent itself. With NASCAR and F1 brandishing new cars with hybridization closer than ever, Honda has every right to be disappointed with how legacy things have stayed in Indycar. They have a shared history and advertise their motorsports promotion on television, it's clear they love the sport. If reallocating their funds to F1 was their main priority, they would handle everything off camera to not muddy the water. Nothing is on accident in industry. Hopefully this can be a wakeup call for Indycar rather than a death rattle.
You just don t put F 1 and NASCAR in the same sentence on this matter. F1 is on another league. Their hybrid is the most advanced hybrid ever in car industry. They developed a decade ago.
@@jonpetter8921 Okay?
David, I agree with 100% of what you said. We need people like you, with a voice in the sport to challenge the bubble thinking at Indy.
This is why I wish we had 3-4 engine suppliers and 2-3 chassis manufacturers. That way losing any one of those companies would hurt but wouldn’t be detrimental. At this point we have one tub and two engines and losing any of those pieces could potentially kill the sport. This whole thing is just so depressing. I’m glad I got to experience the 90s as a kid because it’s not looking great right now.
Sorry to make so many comments but I love IndyCar and I have a lot to say.
Love to watch the CART races from mid 85 thru 2001 here.
Ford. It goes back to Ford. By far, the most most devestating consequence of The Split was the departure of Ford. Throughout the entire Split, Ford sided with CART/Champ Car. When that series collapsed, Ford left IndyCar and Open Wheel for good.
Ford's abandonment, coupled with other manufacturers' lack of interest in IndyCar, is the knife wound that never healed. And now, it is starting to hemmorhage internally.
And they ain't coming back now they're in bed with Red Bull.
@@fiarandompenaltygeneratorm5044 and Honda switching to Aston Martin
Ford itself is getting weaker and weaker as the years pass
Appreciate everything you do for the sport of auto racing David. I watch everything from dirt ovals to sports cars and you are by far the most honest, up front, and passionate voice on the internet. You and Justin Fiedler's Dirtrackr videos are the only two creators I watch every upload of. You speak for the fans, which a lot of mainstream media seems incredibly scared to do right now, especially in NASCAR.
Long time F1 fan here, seems like y'all are going thru the growing pains we went thru in 2014. Also with Honda pulling the same drama they pulled in F1 as well.
Sort of but worse? Imagine you're living in 2009 and these newfangled hybrids are coming in 2010. Ferrari, Honda, Mercedes, Toyota, Ford, BMW, Renault damn next year is gonna be great! Oh god.... Hey Gary you wanna join F1 we'll take anybody.
The best Indy Car racing was when they had 4 or 5 engine and chassis makers each year. It was so interesting seeing all the different combos. Offenhauser, Illmore, Cosworth, etc. Lola, Reynard, Penske, Swift, Eagle, Dallara. THOSE were the days. Spec car racing, HO HUM, Boring . Where is the creativity, inventiveness. Nascar same, spec car - Boring
The series never recovered from the split in the 90's and never got back the casual fan base. That was a slow death blow that continues.
I love David’s transparency, he keeps it real which is great.
In 2020, the Indycar series had more appeal and fast forward three years, none of the things they said would be in the sport by 2023 aren’t. and then you look at imsa for example, they’ve introduced new cars that look and sound great and will bring in more fans. Indycar needs to start evolving or it’ll die.
The only question remains, where should indycar go next?
@@Iamwolf134 that’s a great question and it’s the same thing i’ve asked lol. but hopefully they figure something out cuz i feel like indycar has so much untapped potential especially in an era where F1 and Endurance racing are seeing a lot of growth.
I find it ironic that the very person (Roger Penske) everyone said would be the best person to control the sport is the person who tanked it faster than Tony George.
Idiotic comment at best
I wouldn’t count out the captain - I think his main focus has been the speedway and the 500 - lots of improvements to IMS and more to come. The one thing I’d say is that he probably needs to get out of the race team and put full focus on the series.
What i find ironic is that the cart/indy split occured because tony george said that cart was too international and there wasnt enough oval racing. Fast forward 30 years and indycar is basically Cart mark 2.
As a brazilian I always loved to watch IndyCar. We had a lot of succesful drivers in IndyCar, champions like Emerson Fittipaldi, Gil de Ferran, Cristiano da Matta and Tony Kanaan, and others fabulous drivers like Helio Castroneves, Bruno Junqueira and Christian Fittipaldi winning races and fighting for championships (Helio was 4x runners up and 4x Indy 500 winner), but nowadays unfortunately I only have interest to watch Indy 500. I don't know why but I feel like IndyCar as "spirit" died in the end of 2002 CART season. For me after that, with the dominance of IRL/IndyCar, the main goals of the category changed a lot and they went only focused to north american market. IndyCar always had a lot of supporters in Latin America, in Japan, in Oceania, is a shame in my opinion IndyCar only explore the canadian market outside USA... categories who thinks small will be smaller in future, who thinks great will be great, look the growth of F1 in USA market in past years, it's incredible! Why IndyCar can't dream for being again like they were in CART golden era years? Expand the calendar, bring back new engine manufactures for more competition, more chassi and tyre manufactures, more races outside USA, make people around the world interested again in IndyCar... we need that, think great again IndyCar! (sorry for my bad english haha, as I said I'm brazilian)
voce é fan da indycar mesmo ? ja estudou a historia da categoria ? Indycar sempre foi uma categoria que teve pouco interesse de fabrica e sempre foi focada mais nas equipes e pilotos .
