Indy Car Racing Fans ?

Question

This is not ment to be offensive in any sense, but what's great about watching it, and how did you become an indy car racing fan ? Just trying to understand the sport.

Answer 1

A quick note before I answer: ksuorion's answer is inaccurate - IndyCar was the most popular motorsport in the US until the mid *90s* when the IRL/CART split killed everything. I'm assuming it was just a typo, but it was a detail important enough to note. Right before the split, it was even starting to threaten Formula One's popularity worldwide!

Lets compare IndyCar to that which it should strive to rival once again - NASCAR and Formula One.

As things stand right now, IndyCar uses mostly the same tracks as NASCAR. This will soon change with Tony George planning to bring in several Champ Car venues over the next two years and reduce the ovals to 50% of the schedule. But for now, what does IRL have to offer on ovals that NASCAR doesn't? They're both relatively equal playing fields, both produce close racing. Which is better really depends on if you prefer IndyCar's maddening speeds, or NASCAR's ability to slam into each other without automatically taking yourself and your opponent out of the race.

But IndyCar has significant benefits over F1 that even F1 fans will often admit to: F1 has too large a performance gap, and races often end up looking like parades. On my preferred racing environment of road courses, IRL races look NOTHING like parades because the cars run closer, and quite frankly they're not THAT much slower than F1 cars.

Once the post-merger schedule is sorted out(the IRL has indicated a preliminary 2009 schedule may be published as early as June), the IRL will be the most diverse racing series on the planet. As a matter of fact, even with the small number of road courses, it already is! And THAT'S what's exciting about it.

Now they just need to make sure they include Cleveland.

Answer 2

Well, for a casual fan, and probably for most of us who follow IndyCar, it all starts with the Indy 500.  Bar none, the one race that for most of us, is the one race that our entire racing fanship calendar year revolves around.  

I myself have been watching the race on TV since 1979.  This will be my 30th race!  

Plus, I was born at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis (which is where they take injured drivers to if needed) and although I haven't actually attended an Indy 500 due to geographical distance (I live in Iceland), I still never miss a race.

Answer 3

I became an IndyCar fan back in 1993 after buying a video game for my computer. Once I had that, I was hooked. Admittedly, I followed CART/Champ Car more than the IRL simply because I liked the diversity of tracks that the former offered. However, I am ecstatic that the two series are now one and I am looking forward to many great seasons of racing in the new IRL IndyCar series.

What's great about watching it? Speed, strategy and skill. These cars go very fast, faster than a NASCAR Sprint Cup car, they require tremendous skill to drive-they are always on a knife edge-and the strategy of having to think and plan all conceivable angles makes it fun and exciting for me. I would suggest watching a race and finding out for yourself what we know.  I can almost guarantee you will be hooked.

Answer 4

There is a lot of strategy that goes into Indy Car, such as when to pit, passes that you make, getting the car perfect, etc.  I just love watching it I guess, its really exciting.  I became a fan during the summer of last year I think.  I just started watching a couple of races, then was hooked.

Answer 5

Racing is not unlike any other sport.  Something just 'clicks'. I became a 'race' fan in general because it was the first 'thing' I ever remember my father taking me to.  INDY Car racing is a blend of technology speed, and predominatly oval type racing.  

Things that seem to attract a lot of Americans.  Until the early 80's it was the most popular form of motorsports in America.  Largely because of the INDY 500.   Now, as I suspect you know NASCAR has become the Top Dog of American Racing.  In a nut shell what sets Indy Car racing apart from other forms is one race, The Indianapolis 500.  If you ever have the chance to attend do so.  You wont be disappointed unless its rained out.  I've been attending the race since 1982, taken countless friends and family.  To a person they all have enjoyed it.  Not all became INDY race Fans, but they all were taken over by the enormity and atmosphere of the event.  Some did get hooked and are now Indy Car fans.    Aside from the 500 the main attraction of Indy Car racing is the parity of the competition.  You can watch 3 or 4 cars spend lap after lap side by side.  Trading positions, touching wheels all at near 200 mph.  Quite a rush if you like that sorta thing.  My only complaint, they dont have enough races!  Hope you can get to one!

Answer 6

Auto racing is an acquired taste.  For me, I enjoy watching the movement of cars through the pack, the adjustments and strategies made during pit-stops, and the thrill of the unexpected (not only crashes but who runs out of gas on the last lap).

I started watching regularly after attending the Indy500 practice while living near Indianapolis.

Answer 7

grew up listening to the Indianapolis 500 when I was a youngster. Dad had a habit of painting the house when the Indianapolis 500 Race was on before television.

There was something about hearing the Novis and Offenhausers racing that can't be described. Once a person heard the Novi they never forgot this engine.

Although I am very thankful ALL racing cars are much safer than in the old days of the roadsters I still have a tendency to prefer the Indianapolis 500 Races from 1963 back to the early years.

Answer 8

When I first got into racing, I only cared about NASCAR.  As the years went on, I began to watch other forms of racing.  Now I changed a lot over these years, I grew up, learned a lot about cars, and became a mechanic.  Since I care about the cars so much more than the drivers, I grew to become frustrated by NASCAR's technophobia.

I like IndyCar racing because it's not afraid of integrating technology into racing.  Let's face it, stock cars are clunky even by oval racing standards.  And I don't get up early enough in the morning to watch most F1 races.

Answer 9

Whats great about it is the speed....I like watching those cars running side by side at 225mph. It's the ONLY type of racing where the fans can see those high speeds. Add in the danger factor of being open wheeled, and with an open cockpit it gets pretty darn exciting. I like to watch all types of racing but I'll say it again....it's the high speed that makes me prefer the IRL as my favorite series to follow....

Nascar has gotten so boring that I almost never watch it any more. The cars get bigger and slower and it takes like 4 hours to finish a race...When I was a kid, I remember when stock car racing was exciting, When th cars came off turn four you could actually see that it was a T-bird bumping with a Monte Carlo....now they use that new COT and still haven't found very much more speed.

I started watching INDY Cars in 1st grade when I went to school with Al Unser's nephew. that was like 30 years ago and I've followed it ever since..

Answer 10

I love Speed, grew around Nascar, got into Indy Cars when I went to the Indy 500 for high school graduation..Then college then I went to Europe got in to F1 and Sports cars for several yrs, came back now I still follow Nascar, IRL, F1, AMS,Rolex Series, Motocross, Rallies, NHRA, yeah I just love speed.. But going to my first Indy 500, man that was awesome, I've been to 12 of them and 6 Nascar races at the Brickyard and one F1 race there.. I'm so happy Champ car & IRL are finally back together, gonna be a great season...