IPS - What's Gone Wrong?

[BootsOntheSide]

The IPS was launched 2 years ago with the hope of smoothing out the transition for young drivers into the IRL. Its first two champions, AJ Foyt IV and Mark Taylor, both immediately earnt IRL drives, but both have proved not to be ready, with lots of crashes and a lack of pace (especially for AJ).

So what's causing the series to fail to produce good drivers? Is there something inherently wrong with the chassis and engine? Did the Jason Priestly and Matthew Halliday crashes put people off? Is it too expensive for what it offers?

Or are all the good potential oval drivers elsewhere - either on dirt tracks or in road racing junior championships?

[Kicking-back]

It's never had a decent number of cars in the field either, making learning to deal with lapped traffic difficult.

[marcus]

hard to say really , I guess the amount of cars has been very dissapointing (I think they only have 10 this weekend)

I dont know the details of costs so I cant speculate on that matter , its just been a really hard series to get off the ground , for what reasons im at a loss.

[gttouring]

Umm USAC- that's what's wrong
the IRL negged USAC and the triple crown as a good lead in to IRL, and NASCAR has taken all the USAC guys from there to stockcars....
The silvercrown monsters on pavement are probably everybit if not hairier than the IPS cars, or even the IRL, if a driver wins in that mad traffic dashed series than he can win In indy... but TG -it 's his party so he plays his game...

[GTRMagic]

Matt Halliday seems to have given up the US open wheel dream, signing for a V8 Supercar team for the 2 enduros later in the year, and looking for a 2005 grid slot.

Is the OWRS junior development program any better?

[BootsOntheSide]

Yes and no GTR. They merged IndyLights and Formula Atlantic into one series 2 years ago, and the 2003 champion AJ Allmendinger is competitive at the front this year, but most of their other rookies have come from Europe, often aided by sponsorship.

CART is definately gettign driversin who are suited to their primary form of racing - roads and streets. The fact that so many fo these are from overseas, failed to achieve their F1 ambition or coming with more money than talent does them no favours amoung the audeince they're targetting though.

The IRL isn't as such - talented guys like Matsuura are coming in without much idea of how to race ovals, and whilst Taylor's speed is unquestionable, his knowledge of wheel-to-wheel racing is clearly minimal. Teams probably should look towars USAC guys more, I'm sure there's a lot of talent there - however, with drivers from around the globe looking to get into the series and genuinely targetting the 500 as a dream, it's udnerstandably that team owners have broader horizons.

[sr230772]

ithink its the power ratio it happens in f3 to f1 and in cart i think they have to give them more hp engines more powerful the steps to big

[N I Tram]

The major feature of oval racing is the amount of traffic on course at a time. A series with only 10 cars will never be of any use, and it's a Catch 22 situation, because teams won't enter if the series isn't valuable.

There's talent going to waste in the USAC system, no doubt about it. The NASCAR teams are laughing, ebcause most of the best emerging talents of the last decade (Newman, Kenseth, Johnson, Dale Jr, Kahne, Vickers, Harvick etc) are there, and we missed them all.

[Team Owner]

Originally posted by N I Tram
The major feature of oval racing is the amount of traffic on course at a time. A series with only 10 cars will never be of any use, and it's a Catch 22 situation, because teams won't enter if the series isn't valuable.

There's talent going to waste in the USAC system, no doubt about it. The NASCAR teams are laughing, ebcause most of the best emerging talents of the last decade (Newman, Kenseth, Johnson, Dale Jr, Kahne, Vickers, Harvick etc) are there, and we missed them all.

All the drivers you listed wanted to go to Nascar. None of them wanted to go to the IRL, OWRS of F-1. Midget/sprint car racing is the training ground for Nascar now not Indy style racing.

[rustyfan]

From what I have read Jeff Gordon wanted to race indycars but couldn't find a ride back in the early 90's. Around the same time he was offered a Busch Series ride by Bill Davis, and the rest, as they say, is history.

