FUMES

October 3, 2012

Randy Bernard shakes up IndyCar's 2013 schedule, but does it go far enough?

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

(Posted 10/2, 9:00 a.m.) Detroit. IndyCar boasts nineteen races over sixteen weekends next season, in a revamped schedule designed by CEO Randy Bernard to generate more awareness for the perennially struggling series. The 2013 schedule has Indycar returning to Pocono for a 400-mile race and for a weekend on the temporary street course in Houston. It also features a return of a "Triple Crown" award, which will pay a driver a $1 million bonus if he or she wins the Indianapolis 500, the Pocono 400-miler and the 500-mile race at Auto Club Speedway at the end of the season. A driver who wins two of the three races will be awarded a $250,000 bonus. Also new are Saturday-Sunday doubleheader events at Detroit, Toronto and Houston.

On the surface I agree with everything Bernard's doing, but does it go far enough? No, of course not.

First of all, the schedule doesn't include America's most historic and storied natural-terrain road racing circuit, Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, which is a flat-out travesty. Readers of this column know why this is so, too, but it doesn't make it more palatable or any easier to accept. Michael Andretti's race promotion outfit is behind the IndyCar race at The Milwaukee Mile, and he has managed to come to an "understanding" with Bernard that Road America - which in Andretti's mind is a direct conflict with his event - will not be added to IndyCar's schedule for a while, or until such time as The Milwaukee Mile weekend is established enough that a road race some 60 minutes to the north two months later will not be a threat. That's simply total bullshit and everyone in on that decision knows it. An Indycar schedule without Road America stinks, no matter how you slice it.

Secondly, the new promotional "gimmick" this year is the Saturday-Sunday doubleheader weekends at Detroit, Toronto and Houston, which will feature a standing start on Saturday and a rolling start on Sunday. As Bernard said on "Wind Tunnel" Sunday night on the Speed channel, the doubleheader events will be great for the spectators and the race promoters, and they will generate enhanced visibility for the sport. Bernard also said they would highlight the diversity that IndyCar drivers face with the myriad driving challenges put before them. I agree with the doubleheaders, because they certainly give enthusiasts who actually make the effort to go to an IndyCar event a full plate of racing to experience. But why not go to standing starts on all road courses, period? What's the point of doing it both ways? There should be a clear demarcation between the ovals and the road courses on the IndyCar schedule, and having standing starts would be a great way to make that point and enhance the excitement. Memo to Randy: If you really want to generate more "buzz" have standing starts on all of the road courses and be done with it.

And while I'm at it, the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, should be on the schedule, too, but I'm sure that will happen years from now, when it seems convenient and there's no conflict, whether real or imagined. Other than that, can you please tell me what the standout events on the Indycar schedule are? I mean the really "gotta watch-gotta be there-gotta go" events? Indianapolis? Absolutely. Hands down it remains the single greatest motor race in the world and the crown jewel on IndyCar's schedule. After that, then what? Pocono? Maybe, but they sure better anchor those SAFER barriers. Texas? Every race they run there I'm just glad to see it end without anyone getting injured. St. Petersburg, Houston, Detroit, Long Beach, Toronto, Baltimore? Considering each and every one of those races suffers from the dreaded "CSS" (Can't See Shit) syndrome, uh, not so much. Barber, Mid-Ohio and Sonoma? If those are the only natural-terrain circuits I can get, I'll take them. Milwaukee? For historical context only. Iowa? Fine. The Auto Club Speedway as the season ender? No thanks.

I'm more than a bit underwhelmed. The revamped IndyCar schedule is predictable bordering on the lackluster. And that's not good enough by any stretch of the imagination. This series needs more than just doubleheaders and standing starts, it needs more engine manufacturer support, period. With more engine manufacturers comes more promotional dollars and larger marketing budgets. And with more promotion and marketing comes more visibility for the series. And when the series gets more visibility it gets more credibility. That's how it works.

I applaud Randy Bernard for trying. As I've said repeatedly I think he's done a superb job against some pretty daunting odds. But this schedule is just okay. And that's not good enough.

2013 IZOD IndyCar Series Schedule

Date	Track	City
March 24	Streets of St. Petersburg	St. Petersburg, Fla.
April 7	Barber Motorsports Park	Birmingham, Ala.
April 21	Streets of Long Beach	Long Beach, Calif.
May 5	Streets of Sao Paulo	Sao Paulo, Brazil
May 26	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Indianapolis
June 1	Raceway at Belle Isle Park	Detroit
June 2	Raceway at Belle Isle Park	Detroit
June 8	Texas Motor Speedway*	Fort Worth, Texas
June 15	The Milwaukee Mile	West Allis, Wis.
June 23	Iowa Speedway	Newton, Iowa
July 7	Pocono International Raceway	Long Pond, Pa.
July 13	Streets of Toronto	Toronto
July 14	Streets of Toronto	Toronto
Aug. 4	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course	Lexington, Ohio
Aug. 25	Raceway at Sonoma	Sonoma, Calif.
Sept. 1	Streets of Baltimore	Baltimore
Oct. 5	Reliant Park	Houston
Oct. 6	Reliant Park	Houston
Oct. 19	Auto Club Speedway*	Fontana, Calif.

 *Denotes Night Race                                                           Schedule subject to change

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 by Dave Friedman Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)
Indianapolis, Indiana, 1965. Jim Clark waits in his No. 82 Lotus 38-Ford for a tire change during practice for the Indianapolis 500. Clark led 190 of the 200 laps in the "500" that year in one of the most dominant performances ever seen at The Speedway. Clark remains the only driver in history to win the Indianapolis 500 and the Formula 1 World Championship in the same year. Parnelli Jones (No. 98 Agajanian Hurst Kuzma Lotus-Ford) was second and rookie Mario Andretti (No. 12 Dean Van Lines Brawner-Ford) was third. Watch highlights of the race here.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

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