Would you keep the ChampCar name?

[Chaos]

One could argue that CART/ChampCar has had an identity crisis for quite sometime. And with the potential ownership change, it's as good a time as any.

Personally, I'm indifferent. If they change the name, it has to be catchy ala NASCAR, F1...

actually, that's a bit of a lie, I bought an orange and black ChampCar jacket and hate to see it go out-of-date so soon :)

[Warlock!]

I'm glad they finally started using ChampCar... I'd keep it.

Warlock!

[Railbird]

ChampCars have been Champcars for a long time.

I'll agree with Warlock, I'm glad they finaly started using the term officialy.

[Jay]

I think they should work on building the "Champ car" name along with "CART"... Unfortuantely it seems (at least in Canada) almost nobody outside of racing knows what a 'Champcar' is... a few know what CART is....more often than not, I find myself explaining it as "Like the Indy 500, but on road courses".

[RR. RS.]

They are Champcars.... so the name should stick.
The CART Champcars.

[rabbit]

Keep it.

[pchall]

They've been champcars since I first started paying attention around 1967...

The IRL has been chumpcars since 1996. ;)

[Jag_Warrior]

Please, please, please let's not even consider changing the name anymore. Most people are still struggling with the conceptual difference between Indy cars and Champ cars. It only matters to us few. When people refer to CART's racers as Indy cars, I don't correct them anymore. They have a picture in their minds of 1994-95 Indy racing (the last year or so that people still gave a crap), so I don't want to confuse them with semantics.

CART's main problem (IMO) over the years is that it's had almost zero consistency in what it set out to do. CART's had more failed (well meaning) initiatives than the company I work for. And believe me, that's a bunch!

[Jay]

Just a thought...most of the people at the "Molson Indy" races still refer to them as "Indycars" anyway...and many still think PT drives Indycar...as Jag_Warrior said, the name only matters to a few of us.

[Ziggy]

Quick, somebody start a thread about switching to V10's on gasoline......

Ziggy

[Joelski]

When I try to say "innycar", I can't do it without adding the hillbilly inflection. I also get nauseated at the thought of what the idiot grandson has done to the history of that once great name. I think ChampCar is a fine name for the best cars in open wheel racing.

Oh, and screw V-10's and keep the turbos! There is a ton of yet-to-be discovered technological advances left in the current engine package.

[nrc]

Part of the trouble CART faced this year was changing their brand identity (logo, colors, name, etc) at a time when everyone was saying that CART (the FedEx Championship Series) was dead.

Stick with ChampCar. Come up with a five year transition plan to force the Canadian and Australian venues to drop the "Indy" name.

Oh, and anyone who suggests a name with "formula" in it should be slapped silly.

[Ankf00]

Originally posted by nrc
Part of the trouble CART faced this year was changing their brand identity (logo, colors, name, etc) at a time when everyone was saying that CART (the FedEx Championship Series) was dead.

Stick with ChampCar. Come up with a five year transition plan to force the Canadian and Australian venues to drop the "Indy" name.

Oh, and anyone who suggests a name with "formula" in it should be slapped silly.

I'm with this dude

[RaceGrrl]

Keep the Champ Car name and the logo. I'm rather fond of it. ;)

[RTKar]

Originally posted by RaceGrrl
Keep the Champ Car name and the logo. I'm rather fond of it. ;)


Umm...yea...keep the ChampCar name. :eek:

[ChrisB]

Keep ChampCar!

The only good alternative might be "Formula A" which is what F5000 was previously called in the 60's. (Formula Atlantic used to be called "Formula B" in the 60's also)

[pchall]

Originally posted by Jag_Warrior


CART's main problem (IMO) over the years is that it's had almost zero consistency in what it set out to do. CART's had more failed (well meaning) initiatives than the company I work for. And believe me, that's a bunch!

I'm still pissed that CART put years of brand equity in "Indycars" and walked away with nothing. If anything, they got a yearly brand debit in colateral damage as the IRL besmirched openwheel racing in the US for the last eight years.

[pchall]

Originally posted by ChrisB
Keep ChampCar!

The only good alternative might be "Formula A" which is what F5000 was previously called in the 60's. (Formula Atlantic used to be called "Formula B" in the 60's also)

If memory serves, FA was the 5.0l OHV/3.0l DOHC equivalent of F1. FB was the equivalent of the 2.0l F2 and FC was to be the 1000cc/1600cc F3. The early Atlantics were closer to a North American F3 at the beginning than an NA F2. What used to be "Atlantics" -- all those Ralts and Martinis and whatnot still run in SCCA as FC.

[Jag_Warrior]

Originally posted by pchall
I'm still pissed that CART put years of brand equity in "Indycars" and walked away with nothing. If anything, they got a yearly brand debit in colateral damage as the IRL besmirched openwheel racing in the US for the last eight years.

I'm still pissed that after the First Battle of Indy, CART had routed the pretenders (led by Generalissimo Montoya :) ), but refused to make any mention of it. Then after the Second Battle of Indy (another route)... the same thing. Just kept holding out that dopey olive branch. How did King George thank CART for its (naive) kindness? He made comments about taking hammers & nails to work and what not. By the Third Battle... most of our guys had switched sides. The one that didn't had a victory stolen from him.

