No matter who comes out on top Saturday night, IndyCar can do no wrong from the a marketing sense. Think about it for a second. Which active IndyCar driver has been featured in more commercials over the last two years? Will Power has been the main man in Verizon commercials and what do you think will happen if Power wins the championship? You can bet Verizon is going to make known the fact they sponsor a champion and feature him more now than ever.
As for Ryan Hunter-Reay, I can not recall off the top of my head any DHL or Sun Drop commercials featuring the American driver but an American champion would sure be celebrated. He and the beautiful Astor Cup could make the rounds on the ESPN shows and could make a stop at some bigger shows such as Good Morning America, maybe even a late night talk show or two.
As for personalities, neither Power or Hunter-Reay has a "bad" personality. Both are engaging, fan friendly, have some type of sense of humor and are not afraid to say what is on their mind. But the only way to get these guys in the public eye is if IndyCar can get these guys booked. They did a great job touring the Astor Cup around to different television shows and studios earlier this week but now it is the time to have a driver touring with the trophy they won. NASCAR does a great job of getting their drivers in the public eye. Doesn't matter who they are, where they come from or what type of accent they have. Let the people know who the champion is. IndyCar can do no wrong, as long as they plan to get the champion in the spotlight, no matter who it is.
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