Stay On Track: Exit Poll

Congratulations to Ryan Hunter-Reay for his breakthrough 2010 LBGP victory!

It was great to see the colors of Series Title Sponsor Izod so prominently displayed. And seeing the Stars and Stripes fly in Victory Lane for the first time since 2008 made this a memorable IndyCar event for me as well.

For those of you who were fortunate enough to attend the event in person...whether you got a taste of the victory champagne or not...there are a few details I'd like you to respond with.

Don't think for a minute that these questions are asked from a negative slant. "Stay On Track" is about fixing stuff, and you can click on my name above to read other entries and see what that means to me.

I'm interested in the event experience of the casual fan: the folks who maybe didn't purchase a program, or were attending their first IndyCar race.

Was the trackside P.A. system audible in most locations during the race?

Were there spotter's guides or a driver roster available to all in attendance?

Was there a handout of any sort that contained the 2010 Izod IndyCar Series schedule, along with identification of the broadcast partners?

If the answer to any of the above is affirmative, was the IndyCar web address included?

The reason for these questions is relevant. Getting people to the race is the battle, and turning a new fan into an IndyCar Series follower is the job that must be accomplished.

At Homestead 2009, none of the previous jobs got done. There was a free Track Guide handed out to every guest, but none of the information above (which had already been determined) was shared. Track rules and sponsor advertisments only, 28 pages. Free to all on Saturday and Sunday.

I sat in the bleachers for the Championship race with new fans on either side. In spite of the great scoring tower at Homestead, folks had a lot of difficulty following the action.

A few of the extra spotter's guides I had swiped from the Hospitality Tent helped out, and keeping track of who was still on the lead lap was not easy for anyone who didn't bring (or rent) a headset.

The kids in front of me, at their first IndyCar race, were pretty impressed to hear that they had just seen the fastest IndyCar race ever run. Hopefully they didn't catch my mistake, it was only the second fastest.

In the end, I believe many fans left that race with less than a full appreciation for it. And they left with no information about next years' home race, or any of the details to help them follow the Izod IndyCar Series in 2010.

That stuff needs fixed. If any information is handed out at the gate, a spotter's guide and upcoming schedule needs to be included. A one page flier would do it, even if there is no free program to be had.

And that's the slant of this article, and why I am asking about Long Beach. It was a wonderful crowd for a fine race. It sure would be worth the effort to turn as many of those casual fans into IndyCar Series followers, and television viewers. Hopefully that was done at the LBGP and will be accomplished at every Izod IndyCar Series event in the future. 

The cable package in my area includes Versus. I never knew it, until reading that they were presenting coverage of the 2009 Indianapolis 500 qualifications. Now I watch the races and rebroadcasts. And Versus NHL hockey programming too.

Those are the kind of details Versus needs to know. How about sharing some of yours? The IndyCar Series might be interested to hear them. 

Link to other "Stay On Track" entries: 

http://bleacherreport.com/users/268808-andy-bernstein/archives/newest?rel=nofollow