A Sad Day for the Speedway

     Yesterday's announcement that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was seeking $100 million in aid from the State of Indiana could have wide sweeping ramifications for the future of racing at the famed oval.

      Make no mistake, there are some infrastructure upgrades that are necessary. Some of those changes would be to continue the upgrade of seating areas, as well as to improve the maintenance of the 100+ year old facility. The inadequecy of the Speedway in terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act is patently obvious. That won't be a cheap fix.

      Perhaps some of that would have been better served had Tony George been left in charge of the IMS physical plant; Say what you will about the controversial George, he definitely had his grandfather's penchant for continuing to improve the Speedway, something that the current folks in charge at Hulman and Company obviously do not have.

     More and better video boards are nice, as would be improved grandstand seating. But the real reason for the request is there in the fourth paragraph of yesterday's article in the Indianapolis Star. "Improved lighting" sounds innocuous enough, but what it means has the potential to be earth shattering, particularly if you happen to live in Speedway.

     Look, I get it that the Brickyard 400 has been a (relative) loser because roasting on aluminum seats in midsummer Indiana has become less than fashionable. But then, I've been broiled there on Memorial Day Weekend too. In fact, in 2011 when last I attended the 500, the high that day was in the mid 90's. I was very glad my seats were under cover. The misting system was getting a major workout.

     It hasn't helped that the economy is still stagnant. Nor has it helped that NASCAR has had issues with the tire situation. The diamond grind that helps Firestone's IndyCar tires hold on at 220+ has a negative effect on Goodyear's stock car tires at 190. And, to be truthful, in its current configuration, the track gets really narrow for the tintops.

     So, the powers that be in NASCAR want to run the Brickyard 400 in the evening and apparently IMS agrees.

     I don't know what the area just west of Georgetown Road is like now. It's been way too many years since I lived nearby and had all my "secret" places to park for the 500. It used to be nice working class middle America. I had several friends who lived in that area.Some folks have said that is no longer the case, and one of the bloggers I follow says that one no longer goes there after dark unarmed (at least not willingly.)

     Assuming those reports are true, imagine 150,000 NASCAR fans all leaving the Speedway at or after 11 pm, some of rather dubious sobriety.  Into what one person I know has called a "combat zone." Ya' think "recipe for disaster" might about cover it?

     It gets worse. If they run the Brickyard in prime time, how long do you think it will be before some network wise guy wants to run the Indianapolis 500 in prime time.Maybe I'm being cynical, but bring a big enough bag of cash and who knows? Now you take the 150,000 NASCAR fans and basically double it. Probably push the end time back to midnight or after. Not a pretty sight.

      I never would have even considered this possibility. Until now. Nor would I have ever considered that the Speedway would go hunting for state money.

      In all fairness, from a strictly business perspective, it's about time. When you consider the mega dollars that Indianapolis has put into the Colts and the Pacers, as well as the total economic impact by comparison that the Speedway brings to the table, IMS certainly has a claim to their piece of the pie. Even though the Speedway is pledging $2 million for every $5 million in tax money the state puts up,  I can't help feeling that Tony Hulman is spinning like a gas turbine.

     They can couch this in any sort of nice terms like "motor sports investment district," but when a government agency starts using the word "investment," you can be damned sure it's taxpayer money that will be invested one way or another.

     Now, assuming this is going to happen, let me suggest that there are other ways that money can be spent to improve the Speedway. Of course, first is to get into compliance with whatever arrangement has been worked out regarding the ADA issues. Second, completely replace the public address system. When I was there in 2011, it sometimes worked, sometimes didn't and was inadequate to keep me updated about things I could not see. It sounded like something right out of the 60's.

     Third, the recent years when money has NOT been spent on maintenance have caught up with the Speedway. Back up the asphalt and concrete trucks, then get some plumbers in to fix the damned restrooms.

      Continue the upgrades in the seating areas.

     Once things have been fixed that have to be fixed, get NASCAR on the horn and tell them that they can have a September weekend. I'm sure the NFL would work out some sort of arrangement where the Colts spend Brickyard weekend on the road. Atmospherically, it works almost like May. It adds significance to the race in that it's now part of their "Chase." And let's not kid ourselves: NASCAR needs IMS as badly or worse than IMS needs NASCAR.

     Now, if you really want to do something to improve the overall product in both series, take the money that was going to be spent on lights and get some engineers in to figure out how to safely bring the "apron" back. This gives immediate tangible benefit to both events. For the NASCAR folks, giving them a bit more track which, along with cooler fall temperatures, should improve the racing monumentally. For IndyCar, it brings the possibility of track records back into play, as well as allowing more passing.

      I get that I seem like a stodgy traditionalist, but in an age when the best lower deck paddock seats at the Speedway have less of a sightline than they did 30 years ago (and a slightly higher price), it could be time to start paying attention to the customer.