I'm a relatively new fan to the sport, getting into IndyCar in 2015 after going to that WILD race in Fontana. I had never even heard of IndyCar before then which is already an issue itself. Now I've been to Long Beach 5 times and Nashville twice. Its frustrating to see how mismanaged this series is in almost every aspect when it has so much potential to grow.
I've never seen you be this dejected in an IndyCar video. I sympathize with you and the entire fanbase
It sucks that David has had to be silent. I value his opinions. I value his insight. He has good ideas. The series needs to understand that people like David are talking from a fans perspective. Without fans, the show doesn’t exist.
Cause some people within in the racing world have already cancelled him for giving his opinions and criticisms.
@@Maverick33 care to say who?
For a lot of people David is our go to source for everything indycar, the good and the bad. Though you didn't want to make this video I feel like it was very much needed. I hope indycar can soon figure it out and give fans something to look forward too.
I've followed Indycar since the 1980 Indy 500. Been to dozens of races over the years (my avatar is taken from Shoreline at the 2008 LB GP, the last one I attended because I now live in the middle of the US and there's no race within 800 miles of me...). Everything that's happening now has been predictable. I know, because I've predicted every turn, as most of you have. Everyone but the series' incompetent management.
Penske's ownership of the series has been abysmal. He or his executive team have done absolutely nothing to move the sport forward. I knew this would happen. There's no care for the series, just the precious 500. You can't build a series off of one race in the middle of the season. There have been no wins for this series. An extra 100k viewers isn't improvement, but that's the only win they can talk about. I don't even know if they have a media team; hell, I get NASCAR and IMSA articles pushed to my phone's Google feed on a daily basis even though I don't follow those series or ever read the articles, but I get nothing about Indycar, which I do follow and read about. Honestly, when the (slower than F2) car you're running has qualified for official historic events for the last two years, your series has no vision and there's no way to get younger people interested. Every other major series that uses Dallara chassis (remember that tax boondoggle?) has had at least three new chassis revisions since DW12 was rolled out, which was practically obsolete in 2012. Formula E has had three! Indycar is literally the world's most expensive historic series. Indycar has no vision and everyone knows it, including the mythical third engine supplier that's been around the corner for over a decade. I don't know what it is anymore. And I don't know if I care anymore beyond a good laugh. Sometimes it's all you can do.
I remember Michael Andretti saying when he bought Green and moved to IRL from Champcar that he didn't really want to, but knew the series wouldn't last. He said someday he'd be able to say he owned an Indycar team once and that's it. I think his effort to move to F1 has been similar prescience. He needs F1, else he won't have a premier team to run unless he enters NASCAR, which I'm sure he doesn't want to do. The writing is on the wall.
He said he want to join nascar for years
Andretti's big sponsor, Gainbridge, sponsored NASCAR's Spire Motorsports efforts in the last half of 2023 and all of 2024. Spire and Gainbridge also worked together to give Marco Andretti some starts in NASCAR's lower divisions last year. It's safe to say the Andrettis already have their foot in the door in NASCAR via Gainbridge and Spire.
It pains me to say this, but you are absolutely right. I started watching in 2018. Prior to that I didn't Indy car existed (apart from the Indy 500). I found out about the series from poster I saw at the Portland Auto show promoting the upcoming Grand Prix, and it intrigued me enough to start watching the season so I could understand it When Portland came.
I've been watching AOWR since the mid eighties and none of these issues are surprising to me. The series has been schizophrenic for decades and has gotten by on the strength of the 500. The series has an aging fanbase and has never replenished it.
I just don’t understand why Roger Penske, who is supposedly the People’s Champion owner of the series, never shows his face. I don’t remember the last time he’s made a statement on anything
hes been doing nascar interviews.... says all there is to say really.
That's because penske doesn't want media for indycar for some reason. He doesn't want people speaking put besides everything is awesome and great in indycar
He's too old, the serious needs a few fresh faces badly
They probably don’t want casual fans linking Penskes ownership of the series with the race team because when the race team wins people will be all like “well obviously, he owns the series” and all that conspiracy stuff
The real issue is that he has other racing teams, in other series. NASCAR, Hypercar, Formula E, and more. While he has others managing the daily routines, both before and after raceday, he still puts in time to visually attend and supervise them. Doesn't leave a lot of time for meetings with the supervisory board. Which is why new leadership is needed to move forward.
I've been an open wheel fan since I was a kid in the 1950's.
Your suggestions at the end are very welcome to my ears!
