IndyStar's Bob Kravitz Smells The Coffee

[Chief]

Are 33 Cars Important? Very Much So (http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/1/042913-3371-036.html)




Still, the damage is done. To the event's reputation. To its image. To its standing as The Greatest Spectacle In Racing. And to the sport itself.
Until the field is filled -- if it is filled -- the question will be asked: What does this say about the sport's most celebrated event, its crown jewel?



This much we know: Brian Barnhart and friends better be right when they say the field will be filled. If the grid isn't complete, nobody will remember the remarkable job drivers and crews did battling the pole day winds or the race itself. All anybody will remember is how the grid wasn't complete. The number 33 does matter. At Indy, tradition always matters.



Quite ironic but that last line could read "At Indy, tradition USED to matter".

[Kate]

The IRL 500 is/was not "the greatest race in the world." It is the (Formerly) "Greatest race in the UNITED STATES." And it's basically only the United States that notices it is a fading shadow of its old self now.

The 24 Hours du Mans is the greatest race in the world.

Maybe when US Sportswriters begin to wake up and smell the Espresso, things will improve.

[RTKar]

Originally posted by Kate
The IRL 500 is/was not "the greatest race in the world." It is the (Formerly) "Greatest race in the UNITED STATES." And it's basically only the United States that notices it is a fading shadow of its old self now.

The 24 Hours du Mans is the greatest race in the world.

Maybe when US Sportswriters begin to wake up and smell the Espresso, things will improve.


I would argue that the Indy 500 was on par with Le Mans up until the early 70's. When drivers such as Clark, Hill, Stewart, Rindt drove in in, the race carried a tremendous amount of weight in the the motorsports arena but today it's a mere shadow of it's former self. I think with Piquets attempts at the 500 several years back, we saw the last of the truly great world class drivers from another series
appear in the 500, which is indicative of it's fall in stature world wide. The inception of the irl with dumbed down specs have only furthered the fall.

[RaceGrrl]

Originally posted by Kate
The IRL 500 is/was not "the greatest race in the world." It is the (Formerly) "Greatest race in the UNITED STATES."

The 24 Hours du Mans is the greatest race in the world.

As with all things it's a matter of opinion, isn't it, Kate?

[Hink]

What RTKar said. Indy of the mid 60s to the early 70s was the biggest in the world. It had the biggest crowds, biggest purses, and top drivers came from everywhere.

[SteveH]

Image is elusive. It takes forever to build a good one but only a very short while to ruin it. Concentrating on building a good image quite often looks false and rings hollow. I suspect Indy is just beginning to feel the real effects of the irl. It will only get worse. The criticisms of the irl meant nothing as long as their are full fields and packed stands. Now that neither has a real possibility of happening, it will only be harder to maintain the image Indy presently has, which is diminished from 10 years ago. Indy's image has to be built on what happens in May, not the rest of the season, no one really cares about the irl beyond the month of May. Its not controlled by the economy.

[Kate]

Indianapolis was the greatest race in the United States because it was essentially all most people knew about -- before cable tv and satellites and the internet, it took weeks to get any news from overseas and you really had to want to know what was going on over there.

And to 95% of America, the world exists between their own borders and that is the way they prefer it to be. So I suppose they are sad at seeing their own shrine desecrated as perhaps the Europeans were when they gutted Monza (I know I was!) and closed down Spa Francorchamps. I realise Sam Hornish Jr. will still eat his Cheerios tomorrow although Monza no longer has the Parabolica of old, and he will never lose a day of sleep because he can't try to drive Eau Rouge in his go-kart. But at least he'll always have Talladega.:cry:

[Ziggy]

I dont think Bob Kravitz could smell the coffee if he were sitting in a Starbucks

Ziggy