One can only wonder what state US open-wheel racing would be in had Jeff Gordon put his talent to work at Indianapolis (the 500 that is, not the 400 ), rather than Daytona.

[Kicking-back]

I don't think one driver going to Indy rather than NASCAR would've made a significant difference

[rustyfan]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
I don't think one driver going to Indy rather than NASCAR would've made a significant difference

Considering Jeff Gordon is one of the biggest stars ever in NASCAR Winston Cup/NEXTEL Cup racing (a driver which helped a lot when it comes to NASCAR's growth), I'd say it could have made a difference in this case.

[Kicking-back]

But he wouldn't have been a big star if he was never there!

[rustyfan]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
But he wouldn't have been a big star if he was never there!

Sigh lol, you are obviously not getting my point. Or rather, that IS the point, that his popularity (because I have no doubt he would have won loads of races and championships in indycar too) would have fueled INDYCAR rather than NASCAR.

The point I'm trying to get through is; how would today have looked if NASCAR wouldn't have had their biggest star, Jeff Gordon, and he instead have been a hugely successful and popular AMERICAN Indycar star?

[Kicking-back]

It was being in NASCAR that made him a star, in my opinion, rather than him making NASCAR popular.

[Team Owner]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
It was being in NASCAR that made him a star, in my opinion, rather than him making NASCAR popular.

Very true IMO.

[rustyfan]

While he alone obviously didn't make NASCAR popular (never said he did either), he certainly helped bring NASCAR to a wider audience since he didn't come from the South yet almost instantly became hugely successful (and with that, very popular).

There have been several articles etc that credit Gordon with helping NASCAR grow in several ways, like increasing the female fanbase (which today is up to around 40% according to the latest numbers I saw a while back).

Do not underestimate what Jeff Gordon has meant to NASCAR.

[gttouring]

and Jeff Gordon was one of the big media darlings- without the "redneck/good ol' boy" twang and accent to him.
californian transplanted to Indy, he wasn't southern or from a cornfield, he was like most people that hadn't watched NASCAR yet until....

[BootsOntheSide]

While I doubt he'd've particualrly helped CART grow directly, he would've certainly made it harder for NASCAR to extend past its southern audience, and made it harder for other guys form outside the southern states (such as Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart) to consdier NASCAR or be given a chance by team owners. What's more, he'd've been anotehr American star on the grid, at a time when non-American guys were starting to have a huge presence (in 1993 the highest-placed American was behind guys form England, Brazil and Canada, only 1 of which had any races on the schedule)

[JohnSSC]

His star would not have shined as brightly in CC as it did in NASCAR (however you slice it a more competitive series) but his presence in CC would have lent credibility to the series in that it could:

1) attract top talent.
2) attract home grown top talent.
3) it could retain same.

[JohnSSC]

Currently IPS has the same problem as Atlantics: what sponsor wants to support a Support Series for a Series that is not real popular?

There needs to be "collateral attention" from the main series that would get the sponsor's name noticed.

That is not happening right now so they got to Nextel or Busch or Sportscar.

[Bob Riebe]

There never has been, and never will be, a successful, fan wise, one make spec. series.
Spec. series are boring races that teach one how to drive a spec.(------ insert make here) car well.
Indy car type racing is about automobiles, take the car part out and down hill ski racing is more exciting.
Bob

[noquarter]

Honestly, what race car driver coming through the ranks in any type of racing looks forward to an IPS ride?
Your 18 year old FF driver has his heart set on F1 ultimately or Champcar. BDPS and Atlantics are the way to go in North America.
An 18 year old in Sprints or Stockcars will be looking towards NASCAR. Mention Indy and they'll say, 'yeah I'll try that if something comes up but I'll wait for a NASCAR ride'
So, unless a ride was presented to you on a plate why would an up and coming driver pursue an IPS ride?

[GP Racer]

Being that the IPS was only launched 2 years ago, and we're only looking at 2 driver "failures", isn't it alittle to early to judge the series as a success or failure?

I, like others here though, wish that more dirt track guys would look towards the IRL for a future. I'm tired of seeing them become NASCAR stars...