Penske being so authoritarian is becoming a major problem. He is losing fans apart from not finding a new engine provider. He needs to stop his cancel culture attitude and grow up! Well said David. We support you. We support the series and it’s obvious that now Chip, Michael, Bobby and the other stake holders need to knock on Penske door and get him to g3t his act together.
Props for this video. I'm right there with you on every point you make. They always say a couple people talking at a track can solve all of racing's problems... if only the executives really could
Indycar was at its peak in the 90s with three different chassis, 3 different engines, and when Firestone came in, 2 different tires. It's a shadow of its former self - the CART - IRL split notwithstanding. It needs a makeover.
It was said by former F1 engineer Enrique Scalabroni: the audience needs to hear the roar of the lion. Only the V8 engines of CART screamed, complained, and seemed like they were about to explode. That's what Indycar needs today. Electrification offers nothing, and the final sound induces boredom
I feel like variety too, some diversity on the grid, and I don't necessarily mean drivers(although I do want to see more "common man" drivers, or underdogs, or other people that weren't just a rich kid that grew up karting since 3 years old and has done only racing his whole life) I want to see DIFFERENT CARS, DIFFERENT ENGINES, DIFFERENT AERO, DIFFERENT MANUFACTURERS.
I miss the old system like with CART, like in the 80s and 90s, where we had multiple different Chassis & aero on the grid: Penske, March, Lola, Dollara, Reynard, Swift, even Porsche at one point.
And then on top of that, it got even cooler with all the different type of engine from different manufacturers all mixed and match with all the different chassis, Ford, Chevy, Toyota, Honda, ILMOR Mercedes, Cadillac, Buick, GM, Cosworth and others. There were teams with the same chassis, different engines, different chassis, same engines, different chassis and different engines. It created some variety and diversity and made the cars more interesting.
The cars themselves are just as interesting as the drivers, and if you don't have interesting cars then the racing becomes less interesting and the drivers become less interesting.
Proof is that, most people would rather watch a drag race between really cool 2 different unique cars with big awesome sounding engines cool unique designs and sounds, instead of going to watch some spec car drag race in boring cars that don't sound that great, both look the same, where the only difference is the setups pretty much. You can argue the boring spec cars is "better racing" or "better competition". But the truth is the fans find the 2 really cool, unique, different - even maybe unpractical cars more ENTERTAINING to watch. And Motorsport stays alive by serving a dual-purpose acting as ENTERTAINMENT.
The GTP engine idea is actually pretty brilliant. Pat yourself on the back for that.
The noise of IndyCar was what made me interested in the series and I think adopting a V8 or V10 formula would be able to bring back that intrigue of IndyCar. I like the idea of having a plug and play engine formula between IMSA and IndyCar but I feel that will make IndyCar the series desperately looking for help. Although desperate time call for desperate measures.
And that won’t happen they will not go above 6 cylinders. Let’s not pretend they will come back
The biggest problem with a V8 or V10 engine in indycar, other than the pesky engine formula, is the physical size of the engine. Without getting into a lot of tedious explanations of aero drag and why/how it effects objects moving at 240mph let me simply say that a larger power unit would create the necessity for those teams to spend F1 type money redesigning cars with very little increase in performance. Indy use to have more open engine specs allowing everything from diesel engines to engines sourced from military helicopters and school busses. At the time, most of the cars were one offs built by the teams before things like expensive wind tunnel testing, etc were in use. The cost of every team building an individual chassis for their engine of choice would be prohibitive and the field would shrink to 2-3 teams with the budget and capability to build a car from scratch.
I do know what you mean when you talk about the engine sound. My dad built Novi engines for a living, now THAT was a sound!
Racers race. There will always be Indycar drivers racing Indycars. Show a racer the car and he’ll race it. Old chassis, new chassis, hybrid, no-hybrid he’ll strap in and go 240mph and I’ll be watching.
Thank you David for your honest and objective Motorsport journalism. The growth of your channel is a reflection of your hard work and dedication.
Penske has been a massive disappointment. I thought it was a sure thing things would change for the better, but it’s actually gotten worse. I miss Randy Bernard. There’s a guy who got things done and thought of the fans.
I've never been a fan of Roger penske. Hit a peak in 2021 when he only allowed his own teams to sell merchandise at the track during covid restrictions.
Roger's age is hitting him already. We need new leadership.
@@retromaniaco_br7422 this is my biggest worry. i hope there is a succession plan, because thats the biggest threat to the series currently.
Roger is a wise head dealing with what he knows. The problem is that the landscape is changing quickly; Liberty’s moves to enhance F1’s presence in North America, the engine suppliers’ priorities, etc. Indycar risks being overtaken by events, and needs to move quickly so as not to be caught out.
@@BungleBare That's the crux of it. IndyCar is run in a reactive manner, whereas F1, NASCAR (IMSA included) and others are run in a proactive manner.
Old school Champ Car fan here! I miss the days of the 2.6l turbo V8’s.
