THE QUANDARY FACING INDYCAR.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. It is apparent with the announcement that IndyCar rules will remain the same in 2017, and with a return to a common - albeit sleeker and much racier looking - bodywork aero package in 2018, that IndyCar is in a holding pattern for the foreseeable future.

And it is easy to understand why.

First of all, I have the utmost respect for the teams - and the team owners - involved in IndyCar. The major teams and even the second-tier teams have been around a long time. They employ a lot of people, providing steady employment in racing for a solid group of capable and talented individuals. This is no insignificant thing. The fact that these teams have been able to sustain a thriving business in the face of the sponsorship drain to NASCAR over the years is remarkable and is to be commended. But it certainly hasn't been easy by any means.

The constant search for sponsor money is a debilitating slog for IndyCar team owners. Why? Boardroom presentations revolve around the measurable - and positive - impact of the Indianapolis 500, which is obvious. But at the same time these team owners and their marketing representatives must convince potential sponsor/partners that it's worth it to step up to a package that will cover an entire season of expenses, even though the ratings for the races before and after the "500" are dismal. When it comes to sponsorship in motorsports, this is by far one of the toughest "asks" out there.

This puts the team owners in a very difficult position. If it's a choice between welcoming more innovation into the sport, or maintaining what they have as a sustainable business, it's easy to see why they would choose the more conservative path. Because the reality is that by turning away from innovation - and the crushing expenses associated with it - it allows them to keep going.

I have written extensively over the last several months ("A Major Shift For Audi. And For Racing" and "The Hum Of Change Is About To Takeover Racing" to name just two columns. -WG) about the future of racing and what lies in store for the sport. Much of what I've concluded is ominous, because the price of innovation will become so high that some forms of the sport will basically fall back to becoming major league "vintage" racing series locked in a spec mindset that pretends that the world around them doesn't exist.

NASCAR is already there and has been for years. And without a major influx of serious financial backing from at least two additional engine manufacturers, IndyCar will be stuck in this stagnant pattern, which places a priority on maintaining the status quo.

As I said, if it's a choice between embracing innovation (and with the staggering costs involved) and presenting Indy-type racing as it basically exists right now in a financially conservative - and sustainable - manner, the IndyCar owners will opt for the latter every time.

And I certainly can't blame the IndyCar owners for doing it. But if IndyCar is ever going to become an innovative racing environment again, one that projects toward the future of the sport, the owners and the participating manufacturers will have to take a different path.

It's a quandary that is not going away anytime soon.

And that's the High-Octane Truth for this week.

Editor's Note: This is Part 1 of a two-part series on the future of IndyCar. Watch for Peter's controversial concept for the future of the Indianapolis 500 next week. -WG

Editor's Note: Many of you have seen Peter's references over the years to the Hydrogen Electric Racing Federation (HERF), which he launched in 2007. For those of you who weren't following AE at the time, you can read two of HERF's press releases here and here. And for even more details (including a link to Peter's announcement speech), check out the HERF entry on Wikipedia here. -WG

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Photo courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)

Indianapolis, Indiana, Monday, 26, 1980. The front row of that year's USAC Indianapolis 500 on the pace lap. Pole-sitter Johnny Rutherford (No. 4 Chaparral Racing Pennzoil Chaparral/Cosworth) leads Mario Andretti (No. 12 Roger Penske Essex Penske/Cosworth) and Bobby Unser (No. 11 Roger Penske Norton Spirit Penske/Cosworth) down to the start of the race. Rutherford would go on to win the race in dominant fashion in the highly innovative, ground effect Chaparral 2K designed by John Barnard. Rutherford would also go on to win the CART championship that year. Andretti suffered a blown engine - and DNF - while Unser retired with ignition issues. Tom Sneva (No. 9 Jerry O'Connell Bonjour Action Jeans McLaren/Cosworth) finished second and Gary Bettenhausen (No. 46 Sherman Armstrong Armstrong Moulding Wildcat/DGS) finished third. Watch higlight videos of the race here and here.