Indycar News & Rumors.

[S griffin]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

When the driver wants your picture, that's a win

Yes that is very unusual, so he must be someone worth knowing

[broadrun96]

The boss parked and Malukas in at the 66 MSR for the rest of the season

https://racer.com/2024/06/07/malukas...at-laguna-seca

Taking the race seat at Laguna Seca and will run the hybrid test at Milwaukee as his first return to the car on Tuesday.

[broadrun96]

Well guess tomorrow won't give us an idea of where JHR is going, they're not taking part in the test with the hybrid tomorrow so we will have to wait 2 weeks for Laguna Seca. Oh, that's Siegel's home track so.....

[broadrun96]

Guess the answer has come, Canapino in for the rest of the season

https://racer.com/2024/06/12/canapin...ndycar-season/

[joeb]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

Guess the answer has come, Canapino in for the rest of the season

https://racer.com/2024/06/12/canapin...ndycar-season/

Interested to see how this plays out. Hope it stops being a distraction for the team and series.

I was just thinking, he isn't the only driver to say stupid things in the series. I don't know if Hertas hot mic moment from Road America has been mentioned here. But it was bad.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by joeb

Interested to see how this plays out. Hope it stops being a distraction for the team and series.

I was just thinking, he isn't the only driver to say stupid things in the series. I don't know if Hertas hot mic moment from Road America has been mentioned here. But it was bad.

Herta has apologized.

https://racer.com/2024/06/11/herta-a...erica-remarks/

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by joeb

Interested to see how this plays out. Hope it stops being a distraction for the team and series.

I was just thinking, he isn't the only driver to say stupid things in the series. I don't know if Hertas hot mic moment from Road America has been mentioned here. But it was bad.

I think it's more the response than the action, just like Nixon it wasn't the spying but the coverup that got most folks. The oh that's just what happens and I don't believe it was what made Hollinger step in. Wonder how long they have a deal for or if he can split at the end of the season, sucks to lose cars but no sponsors coming on can't be good for his wallet

Herta's moment was another of his petulant child moments. He later swerved directly at another car but noting called there either, was no need to try to close off the corner like he did and just looked childish. But I guess when NBC and Indy want to pub you as the future and the best best you get a big head


Rumors abound on comment sections and the twit machine that Fox is set to announce they'll take over Indy coverage at the end of this deal. I guess they'll run similar to Peacock but on the FSP app. Long day of only racing on Fox if they do with the 500 and 600, gotta hope the 500 doesn't run late. At least it doesn't appear they are going the nascar 5 different partners during the season package cause that's fun

[broadrun96]

And apparently just confirmed Fox

https://racer.com/2024/06/13/indycar...deal-with-fox/

Sounds like streaming will be added under the Venu Sports package of the ESPN/Fox/WarnerDiscovery venture

All races will be on the mothership, no cable or streaming only. Actually makes them the only fully on OTA TV, Cup has a few streaming only and TNT races. 500 practice will be on FS1/2 and Indy NXT will be covered on them as well

[broadrun96]

2025 season is actually shorter and end before September cause NFL on Sunday

Thermal becomes a full points round cause yay, that was fun last year wasn't it

March 2 St Pete
March 23 Thermal

April 13 Long Beach

May 4 Barber
May 10 Indy road course
May 25 Indy

June 1 Detroit
June 15 WWTR
June 22 Road America

July 6 Mid-Ohio
July 12/13 Iowa
July 20 Toronto
July 27 Laguna Seca

Aug 10 Portland
Aug 24 Milwaukee
Aug 31 Nashville

Interesting to end the season on double oval events. 7 road, 6 oval, 4 street

[bjohnsonsmith]

Provisional 2025 Race Schedule. That's a very long off season.

https://www.indycar.com/Schedule?year=2025

[NaBUru38]

I predict bad things happening with IndyCar on Fox.

Let's see what happens with rights in South America.

Barber in early May rather than late April? That's strange.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

I predict bad things happening with IndyCar on Fox.

Let's see what happens with rights in South America.

Barber in early May rather than late April? That's strange.

Why bad things, Indy has shown on OTA pumps the numbers well. Fox has no summer Sunday TV after Memorial Day. Long Beach could be a challenge but guessing the Cup race opposite will be on FS1 as they've been doing more. They'll be able to pursue TBell and Hinch probably right away, they won't likely poach Till or Diffey given their NBC connections.

Barber has bounced around that area a few years, Easter can move it around I believe. It's gone from April 1 to May 1 without consistent early vs late pattern.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Provisional 2025 Race Schedule. That's a very long off season.

https://www.indycar.com/Schedule?year=2025

Season ending in August?! That's very cautious and even if there are other things happenimg that may impact usual events in September.

Might have been a great opportunity to run a couple of rounds overseas?

[TheMightyM]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Season ending in August?! That's very cautious and even if there are other things happenimg that may impact usual events in September.

Might have been a great opportunity to run a couple of rounds overseas?

The early end date is a feature not a bug of the new TV contract. Fox gives IndyCar more money and exposure but on the flip side Fox has no use for IndyCar dates after the Labor Day weekend as that‘s when the NFL season kicks off, which is a much bigger draw (and was much more expensive to acquire).