That said, here in Australia, I can’t even watch a full Indycar race without subscribing to some niche streaming service called “Stan”! It uses to be on the mainstream Kayo Sports service along with F1 and NASCAR. 😡
Land, YOU ARE our new Robin Miller!!!!!💪🤙RIP Miller, Respects.🙏Good work man!🏁Heartbreaking for my favorite sport.
No one will ever replace Miller....
@@ILSRWY4 No S***, was just waiting for the first butthurt comment I’d get from that. So many of us have said Land is like a R.Miller in training. Laying everything on the line with possibly upsetting people at Indycar, etc, so yea you’re damn right Land is a new generation of Miller. NOBODY ELSE HAS THE B***s to speak the way Land is. So get out of here with your comment as if you knew Robin like I KNEW Robin, a good friend and mentor of mine.
@@shredhead4604 I never new Robin personally, I did get a kick out of him recognizing me on the same flights out of Indy as him, so yes I am a former worker in CART yrs ago. Miss him immensely, I don’t work in open wheel anymore thankfully I was able several yrs ago to catch on with a team from the International Marijuana Smugglers Association (if you’re old enough you will catch that 😮) I am still a big fan of IndyCar and have many friends in that industry and I hope that Honda doesn’t leave because that will be Ford leaving all over again . The major question I have is Marshall Pruett fear D Land? Maybe I’m wrong ….
@@shredhead4604 Careful young one, You have no idea who you are actually talking to... And only real butthead would respond the way you did. If you really did know miller the way you claim you wouldn't hide behind a fake YT channel made to spew spam comments. You would be humble and respectful. So get out of here with your cheezy comments as if you really knew Robin like the rest of us who actually DID KNOW Robin for more than 45 years, ate with him at Charlie Brown's on a regular basis and text each other on regular basis and attened his memorial. He really was a good friend and more a mentor than you would ever be.
Was he the guy who kept touching everyone he interviewed, whether the person liked it or not, to the point of awkwardness?
I went to the very last race at Pocono in 2019. Everyone around me loved it and wished there was going to be a next year.
I'd pay to go if they came back. It's the only track close enough.
I've been watching tons of vintage Indycar races on RUclips recently, and am gobsmacked at the absolute pageantry that was once Indycar. Some of the pre-race festivities , including those in Brazil, Australia,and Mexico, were on par with anything F1 was doing at the time. Top F1 drivers used to threaten their team bosses with defections to Indycar at contract time, and it meant something. 90's Indycar lineups were rife with top F1 talent. Now the world's two top open wheel series could not be further apart. F1, for the most part, has listened to their fans and it has worked out monumentally for both parties. Indycar, on the other hand, has done nothing in that same interim period but disrespect and alienate its great fans. From the split to the current shit show that is Indycar, this has been a master class on how to piss on your fans and tell them it's not raining. It's not too late to save the once great series. But they have a Herculean task before them. Let's just hope it goes quicker than the almost 30 year beating the fan base has endured...
What's wild is you don't have to rewind very far to the UAK18 launch when everyone was saying that Indycar was making the right moves by listening to its fans and how F1 needed to take a page from their book ...which they kind of did with the 2022 rules. ...and here we are five years later with the reputations completely reversed. Indycar has basically sat still and done nothing since then. Not only did F1 leap frog with the '22 regs, but they're already actively planning the '26 regs. We've GOT to get on it here. The idea of getting to '26 and still having no plan for the future is unfathomable.
F1 at IMS and NASCAR/ISC Speedways (same owners) gave Tony George the foundation he needed to split the sport in 1996 and it worked to permanently stunt this once mighty competitor to both series.
it wasn't spec back then. Higher stakes racing
f1 has prospered DESPITE itself. im sorry, but if you think f1 has truly "listened to fans" and thats why its prospering, you just havent paid attention. the SOLE REASON f1 is prospering is because they hit gold with an absolutely fake netflix series. the reality is they treat their fans like garbage (belgiangp, f1ixed, and sooo many others), yet most fans are casuals and dont know any of this stuff. those fans will move on to the next thing sooner or later, or possibly just dont care about f1s horrible reputation. f1 was my #1.5 between 1990 through the end of the split, but i didnt even watch the last half of the season this year.
Ya, but the same driver doesn't win nearly every race in indycar which has been the case in F1 for the last 30yrs. I love both series but go for different reasons. F1 in Miami, Vegas & Texas for the cars, tech and spectacle and Indycar for the racing.
I am a die hard F1 fan but it was through David and his videos together with Mclarens increasing involvement that my enjoyment of Indycar was awakened. I certainly dont want to see any demise in Indycar. It offers very high quality motorsport. It needs a long term vision of where it wants to be by the end of this decade with clear goals every two years. I am not qualified to speak on Indycar but a tie in with super formula could be a good way forward. I will not say more as my knowledge is limited and there are better people than me in the comments. Keep up the independent voice David.
I don't want to think about it, but IndyCar is heading down a path worse than the Tony George years from 1996 to 1999
Yea no doubt.
What? This is no where near the Tony George years. Fucking Christ.
