IndyCar rises during dip for NASCAR
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Motor sports in America can be bold and beautiful and so very baffling.
IndyCar and NASCAR, the top two series in the United States, seem as if they are headed in opposite directions at the start of the 2018 season. IndyCar has had two competitive races, boasts a new car that contributed to a nail-biting finish Saturday night in Phoenix, and renewed energy and excitement surrounding the beleaguered little series.
NASCAR, the behemoth league in this country, has seven races under its belt. But after Sunday’s race at Texas, some might wonder if the series is falling off its rails. NASCAR officials made an officiating error that benefited Kevin Harvick, a series official was seen on television fist-bumping a Harvick crew member after the no-call, and then Harvick spared no words in his harsh criticism of the “pathetic” NASCAR-issued air guns he claimed are “embarrassing for the sport.”
The action didn’t stop after Kyle Busch’s victory over Harvick, either.
NASCAR President Brent Dewar, who dramatically has amped up fan engagement this year, went on a bizarre, three-hour-plus Twitter binge in which he was both defensive and later apologetic if his tone offended. He invited one critical fan to visit race control because it’s “easy to criticize from you (r) lazy boy.” When fan JJ Brannan wrote that Dewar was “doing more harm to the brand then you are good with your Twitter presence,” Dewar quickly clapped back.
“Happy to stop. Will save me a couple of hours I can spend with my family,” the president replied.
Why can’t the two top racing series in the U.S. ever be on an upswing at the same time?
That very question was asked to Roger Penske, the titan of motor sports, at last month’s IndyCar season opener. The billionaire with full-time teams in NASCAR, IndyCar, IMSA sports cars and Australia’s super cars series didn’t have an immediate answer. IndyCar has been quietly moving with a slight and slow resurgence, but NASCAR feels like it’s putting out one fire after another.
Everything is moving quite swimmingly in IndyCar, while NASCAR can’t seem to get out of its own way. In fairness, the series operate on much different scales. IndyCar has a smaller field, shorter season, fewer resources and a tiny television audience. NASCAR is the big daddy and runs nearly 11 months, has 38 events in just the flagship Cup Series and is trying desperately to rein in spending while still putting forth a competitive product that will stop its slide in the TV ratings.
IndyCar, from a numbers standpoint, is probably content with its small corner of the motor-sports market and the product it is producing. NASCAR? Well, when air guns and the league president’s tweets are the topic du jour after a race, the series has got to take a serious step back and get back to basics: good racing.