Jim Bowie

So…. I really believed that the blog story that I wrote last August about the IndyCar Series - “An open letter to Randy Bernard - IZOD IndyCar Series CEO” (http://www.jimbowie.ca/Blog.php/14) - would be my last story about that series. In it, I said that the series needed three key elements. They were:

1)   the audience needs to be able to relate to the talent of the drivers

2)   there has to be a big prize

3)   you have to have the absolute very best drivers in the world in your series.

Well, with the recent announcement about the “Big Prize” on offer for the season finale at Las Vegas, I have been forced back onto the MacBook PRO…. to give my AMATEUR opinion.

Okay, so here’s the deal. If a driver from some other series, anywhere in the world, comes to Las Vegas and competes in the season-ending IndyCar race – and wins – that driver will be rewarded with a $5.0 million prize.

What could possibly go wrong?

First off, let’s try to get inside the brains of the senior types at IndyCar. Who do you think that they would consider ‘ideal’ to come and do this race? Forget the logistics, contracts, schedules and outright impossibilities… who would they hope would come? Sebastian Vettel? Dale Earnhardt, Jr.? Lewis Hamilton? Jimmie Johnson? Jeff Gordon? Tony Stewart? Juan Pablo? Or who...?

Hypothetical Scenario 1: Victory

If one these drivers came and won… what does it prove? It proves that the drivers in the IndyCar Series are NOT the best in the world. Period. And you spent $5.0 million to prove it.

Hypothetical Scenario 2: Defeat

Increased global media attention and coverage of one or two "outside series" drivers – at the expense of the existing IndyCar drivers - with little or no attention paid to the newly crowned, or about to be crowned IndyCar champion. Does anyone on this or any other planet believe that if any of the drivers that I named above lost this race to Dario Franchitti or Ryan Hunter-Reay or Danica Patrick (examples - no disrespect at all intended here) that all of a sudden the entire population of this, or any other planet will believe that IndyCar drivers are the best in the world?

Hypothetical Scenario 3: The publicity stunt

What if some struggling Sprint Cup, Nationwide or ARCA driver comes?…. hoping that the publicity will help them to get a new sticker on the side of their car?? What if Kenny “Herman, Kennah” Wallace decided to do this? Who knows how desperate for publicity Michael Waltrip will be by then… or how ‘bout Travis Pastrana. Or Sam Hornish, Jr.? What about Ricky Carmichael? Nelson Piquet, Jr.? Ken Block? Valentino Rossi? Ashley Force? What if they won? What if they lost? Think about it…. What does it prove?

Hypothetical Scenario 4: The “No Shows”

What if nobody shows up? Will IndyCar accuse every driver on the planet of being ‘scared’ to compete with the stars of IndyCar? What is the upside if nobody shows? What is the spin? Will this prove the point?.... What is the point?

In summary… if that is possible…. IndyCar is saying that it would be willing to invest $5.0 million (likely to come from the 'Hole-In-One' insurance company) to have someone from some “outside” series come and do this race, and win. They are saying that it would be worth $5.0 million to them for this to happen. They are admitting that they would see positive ROI if this happened. They are also saying that they would NOT see a ROI if they were to take that $5.0 million and invest it in their ladder system – like give it to the Lights Champ; JK Vernay. Or maybe… invest $5.0 million into a ‘personal services’ contract with Tony Kanaan, Rafa Matos, Sebastian Bourdais, Scott Speed, Michael Valiante, Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty, Michael McDowell, Oriol Servia, Jonathan Summerton, James Hinchcliffe, Daniel Morad, Robert Wickens, Brian Sellers, Simon Pagenaud…. or…???

Hey… it’s Vegas…. what the hell, just put the $5.0 million on red…. no wait…on black.