@@billymc2681 The first decade of the IRL is already better . Apart from road circuits , you had lots of tracks , new tracks , reasonable crowds , multiple chassis that got updated and multiple engines and some good racing . Now we have no ovals , ancient spec chassis and soon a spec engine and racing thats fake parity and fuel strategy .....
@@AlistairMaxwell77 the lack of ovals is a real concern
Funny.... Under Tony George IRL survived and it was CART that bankrupted. Now after the merger, and TG is out, and Indycar is pretty much CART 2.0... now Bankruptcy 2.0 is on the horizon. I've said it before, Roger Penske was the best person to buy Indy motor Speedway. Roger Penske was the worst person to own and run the series.
David, great summary and well thought out. My take is this: I think the root of many of INDYCAR’s problems is that it does a very poor job marketing itself. Always has. They spend so much time marketing the Indy 500 (which would probably do pretty well regardless), and basically ignore all the other races. EVERYTHING is about the Indy 500. That being said, it’s only part of the problem, because getting eyes on the sport won’t matter if the product goes stale, which it sort of has. Competition continues to be excellent, but at some point you need to freshen things up for the fan base that DOES pay attention (engine, chassis, both?). I think that’s the second biggest issue.
I feel you've hit the nail on the head with the 500. In a weird way, I get the feeling it's been used as the ultimate excuse for any and all failures the series has experienced. If you check the subreddit out in the threads discussing the problems, you'll actually find a few people saying "ah well, who cares if the ***series*** disappears, the 500 will always be there" I actually read someone say that. If that's what supposed IndyCar fans are saying about their own series because the 500 "will always be there", then imagine what the people who run it are saying to themselves when they make excuses.
Everything actually is about the Indy 500. Last time I looked, that race subsidizes then whole shebang. And that in itself is a big problem for growing the series.
Watch Ganassi, he's always ahead of the curve, Penske is there until the lights go out now that he owns the series, Ganassi is the Prophet during these troubling times in my opinion, very keen to hear his opinion
It's frustrating being an IndyCar fan. The on-track racing product is so good, but the series is still relatively unknown.
When it was announced that Penske was buying IMS and Indycar I had high hopes for the future of Indycar, now, not so much.
Can’t agree more. I’m only 5-minutes into this episode and I’m fearful of what is coming, and seeing David like this I know it’s not going to be good. I fell in love with IndyCar when I went to the 1975 500 as a 12-year old, and to countless races since In Long Beach, Detroit, Toronto, Milwaukee, Nazareth, Chicago, Richmond, Watkins Glen as an adult. I currently plot where I would choose to sit at Road America, Barber, Portland … how I could wish Cleveland to return, what would the Charlotte Roval be like? C’mon Roger!! Be a MAN and step it up!!
As soon as the Penske announcement was made, I knew it was only a matter of time before things started to tank
I'm pausing about halfway through to say that, of all the problematic news stories you've just listed, I knew about the video game being cancelled; that's all, and you did a video in the past discussing that game's trials and tribulations so I wasn't all that surprised to hear about it. You're my #1 source of Indycar news, and honestly I was wondering why I hadn't heard from you in a while. All of this is news to me because I come to you first. Thank you for sticking with us and letting us know what's happening in the world of Indycar.
Penske entertainment is living in the past! They believe they can do whatever and nobody is going to talk about! They have zero knowledge of this social media landscape they're running things like its 20 years ago! Very little social media presence compared to NASCAR and F1!! Casual fans dont know the drivers nor is indycar doing anything to reach the younger audience. All of the well known American stars go to NASCAR! Larson is gonna bring a huge audience but indycar has no idea how to capitalize on it! Guys like Larson and Bell should be in open wheel racing not NASCAR! You cant bring a bunch of guys from Europe and South America and expect young people to watch and come to races!
Just always speak your mind and if they limit your access because of it then it's already dead! We need more guys like you promoting indycar even if you point out the negative.
I don't think both are open well types
One other thing I should mention. There was an announcement that kinda went under the radar earlier this year. All of the Honda racing programs, HPD, F1 & MotoGP etc teams all got moved under 1 banner of HRC. With restructuring like that HPD may not be operating under their Honda of America budget anymore. So I don’t think the Illmor thing was a suggestion from Honda as much as it was bracing for impact for their inevitable withdrawal from the Indy engine program. I’m almost positive that this is coming. This should be red alert for Miles, Penske and team owners.
Indycar needs people like you and Kyle and others to keep shining lights on IndyCar, not only for the times when they do good but also for times such as this.
As someone who also covers Motorsports. We are frustrated with Indycar decisions.
Indy is gonna be facing an Identity Crisis with it basically becoming an American version of Super Formula if it doesn't modernize itself quickly
Super Formula is WAY more advanced than IndyCar. Educate yourself.
Ironically, I think this would be the best path forward for the series.
It's not without precedent, as the Class 1 regulations for the Super GT GT500 cars were intended to be a common formula for both Super GT and DTM, allowing cars to cross over between championships.
