Pole *Yawn* Day

[racer2c]

So much for the added drama of fake bumping. Yes, I watched. Not every minute, but a good portion including the last hour that was purported to be the “drama hour”. Time and time again, after the drone of what I believe was a half asleep Gray Ray, subsided drivers would claim that they just don’t know how to get anymore speed out of their cars. “we’ll go back and make some changes”. Oh yea? What kind of changes. Manning actually went as far as to say they changed some gears. Whoa. Hold on Nelly! Gone are the days of tweaking the cars to get a few more mph to gain some positions after a risky wave off. Those ‘IndyCars’, are mere shadows of a Champ Car.

My goodness, just when you think it can’t get any worse, Tony’s crew does, on every level too. The TV coverage was abysmal. The fake drama was not dramatic in the least. The cars are a joke. There is no razor edge driving out there. It’s ‘hold it to the floor until the checkered flag drops’. The mysterious back end swaps magically disappeared today when in the past; the cars would have been trimmed out even more.

It is to the point now where ABC/ESPN and Tony’s spin doctors just can’t hide or spin how bad it truly has become. I watched the entire time today shaking my head in disgust.

Now I read again that Peniske wants to reunite again. No **** Rog. You of all people should be able to see how far it’s fallen.

[dando]

Wasn't Tony Stewart available for a cameo this year to spice things up? :gomer:

I couldn't stomach more than a few minutes of the coverage, but I also noted that Lingner was the production group for it. If that thing ain't C^RT 2, I don't know what is. :shakehead

-Kevin

[Jag_Warrior]

Why do you guys bother to watch this $#!^?

I used to live for Indy and the month of May. Today I watched Craftsman Truck Series racing, and I say that with NO shame.

It's over. It's probably not going to return. Like most of Tony George's brain cells, the Indy 500 (as we knew it) is dead.

Let it go...

Other than Robin Miller royally busting Chip Ganassi's balls on Wind Tunnel, there is nothing about this charade that interests me now.

Let it go.

[Paintergeek]

Why do you guys bother to watch this $#!^?


It's over. It's probably not going to return. Like most of Tony George's brain cells, the Indy 500 (as we knew it) is dead.

Let it go...


Let it go.

ding ding ding...............

[dando]

JW, Indy died for me after '96, with only brief interest when C^RT returned. It's dead, and nothing can bring it back. However, there's something theraputic about bashing in the month of May. :)

-Kevin

[Sean O'Gorman]

I'll be honest, I still had an interest in Indy (and the IRL) until the start of the 2003 season. Of course, I never really had much exposure to Indy other than the race itself prior to 1998, the main attraction to me were pole and bump days. When the drama left those, so did my interest.

[Jag_Warrior]

I didn't mean that to sound like I was attacking the people here who watch (and bash :laugh: ) Indy. I used to watch the old races on ESPN Classic each May, but I've even tired of that. When you think back to how great it was and then see it now, it's just too pitiful to watch (for me) anymore. Leg and foot injuries aside, the mid to late 80's Indy/Champ Cars were just the coolest looking race cars on the planet (IMO). I saw the IRL cars on Speed News last night. They make Phyllis Diller look like Miss America. :(

I would have never imagined that an Indy fan would have to create excuses for down crowds and sub-NASCAR ratings. But that's what's happening. People flock to Graceland on Elvis' birthday and people flock to Indy in late May. Anyone see a parallel?

Another reason I don't watch is because it would just make me angry. I'm trying to be more positive these days. Watching Indy as a shadow of its former self would just make me want to kick something (or someone).

[Wheel-Nut]

Hey 2c, I just have to ask . . . . Was it a PRESSURE COOKER SITUATION?

Do you think Greg Ray overused that phrase?? I wanted to reach through the TV and choke him!!

Oh yeah, the last hour sucked!!

[racer2c]

Hey 2c, I just have to ask . . . . Was it a PRESSURE COOKER SITUATION?

Do you think Greg Ray overused that phrase?? I wanted to reach through the TV and choke him!!

Oh yeah, the last hour sucked!!

To tell you the truth I couldn't make out 75% of what he was mumbling. Great on air talent!

I did hear him say that one team had an "unsuperior" car.

The Indy 500 is like a train wreck...

[Andrew Longman]

I was also struck (an reminded) just how uninteresting the IRL formula is. There is so little they can do to make the car quicker if the starting point is to trim all the wing out. What's left? A little tire pressure adjustment? A tweek the sping? A little taller gear? Cheat the rev limiter?

And no matter what they do, the driver is flat out all the way around. There is no pucker factor to qualifying. Remember the days when keeping your foot in it at Indy was an act of either lunacy or bravery?

[oddlycalm]

I'm content to have a laugh while reading the amusing comments by those who did watch, or catch BiF's latest take. I can understand watching and being amused for it's train wreck value, but not enough to actually spend any time watching.

oc

[RTKar]

I was also struck (an reminded) just how uninteresting the IRL formula is. There is so little they can do to make the car quicker if the starting point is to trim all the wing out. What's left? A little tire pressure adjustment? A tweek the sping? A little taller gear? Cheat the rev limiter?

And no matter what they do, the driver is flat out all the way around. There is no pucker factor to qualifying. Remember the days when keeping your foot in it at Indy was an act of either lunacy or bravery?

Amen to that, maybe they could use an old Pinewood Derby trick and put some graphite on the axles :gomer:

[Andrew Longman]

I'm content to have a laugh while reading the amusing comments by those who did watch, or catch BiF's latest take. I can understand watching and being amused for it's train wreck value, but not enough to actually spend any time watching.

oc

Funny thing. I had to take my daugher to a lacrosse game and actually spent the time to find out where on my car XM radio they were covering qualifying. Call it muscle memory, habit, wishing for a train wreck, nothing else going on, or whatever, but my childhood taught me that pole day meant something.

After listening to it a bit in the car I helped my son pick rocks out of top soil we had delivered (I dare you, find a less interesting thing to do) and then went inside to watch a little qualifying.

Within 10 minutes I could not possible stay awake. I slept through almost all of the final hour.

[Hard Driver]

I just happened to find the last 20 minutes or so when flipping. ZZZZzzzzz

Come on, Pole day and that was just worthless and weak. I think I could count the people in the stands if I tried, there were so few. Just a pathetic shadow of it's former self.

[Tall1]

On 12/31/05, people in Indy will look back and realize the biggest thing in Indy this year was the NCAA Basketball Tournament(s).
I remember when there used to be an important race there on Memorial Day weekend.