Racing: 1979 All over Again, but This Time It's Indy Car

With all the upswing on viewership and attendance for all five races for the Izod Indy Car Series, the question is, is Indy Car back?

In my mind, I don't think it's back yet, but it's definitely getting close.

I still think Indy Car is lacking an American driver that can build even more of a fan base here in the states.  J.R. Hildebrand was one turn away from being that driver, but he's getting attention, and is a very marketable driver. 

Fellow American Graham Rahal has turned his season around quickly. He has two podium finishes in the last two races.  None of the other three drivers at Ganassi can say that. 

If those two can find victory lane here (and even Danica in her last season in the series), look out.

There are other reasons that Indy Car might be back, which I have written about in a previous article on the site, but there's certainly one thing looming that will help more than anything else—and that's the fact that the two most viewed professional sports (football and basketball) are facing lockouts.

If the NFL misses some regular season games (which it's looking like they will), and the NBA goes under lockout next month, then, come Fall, millions upon million of viewers will be looking for something new to watch.

It is almost a foregone conclusion that people will be tuning into Indy Car at some point.  They may tune in only once, but the key point is that there will be extra eyes on Indy Car races later in the year that wouldn't normally be expected.

Once the eyes are on the prize, Indy Car needs to make sure that the new potential fans are liking what they're seeing. 

The excitement of double-file restarts, finishes, parity, and speed should excite new viewers. 

Face it, the new potential viewers probably want to see excitement and drama. The Colts vs. Patriots, Giants vs. Eagles, Redskins vs. Cowboys, Bears vs. Packers, Lakers vs. Celtics, etc., won't be playing each other during their respective lockouts.  Where else could those fans turn?

If I'm Randy Bernard, I'd make sure the end of the season races are on NBC not Versus. 

Kentucky and Las Vegas are both high speed close racing tracks. They're also the last two races on the schedule for the series. The points implications could be huge.  Instead of people tuning into those key NFL/NBA match-ups, they will be watching the races. This is about as perfect as, dare I say, 1979 Daytona 500. 

For those of you that don't know what I mean, the 1979 Daytona 500 was first shown live to flag coverage for NASCAR. By pure luck, a huge blizzard hit the East Coast that weekend.  People had nothing else to do but tune into the Daytona 500.  A late pass for the lead, and a last lap fight in turn-three between two popular racing families, brought tons of attention to NASCAR. 

Does it get more perfect?

To gain viewership, the Izod Indy Car Series needs great racing and drama in all their races going forward. 

It's like Big Brother, you never know who will be watching. Think of how many people we can gain as fans this summer and fall. 

The month of May was phenomenal.

Imagine if every race for the rest of the season can be like that. 

If I'm Mr. Bernard, it will be.