Super Formula has established a pretty good reputation for itself as a premier national championship, with cars that are just fast enough to where Super Formula can either be a final destination or feeder series for drivers and are just under 10 seconds slower than F1 cars, but still extremely fast and advanced in their own right.
If the two series can come together and devise a new formula for 2026 and beyond that can be used for both series that involves some hybridization, I think they will set themselves up very well for the long term.
Perhaps the new Super Formula/IndyCar could have an oval kit get designed for it and the speed gap between it and F1's cars by that time could close too, depending on the design philosophy they use. Combine that with currently 3 manufacturers that race between both series, and I think a great case could be made for manufacturers to invest in another top tier open wheel series that doesn't quite break the bank as much. Maybe other manufacturers could join if a common regulations set between IndyCar and Super Formula turns out to be more cost effective.
It's not a perfect solution, but I think it could go along way toward addressing the problems IndyCar is facing with stagnation.
While I was an Indy 500 only viewer for many years I've watched races consistently since 2018, and the frustration is whether it's the chassis, the hybrids, the video game and the schedule, Indycar seems to be full of half hearted and short sighted measures. Say what you want about Nascar's schedule changes and the IMSA GTP class at least it's part of a plan designed to make the sport more vibrant rather than staying in neutral.
You do realize NASCAR has a monopoly on oval tracks via ISC and their partner SMI, right? There's a reason they can move around like they do.
I believe it's because indy car want somone else to pay for it . Wile they skin of the top
I just hope to see Richmond, New Hampshire, homestead Miami, Texas, Kansas, and Motegi road course back on the schedule in the near future!
ive never really been a fan of indycar because of the first race i had the misfortune of watching, but id absolutely make sure i watch a motegi road indy race. love racing cup cars there on iracing
Indycar’s last race in New Hapshire was a disaster, with poor audience, TV rates and horrible weather conditions. What are you talking about!?!?
I gotta say, I have been surprised you've been so relatively dark this offseason. I fogured burnout was real but glad you're coming out and being straight up. Don't always agree with you but love the thought provoking conversation that happens. Someone has to fill the Robin Miller role, his loss is as bad as losing David Poole was to NASCAR. You have to have credible voices willing to call things out and be straightfoward with the climate of things.
This is hits of bad news, especially with Larson's Indy 500 buzz about to inject some eyeballs.
Spec is a death nail sadly. Hope it doesn't happen because all this screams that Indy's gonna do lock-in spots within the next 3 years if this trend keeps going.
I have very little confidence in IndyCar's ability to navigate these waters successfully.
I appreciate your coverage of the sport and what you put on the line. I’d have zero interest in IndyCar without you.
As a canadian the 1990s was a golden era of indycar. So many great canadians in the sport. Canadian races. You could find coverage of every race and follow along as a fan.
The light blue players forsythe team made this a sport canadians had a reason to follow.
Sadly the irl cart split has never truly been recovered from. It cost the series its international races like australia and others.
The move to superspeed ways was a mistake, rip dan wheldon.
I hope for a return to form for indy, but i dont expect it. It would take a monumental effort and strong leadership.
Among all these things, indycar needs a better media deal. Its ridiculous that all practice sessions, almost all qualifying sessions and even some races are behind a pay wall. Every session of every F1 weekend is available to watch with a basic cable subscription. If indy wants expansion it needs eyes on screens, and that ain't happenin' with 3/4 of the on track action available only through a streaming subscription
I know this is a late reply. Anyway, in the UK and Europe, plus a lot of other countries, America f1 is behind a pay wall. You can get f1 we can't get indy car at all.
Keep doing what you do David. The truth hurts sometimes, but people need to hear it. I appreciate everything you do for IndyCar and the fans. Keep it up!
The other problem is the schedule after Labor Day you never hear about a single IndyCar event for almost 90days. Whereas in those post IndyCar 90days Sept. to Nov. is all F1 & NASCAR….outta sight outta mind🏆
I’m 73 years old. I can remember listening to the 1957 Indy 500 on the radio with my dad. You would be hard pressed to find many more hard-core fans than me. But I want “racing” not “entertainment.” I’ve skipped attending the 500 the last 2 years and don’t imagine myself ever going again. Indycar has become “Sports Entertainment.” My interest has been waning for the last 20 years, slowly but surely. I could say a lot more but won’t. I can’t foresee them ever gaining back my interest with any of the plans I’ve heard. I know I’m old-school, but I’d rather go to the Chili Bowl than the Indy 500. I’d rather see a sprint car or midget race than an Indycar race. Just one man’s opinion.
Bruh just retire
Expect all the Indycar fans to tell you, "If you don't like it, don't watch it!" Followed by hours of complaining about how the sport's going down the tubes because there's no spectators for some reason.
David, and I know I’m not alone of this, but without your coverage of the sport I would never had paid attention to Indycar in the first place. The viewers will watch no matter the series you’re covering. The sports car coverage is awesome as well and as the sport gets a boost I think you can make connections and succeed there as well.