Overseas rounds are niche and don’t really help the series grow where it matters, which is in its core markets of the US and Canada.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by TheMightyM

The early end date is a feature not a bug of the new TV contract. Fox gives IndyCar more money and exposure but on the flip side Fox has no use for IndyCar dates after the Labor Day weekend as that‘s when the NFL season kicks off, which is a much bigger draw (and was much more expensive to acquire).

Overseas rounds are niche and don’t really help the series grow where it matters, which is in its core markets of the US and Canada.

If by the core market you mean TV viewers, wouldn't having overseas races help grow the core market?

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

If by the core market you mean TV viewers, wouldn't having overseas races help grow the core market?

Only if the costs are outweighed by new market and don't think anyone can support that math yet

[NaBUru38]

I read that IndyCar didn't want to have races on NFL singleheader weekends, unlike MLS or NHRA.

[Teretonga]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Season ending in August?! That's very cautious and even if there are other things happenimg that may impact usual events in September.

Might have been a great opportunity to run a couple of rounds overseas?

I've wondered about this for a while. A four race swing through Asia wouldn't be a bad idea.
If it was possible to package a deal to run Japan, (plus a couple from Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand, India or Malaysia) and end up in Australia, that would round out the year, make the series really a 'world series', and if the Japan race was at Suzuka, and the Honda PR machine working in Asian markets, then Honda gets value for their money and may not leave.... If you have September, October and November that's 12 weeks where you're not on the TV and everyone else is rounding up their championship.

[broadrun96]

Yeah, and Indy is NOT NOT NOT getting on any OTA channel in those months, it's just a non starter. And it does not appear they want anything to do with streaming in those months or in general as the main distribution. I would guess the overlap of fan engagement with Indy and college or pro football is over 50% and I would venture most of those each week would watch football and catch a race replay to fast forward. Move them to Asia and 100% they're not getting watched live so advertisers aren't as interested. Indy doesn't have the international market to leverage making COTA or Vegas work like F1, Nascar admits the late season numbers plummet against football, that's part of why they thought the playoffs would work. Well and Kenseth smoked the field that season and the numbers were BAD on TV and at the track

Indy can't add more races in the US to spread out the market, why spend 50% of the season budget to travel. They could spend a small portion of that cost and rent Watkins Glen or Richmond/Loudon to build more in country running and younger fans. The Glen was decent but Labor Day weekend in the NE is tough, many folks are taking that last summer weekend and there's a ton of vacation spots right in the area there.

Something in April would be better and would love Barber pushed forward a couple weeks to give something else to slot in there, could be a good spot to try to get Richmond back in there but takes ownership of series paying or Nascar taking a discount on it. Loudon is mid summer for Cup so that's a tough sell for them and its got a pretty busy schedule itself. An early season Homestead race might not be too bad but again Nascar. Early season oval would be good replacement for Texas, no return there is needed for me. Mid oval would be good and they're added in 25. No problem with having Indy as big oval and Iowa as the bullring but a few mid oval would be good. Sounds like the teams and drivers liked what they found at Nashville this week testing and could be a good race to end the season

[broadrun96]

Theo fired for a LM24 winner by McLaren

https://racer.com/2024/06/18/pourcha...-mclaren-exit/

Sucks cause he was definitely improving and moving forward, guess Zak was impressed with Siegel at United

Gotta think Theo could at least get a DCR ride at Toronto when Siegel was supposed to be in the car. Or does someone in F1 take a flyer and try to grab him for test/reserve given his gains in Indy. Theo missed 2 races and only 25 points behind Linus for RoY, hopefully someone gets him in a car but doubt he'll make Laguna

[joeb]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

Theo fired for a LM24 winner by McLaren

https://racer.com/2024/06/18/pourcha...-mclaren-exit/

Sucks cause he was definitely improving and moving forward, guess Zak was impressed with Siegel at United

Gotta think Theo could at least get a DCR ride at Toronto when Siegel was supposed to be in the car. Or does someone in F1 take a flyer and try to grab him for test/reserve given his gains in Indy. Theo missed 2 races and only 25 points behind Linus for RoY, hopefully someone gets him in a car but doubt he'll make Laguna

That came out of nowhere, I thought they signed Theo for rest of the road courses.

Good for Nolan I guess.

[E.B]

I didnt see that one coming. I thought Theo had been quite impressive really considering his lack of experience.
Presumably Siegel has a fatter wallet.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by E.B

I didnt see that one coming. I thought Theo had been quite impressive really considering his lack of experience.

Presumably Siegel has a fatter wallet.

I don't know about Siegal financial backing, but it is also possible that Theo requires much more money to secure because he is a f2 champion and a more polished product?

[broadrun96]

Siegel's Dad has silicon valley VC money so shed load of it. Plus the contacts for getting more for the team. Guessing they know given his time with United. Sounds like Theo costs money to keep.

[Teretonga]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

Siegel's Dad has silicon valley VC money so shed load of it. Plus the contacts for getting more for the team. Guessing they know given his time with United. Sounds like Theo costs money to keep.

Zak's expertise is in marketing rather than management.
He would see a bright young driver with credentials in golden lights and $$ signs.
The cost of investing in Nolan will be borne by his family connections so cheaper than Theo.
Theo did have a contract but paying a compensation would be covered depending on the terms.
I'd love to see Theo at DCR but Coyne will need real support and that's what Theo lacks.