IndyCar Ideas: Part One

Last weekend was an off weekend for IndyCar but that does not mean my mind stopped thinking about the premier open-wheel racing series in North America. If anything, the off time allowed me to think about the sport and where it needs to be strengthen. It was a time of brainstorming and trying to use creativity to help the series going forward. A few things have been on my mind in particular the past few weeks. Indianapolis and the ladder system are just a few of the things that came to mind. These ideas aren't perfect and each have their own flaws which I hope to cover as well as the positive things these ideas could do for IndyCar.

Originally I had plan to do just one post but after typing I realized how long the post was going to be and have decided to break it into multiple parts. Keep an eye out for the following parts over the next through days.

Bump Day at Indianapolis
There is nothing wrong with the day itself. It is fine the way it is; however, there has been a lack of bumping over the past decade. 2010 and 2011 were the highlight years for bump day since the split in 1996 and bump day has mostly been a calm Sunday afternoon and this year appears will be no different. Everyone optimistically wants 34 or 35 cars for Indianapolis this year and with Honda already announcing they will have 17 engine packages on the ready for May, one hopes Chevrolet matches and we will see 34 car going for 33 spots.

Part of me wants to see 40 cars show up and having more than one or two team frantically sweating out the final hours on bump day. These current times do no really promote that type of competition though. If IndyCar still had a third manufacture and that manufacture actually had the funds necessary to run an IndyCar program (unlike Lotus), then it could be possible. Should a time come when three manufactures each pony up 13 cars for Indianapolis, then 40 isn't even a question. As of today though, 33 with a slim possibility of a 34th entry is what we are left with.

The Idea: Raise Car Counts at Indianapolis
I know, easier said than done. However, what if IndyCar could work with the manufactures so each had to be able to supply a certain number of entries for Indianapolis? Kind of like what IndyCar does now for the full season. After Lotus withdrew in late 2012, Chevrolet and Honda each had to be able to field 60 percent of a 26 car grid. What if IndyCar raised that number for Indianapolis? What if IndyCar said to the manufactures for Indianapolis they had to be able to field 60 percent of a 33 car grid? Currently, the manufactures have to be able to field 16 (rounded up from 15.6) of 26 cars. If IndyCar were to say the manufactures had to be able to field 60 percent of 33 cars, that number would increase to 19.8, or a nice round 20 cars.

Flaws In The Idea: This idea is not bulletproof. 1. You have to get the engine manufactures to agree to this before you can enforce it.

2. Resources are stretched as it is for teams. There is almost no possible way the current amount of teams could be able to prepare 40 cars and engines for the month of May. You would need outside teams to come in for an Indianapolis one-off but how can you get team interested to do a one-off program they are currently not interested in?

3. Even if you were to raise the minimum, there is no way to force each manufacture to run the full allotment. All the rule says is each manufacture has to be able to supply 60 percent, not each manufacture must supply 60 percent. You can enact the rule but Chevrolet and Honda still may only run 17 cars a piece and show IndyCar they have the ability to field the full quota if needed to do so.

What Steps Could Be Taken To Make This a Reality?: 1. Talk to the manufactures about the importance of bumping. Instead of having an hour of qualifying on Sunday because only the first eight rows are filled on Saturday and five hours of practice afterward, get the manufactures excited about bumping cars. Bump day is a big chance for Indianapolis 500 promotion. Besides the six-plus hours of coverage NBC Sports Network gives, talk to ESPN about having an Indianapolis 500 preview special on bump day the week before the race. Have it air after the gun has sounded. Once again, there is no way you can force ESPN to do that and ESPN probably isn't interested to begin with.

2. As for getting other teams interested, talk to the manufactures about bringing teams from other series to the Speedway. Hypothetically, Chevrolet could bring in Wayne Taylor Racing, Bob Stallings Racing and Action Express Racing from Grand-Am not to mention the possibility (though awfully unlikely) of getting a NASCAR team to do Indianapolis. Honda could call upon Greg Pickett Racing, Extreme Speed Motorsports (owned by Scott Sharp) and Level 5 Motorsports from ALMS. For this to happen though, the manufactures have to get the other teams engage and show how important winning Indianapolis is to them that they are going to the depth of their arsenal and bringing out all the big guns. The next obstacle for this to happen is supplying the teams with the necessary chassis and engine packages. Chassis and engines are not cheap, even for an Indianapolis one-off. I bet Chevrolet and Honda could cut a deal on engines for the teams doing Indianapolis but I doubt Dallara would do the same. Even though we are in year two of the DW12, it's not like there are chassis galore for everyone and their brother. Even technical alliances with current IndyCar teams are unlikely.

In reality, this idea of a 40 car, all-out, Chevrolet vs. Honda dogfight on bump day is never going to happen. Even if it were to, it's another two or three years away or whenever Dallara or somebody else comes up with a new chassis and the DW12s are grandfathered in. The resources, both manufactural and financial, are not available at the current moment to make it possible nor is the outside interest of running Indianapolis high enough to get the necessary one-offs. It is a stretch but getting 40 cars with hopefully some recognizable drivers for the average racing fan to attempt Indianapolis would not hurt the series or the race.