Having an indycar game is the best to capture younger audience I remember getting nascar 14 on xbox 360 when I was 10 years old and ever since I've been hooked on Nascar
I wish Indy car would play into the weakness and the cracks that have been shown by f1 recently.
It would be the clever thing to do but I doubt they will. Indycar still has a great racing product yet barely capitalise on it.
The amount of times advertising has killed American autosport for me is overwhelming. That’s why a few years back I was drawn to f1. They have an ad free platform. I don’t pay for cable, but I pay for f1 tv every month. However, nothing compares to INDYCAR racing anywhere IMO
@@TroyConner765 I guess it depends where you live. I feel out of interest in F1 probably 5 or so years ago after following it for decades and went with watching Indycar just because one of the streaming service I already have shows it live with replays. To watch F1 in Australia costs a fortune and I can't put a VPN on my TV to get F1TV. Maybe try a VPN and look at Stan Sports, it's an Aussie service with Indycar, WEC, WRC, FE, V8 Supercars, GT3s, MotoGP etc etc. I don't mind watching Super Formula one RUclips though, love how they upload the races the following day.
This sounds like the same conversation my wife and I had last week. We're both avid race fans and LOVE Indy Car. We bought a condo overlooking the track in Long Beach for this very reason. Enjoying the sights & sounds of Indy Car. David's comments are spot on. His ideas on integrating systems already in place such as Super Formula and GTP engines were excellent. This keeps it accessible and attainable in a fairly short period of time. How awesome would it be to see a Super Formula car at Long Beach? Or hear one of those killer GTP engine notes bouncing off the buildings like an echo chamber? Oh yes. That would be exciting.
The fact is that Indycar is struggling to get sponsors simply due to the fact that the championship ends in September and starts only in March. Six months is a heck of a long time for a load of nothingness in terms of promotion of brands. That's why you see Budweiser , Red Bull, Monster, and others that invest in every sport but Indycar. Out of sight, out of mind.
With all races in North America, they should stretch the calendar until late October surely. They could easily host two races at multiple venues with 4 month gaps separating duplicate events
Wow, i hadn’t realized a lot of that was going on. I’ve been watching IndyCar more over the last couple of years because while NASCAR has seen more and more meddling in the racing and championship format from the sanctioning body, IndyCar seems to have racing that is much more pure and free from interference. But I’ve kind of tuned out on IndyCar during the offseason. Now I’ll be paying more attention. It would be a shame to see a series I’ve grown to appreciate so much (thanks to this channel) run into so much trouble. Thanks for laying all of that out!
Man it has been a tough couple of months
Huge indycar fan here since I first discovered the 500 in the TV guide here in Oz in 1987. I think we picked up the national championship broadcasts when the Gold Coast race started (thank God we had a VCR to deal with the time difference), then came Papyrus and there was no escape for me .... well expect for during the split of course :(.
The vast majority of my favourite motorsport memories have come from this series (and so much amazing history before my time) - perfect blend of formula driven competition, teamwork, innovation, balanced manufacturer involvement, not to mention the combination of events/circuits, endless list of world class drivers and personalities I could probably name for hours. Also so much respect for the people whose passion, experience and expertise brought it to life for me - Paul Page, Bobby Unser, Bob Varsha, Derek Daly to name but a few
And now.... David Land. I haven't even watched the end of the season yet and being so time poor would be unlikely to hear a lot of this news which is clearly so critical to the future of the sport. Love this video - such passion, dedication, genuine care and valuable insight - PLEASE Indycar TAKE NOTICE!
I would love to see InfyCar adopt the GTP engine formula
Appreciate the video David. Penske's sole focus seems to be Indy 500. Problem is it's the last thing that needs attention with series. Personally, i think need to shake up Indycar executive team and bring in some new eyes with fresh bold ideas and create urgency for change. Moto GP just brought in guy from NBA to create new marketing and promotional focus.
Definitely agree IC should be aggressive with future plans at SoS press conference even if years away. Good chance be same old stale "We're good" talking points and no transparency.
I want to be excited again for IC but in 2024 WAY more excited for IMSA, WEC (at COTA) and hell even Nascar with SVG racing. All these series have some form of excitement around them in 24 but it's crickets at IC. Sure few drivers on new teams but that's it.
It's devastating to see how IndyCar is destroying itself and I'm scared to think about where the series might be in 5 years IF the series makes it until then
Indycar should be at back at bigger ovals like Michigan, Homestead, Kansas, Kentucky, and Chicagoland
Biggest issue with the Thermal Club event is that it is practically exclusive to the "common" fan like me. I'd rather they run Sonoma for an All Star style event if not a full on race (could put Sonoma in where Laguna Seca is, and use Laguna Seca as the "All Star" event)
One of the most frustrating things has been that it really feels like there has been a huge opportunity the last few years to claw some attention back and start to get closer to the prominence of the ‘70s-‘90s and they have almost completely wasted it. What additional attention IndyCar has gained has come from outside entities like Mr. Land and a small handful of sponsors, like HyVee, but time and money towards IndyCar. The leadership seems like they’re primarily stuck on nostalgia when the future is what they should be focusing on.