Leo Mehl said that if the CART runners ever came back to Indy, they'd get their doors blown off. Now they own the place... again. Even if just to put on a show, CART should have talked some smack. They wouldn't go for Chris Pook on the first go-around... maybe they should have hired Don King. :laugh:

[Canon2292]

I hate the name "Champcar". It sounds like something Bob Eucker(or however you spell his name) would say. But I wear my Champcar baseball cap proudly everywhere I go. I can't think of anything better than "Champcar". Obviously, if one of the more psychotic members killed George and stuff, I'd prefer Indycar. I guess if anyone wants to indulge in Paypal, I'd take up the offer of hitman.J/K;)

[Railbird]

Cannon

I'm interested in knowing why you would be so fond of a name lifted out of an old Beach Boy's tune rather than a historicaly correct term for cars chasing a championship.

[Canon2292]

Because I have that unenviable image of Bob Eucker(of baseball and Mr. Belvedere fame) screaming out the name "Champcar". Otherwise, I'd be down with it.

[Railbird]

So you are more comfortable with Mike Love squealing "fun fun fun"?

[Canon2292]

Sorry, I'm aware that the Beach Boys are a cornerstone of rock, but I'm not sure what you're driving at. All I get from "fun, fun, fun" is "...till Daddy took the T-Bird away." I'm still in my twentys, and the Beach Boys don't have a very big influence on me. But Mr. Belvedere does.:p

[Railbird]

The term "Indy 500" and thus the term "Indy" was first used in that pop drivel.

I'm an Indy-centric, born and raised in the shadow of IMS, and I was puked out when the drag racers started using the term "Indy" to refer to their annual trip to the US Nationals.

Then, when the established National Championship series started using it, I was more than a little uncomfortable with the cheapness of it.


Well she got her daddy's car
And she cruised through the hamburger stand now
Seems she forgot all about the library
Like she told her old man now
And with the radio blasting
Goes cruising just as fast as she can now

And she'll have fun fun fun
'Til her daddy takes the T-Bird away
(Fun fun fun 'til her daddy takes the T-Bird away)

Well the girls can't stand her
'Cause she walks looks and drives like an ace now
(You walk like an ace now you walk like an ace)
She makes the Indy 500 look like a Roman chariot race now
(You look like an ace now you look like an ace)
A lotta guys try to catch her
But she leads them on a wild goose chase now
(You drive like an ace now you drive like an ace)

And she'll have fun fun fun
'Til her daddy takes the T-Bird away
(Fun fun fun 'til her daddy takes the T-Bird away)

Well you knew all along
That your dad was gettin' wise to you now
(You shouldn't have lied now you shouldn't have lied)
And since he took your set of keys
You've been thinking that your fun is all through now
(You shouldn't have lied now you shouldn't have lied)
But you can come along with me
'Cause we gotta a lot of things to do now
(You shouldn't have lied now you shouldn't have lied)

And we'll have fun fun fun now that daddy took the T-Bird away
(Fun fun fun now that daddy took the T-Bird away)
And we'll have fun fun fun now that daddy took the T-Bird away
(Fun fun fun now that daddy took the T-Bird away)
(fun fun now that daddy took the T-Bird away)
(fun fun now that daddy took the T-Bird away)
(fun fun now that daddy took the T-Bird away)
(fun fun now that daddy took the T-Bird away)
(fun fun now that daddy took the T-Bird away)
(fun fun now that daddy took the T-Bird away)

[Ziggy]

Jag Warrior, loved that post. Right On!!!

CART was so nice, Tony stole it!

Ziggy

[Canon2292]

Yep, I'm definitely more fond of Mike Love's "fun, fun, fun..." than I am of Bob Eucker's "Hey Champ...!". Just my feelings. I grew up in Sacramento, where racing of any kind gets no soundbites or print. So don't take issue with me, because after all the racing I've watched, without the hype of fans or news coverage(there is none), I'm a confirmed hardcore CART fan. I've never met anyone, outside the internet, that even knew what CART was. You grew up in Indy, with racing all around you, in print and in person. I don't know what you know, but don't condemn me for it.

[Railbird]

no condemning from me canon.

I'm just an old fart offering up a little historical perspective.

Zig and Jag:

IMO

The Captain shushed the trash talk after CART's romps in order to keep himself in good standing with the yellow shirts.

[lone_groover]

Railbird, do you know MELANCHOLY BABY?

:)

[rabbit]

Originally posted by Railbird
IMO

The Captain shushed the trash talk after CART's romps in order to keep himself in good standing with the yellow shirts. I wouldn't doubt that. I think CART had TG on the ropes after 2000 and 2001 and screwed the pooch by helping him out of the corner and not throwing the knockout punch. (apologies for the bad boxing analogy)

[Andrew Longman]

I've got my orange hat. Keep the name. Anything but Indycar (5 years ago I would never have said that).

[Sean O'Gorman]

Indy car is a stupid name, lets keep what we got.

[Corner5]

Keep Champcar,the one other name I heard was American Grand Prix!