ChrisB
05-07-04, 10:44 PM
So now I hear that Nazareth might not be in the IRL's future. Before anyone disparages the track, consider this pic of the 1997 Bosch GP:
http://www.netaxs.com/~gg1/race/naz/naz_97.jpg
I have a Nazareth history page here (http://www.netaxs.com/~gg1/race/naz/index.html) for more.
Attendance peaked in '97 at about 45k after growing year after year. Then what happened?
1998: Rain-out, held Monday. This probably annoyed many fans.
1999: Horrible race due to no-grip "speedway" wings. More fans annoyed.
2000: Friggin' Snow! Yet even more fans turned off.
2001: Good weather, but CART leaving (and Roger & Mario openly begging them reconsider) probably didn't look too good to fans either.
2002: First IRL race. rain drizzle... 52% of laps run under yellow. More fans annoyed.
2003: Finally a summer date, but hardly anyone shows up.
Year after year, things just piled on to annoy the fans. Add in "the split" to also decimate the general sponsor & media base and it's no wonder.
If the IRL leaves Nazareth, it'll be the first time in my lifetime of no Indy/Champ races in the Philly area... this after having Trenton, Langhorne, Pocono, & Nazareth. I don't see the Mattiolis having Indy cars back if Naz goes... despite Pocono having been designed by Roger Ward for Champ/Indy cars.
Racewriter has some good posts around here on the situation with Nazareth, of how Craig Rust is running both Naz and the Glen. Myself, I found it weird that the 2004 Naz fan guide gave Watkins Glen as the return address.
Nazareth Speedways biggest problem is the lack of passing, for 2 reasons:
1. It's too narrow... only 50ft wide on the front and 60ft on the backstretch. Consider that the Milwaukee Mile is 70ft wide all around.
2. No long stretches to make passes... the dogleg turns on the front just doesn't allow cars to get a run and make a pass. The backstretch is the only place. Combined with the narrow widths, it just doesn't work well for passing.
From a spectators POV... it's a great track... everything is so close. (but they need to keep the infield clear of RV's).
My suggestions:
1. Widen it to 70ft all around
2. Put T2 back out closer the road as it was years earlier (this will lengthen the backstretch)
3. Morph the front dogleg into a sweeping "D-shape" like PPIR (http://www.ppir.com/PPIRSite/images/art/map_track.gif) which is also a 1-miler.
And what about lights for a Sat night race?
http://www.netaxs.com/~gg1/race/naz/naz_97.jpg
I have a Nazareth history page here (http://www.netaxs.com/~gg1/race/naz/index.html) for more.
Attendance peaked in '97 at about 45k after growing year after year. Then what happened?
1998: Rain-out, held Monday. This probably annoyed many fans.
1999: Horrible race due to no-grip "speedway" wings. More fans annoyed.
2000: Friggin' Snow! Yet even more fans turned off.
2001: Good weather, but CART leaving (and Roger & Mario openly begging them reconsider) probably didn't look too good to fans either.
2002: First IRL race. rain drizzle... 52% of laps run under yellow. More fans annoyed.
2003: Finally a summer date, but hardly anyone shows up.
Year after year, things just piled on to annoy the fans. Add in "the split" to also decimate the general sponsor & media base and it's no wonder.
If the IRL leaves Nazareth, it'll be the first time in my lifetime of no Indy/Champ races in the Philly area... this after having Trenton, Langhorne, Pocono, & Nazareth. I don't see the Mattiolis having Indy cars back if Naz goes... despite Pocono having been designed by Roger Ward for Champ/Indy cars.
Racewriter has some good posts around here on the situation with Nazareth, of how Craig Rust is running both Naz and the Glen. Myself, I found it weird that the 2004 Naz fan guide gave Watkins Glen as the return address.
Nazareth Speedways biggest problem is the lack of passing, for 2 reasons:
1. It's too narrow... only 50ft wide on the front and 60ft on the backstretch. Consider that the Milwaukee Mile is 70ft wide all around.
2. No long stretches to make passes... the dogleg turns on the front just doesn't allow cars to get a run and make a pass. The backstretch is the only place. Combined with the narrow widths, it just doesn't work well for passing.
From a spectators POV... it's a great track... everything is so close. (but they need to keep the infield clear of RV's).
My suggestions:
1. Widen it to 70ft all around
2. Put T2 back out closer the road as it was years earlier (this will lengthen the backstretch)
3. Morph the front dogleg into a sweeping "D-shape" like PPIR (http://www.ppir.com/PPIRSite/images/art/map_track.gif) which is also a 1-miler.
And what about lights for a Sat night race?