I got so much flack when I said that they needed a new chassis in an Instagram comment. So many people - who were probably IRL fans - saying "BUt iT's GoOD sImPle rAcINg" (as if that's some kind of counterargument.)
I am a German and I’m deeply in love with American racing series, be it Indycar, NASCAR, Trans am or IMSA.
There is just one thing I don’t understand that every American racing series has done at least once in their lifetime..
And that is nuking itself because of entitled, incompetent managers.
Why is nobody doing anything against them?
Why aren’t the fans and drivers protesting?
I’d suggest they start listening to the young people that invested themselves in the sport.
People like David.
Invite people like him as advisors to bring in perspectives and then try to work out a functioning sport with innovative ideas.
As someone who has watched your vids since the NASCAR Authentics days and to even knowing you professionally, I appreciate the work you do to bring IndyCar news to people who need it.
I agreed with everything you said in the video. Having full transparency with fans, media, etc needs to be a thing, along with having a clear-cut plan.
Looking forward to seeing more of your stuff in ‘24 and hoping things get better for IndyCar in the near future
It all starts from the top Mr. Land. Mr. Penske perhaps doesn't have the foresight to take the sport where it needs to go far into the future. A lot of your ideas are stupendous! Best of luck!
The problem is Miles is at the helm.
I made a comment on your page back in October of 2021 that received 7 responses of insults to me about Honda bolting by 2025. Okay I was a year off. But Honda will be leaving Indy Car … this will be an enormity of domino’s imploding. Current car owners will not be involved by 2027. Andretti Autusport will only be interested in the 500. Along with RLL. Just watch
Interesting. No insults here. In my opinion, one of the exploding dominos are the legacy automakers as their businesses are disrupted by the move to electrification.
I’ve loved Indycar for 20 years no matter the hardships, short-lived popularity, controversies and lack of interest. It would be unforgivable if the sport ceased to exist.
Thank you for your honest commentary, David. I’m an IndyCar fan in NASCAR’s hometown, but can’t find the excuse/ motivation to commit to heading back to Iowa or making a weekend in Milwaukee for IndyCar with the current state of the sport.
Indycar should race in Europe and Japan.
A lot of F1 fans are fed up with the way Formula 1 is run.
F1s problems could be Indycars opportunity.
The solution is not more transparency about bad decisions and deals falling through, it's less bad decisions and less deals falling through.
"To thine own self be true" - William Shakespeare in Hamlet. Hang in there, buddy.
Remind me to give you a call soon my friend!
@@DavidLand91 do you think INDYCAR will survive in 2027.
IndyCar started screwing things up when they dropped a lot of the ovals to add road courses. I grew up when ovals were IndyCar racing. I now only watch when they run the ovals. If I want to see road courses I watch F1.
I agree, when IndyCar runs mostly road courses it becomes a poor man's F1, albeit far more entertaining, but ovals have more wow factor that a road course, especially a street course, will never have, sure, dumb casual fans might like road courses because because hur dur they can turn right, and when rookies won't run ovals because they are scared of them, there's major issues with that, drivers like Jim Clark skipped Monte Carlo so he could race in the Indy 500, yet you get drivers now who will have nothing to do with ovals, and if Honda leaves that will be bad, they need to change the engine rules and allow manufacturers like Cosworth and Judd because it seems like no manufacturers are even slightly interested in IndyCar.
As a long-time indycar fan that dates back to C.A.R.T.
Indycar was doomed after the merger with lousy and lazy owners. Indycar has become stagnant to the point that I attend the long Beach grand prix every year, but not for indycar but go Saturday for the IMSA race. BTW when I say owners, look at Michael Andretti focusing on F1 rather than indycar that made his money and notoriety. Indycar could be a world series if management pulled their heads out.
In order for Indy to succeed they need the following: 1-a video game to engage and attract younger fans. 2- a more international presence. They need to race in Mexico and South America. Eventually Europe. 3- more chassis manufacturers.
This really reminds me of how CART managed and communicated the series way back when. That it's happening again under Penske ownership doesn't surprize me.
Appreciate your thoughts and insight to everything thats been happening. We've been eatin' good lately as IndyCar fans. Hoping things don't decline too far again.
A very well done video essay/informative video etc. I would be excited for either of your ending options on engine convergence. We'll see if IndyCar listens
I think the series needs to look at all options now and come up with a strategy that attract both audience and manufacturers. Keeping everything “as is” to keep costs low is going to kill Indycar for good. I do hope they announce something to get people excited soon because I do love watching Indycar races.❤
What a fucking RESPECTABLE video David! Major shoutout for this one dude you are a real one 💪
I think that If Indycar would have hired David to help them figure out whats best for the sport they would have most likely taken his suggestions into consideration.
I do not think that the people working at Indy know whats really best for the sport and whats going to help it gain popularity over the years. Its as it they do not acknowledge the history behind their own sport and see what happened then than we can do again to make the sport great again.