Is Indycar Worth Watching?

"JR1" (type35bugatti) 02/17/2014 at 14:11 • Filed to: Indycar, Oppositelock, Motorsport

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Naturally as a car guy I like to watch racing and listen to the sound of those beautiful handcrafted racing engines on my TV. But here is my dilemma, I have never really been able to get into any of the motor sports offered. NASCAR can be fun to watch in person and on TV but the oval gets a little boring after a while. Formula 1 has A LOT of regulations. Furthermore they artificially try to make the cars more competitive with DRS zones and a limited amount of KERS usage. Finally I cannot stand the constant wins by Vettel. He is a good driver but the concept of racing is nonexistent with him in the lead. I would love to try and find a good motor sport to watch for fun and to follow. So my question is this, is Indycar worth watching? Is it competitive, exciting, and entertaining? I'd love to get into the sport if it is good so what is your guys opinion?

TLDR: Is Indycar entertaining and fun to watch?

Travis Okulski > JR1 02/17/2014 at 14:16

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Yes.

quarterlifecrisis > JR1 02/17/2014 at 14:16

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Absolutely it is.

While the cars aren't the prettiest, the racing has been fantastic the last few years, with the championship being decided in the season finale the last two. The drivers are all pretty genuine folks as well, which really does a lot for the sport. I'm worried about the ABC broadcast team for some of the races, because they often leave something to be desired, but I'm a big fan of the NBC Sports crew that they've assembled. Give it a shot this season...and try to make it through the entire season before coming up with an opinion.

JR1 > quarterlifecrisis 02/17/2014 at 14:18

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Thanks for the reply, I'm glad to hear it is good racing I am tired of the crap in F1, maybe I am being nitpicky but its just too boring

Newsboy > JR1 02/17/2014 at 14:19

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YES. HERE'S WHY:

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA IS BACK!

f86sabre > JR1 02/17/2014 at 14:20

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If you can get past the politics, which are slowing down anyway, yes it is. Really, it has some of the best single formula racing you can get right now. Good passing, tight finishes, high speeds and the drivers are entertaining people for the most part. If you want to go to an event you can get good access to the paddock and see the cars. The TV package is ok and the website is pretty good. Marshall Pruett and a Robin a Miller at Racer.com are good folks to follow for news.

Now, my favorite form of racing to watch is endurance racing. I love multiple-class racing. Tons of passing, amazing cars and long races. Great value for the money. Went to Le Mans last year and it was an amazing experience. WEC is where it is at and Grand Am will be interesting to watch with the merger with ALMS.

quarterlifecrisis > JR1 02/17/2014 at 14:21

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I avidly watch both series...down to recording all practices and qualies and races. To be honest, I enjoy IndyCar more. I'll be making two trips from NC back home (IL) during the month of May to spend time at IMS during practice days and race days for both races happening at the Speedway this year. I've interacted with every driver in the field (as of 2013) and love the environment that is fostered around those races.

JR1 > f86sabre 02/17/2014 at 14:22

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I want to watch endurance racing as well but the TV coverage is bad with limited channels and the classes are a little confusing but I am going to give it a shot!

JR1 > quarterlifecrisis 02/17/2014 at 14:24

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I want to go watch a race at MidOhio if I can get into the series. Time will tell though, is there a hierarchy with the teams or is every team equally competitive?

f86sabre > JR1 02/17/2014 at 14:26

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WEC streams the races and we have an old computer hooked to the TV. Listen to Radio Le Mans audio for the best coverage on the go. They do a good job explaining things. I think streaming is going to be the future of a number of Motorsports in the future.

If you are interested in Motorsports in general I would recommend Radio Le Mans' Midweek Motorsports podcast. They hit everything and have a sense of humor. Nothing funnier than a bunch of a riots talking NASCAR.

quarterlifecrisis > JR1 02/17/2014 at 14:28

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I've never seen them on a road course, so I'm jumping at the chance to be at an inaugural event at IMS.

There is a definite hierarchy, I would look at Penske, Chip Ganassi, and Andretti Motorsport as your top 3 teams. Then below that there are teams like Dale Coyne Racing, KV Racing Technology, Schmidt-Hamilton that have all won races, but just don't have the big sponsor dollars that the top 3 teams bring to the table. There are plenty of teams below that as well that could be good...but it all depends. Between Penske, CGRT, and Andretti you're looking at almost half of the regular season field. The nice thing about the competition is that it really can be anyone's race. I want to say that last year there were 7 different winners in the first 8 or 9 races. Many of those being first victories for people.

jgreen11 > JR1 02/17/2014 at 14:33

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If you say that F1 is to restricted by the regulations and that DRS and KERS is all for show. Then don't even attempt to watch Indycar. It is basically a spec series with the main differing factors being the engine supplier. Plus the fact that they have the "Push To Pass" button, which works much the same way as KERS does.

NCO61 > JR1 02/17/2014 at 14:34

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Let's see. You have

-Tremednous personalities all across the spectrum. Guys like Hinch, Newgarden, Pagenaud, Helio, and Tony Kanaan.

-A diverse amount of circuits ranging from Temporary Street to Road Courses to Super Speedways to Short tracks.

-"The month of may"

also, finishes like this:

I'd go with "Follow", but I'm of course bias. ;).

GasMan > JR1 02/17/2014 at 14:50

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Indycar is entertaining but it has a few issues. First, some of the street courses they run on are too rough for monster trucks. Second, IMO the cars are ugly. Third, the ABC TV coverage has been weak but NBCSN should improve that. And fourth, it is basically a spec series so there is only refinement, no innovation.

Fred Smith > JR1 02/17/2014 at 14:55

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You want competitive? The absolute worst single car in IndyCar won a race last year. The worst team, which fields that car, saw their better car finish sixth in the standings, of 25.

You want exciting? Just watch.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Fred Smith 02/17/2014 at 15:04

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Completely agree F.S.

it definitely doesn't get recognized enough.

A personal friend was the series winner's HPD engineer last year too

JR1 > quarterlifecrisis 02/17/2014 at 15:21

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Great that's what I like to hear you're making me more excited to watch it with every post!

JR1 > f86sabre 02/17/2014 at 15:25

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I will look into it thanks for the tip!

JR1 > jgreen11 02/17/2014 at 15:27

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That is disappointing, I never understood why racing became so regulated. Besides safety of course.

JR1 > GasMan 02/17/2014 at 15:28

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I never understood why most of the big series F1, NASCAR, etc lost the innovation aspect about them.

KeaneCheese > JR1 02/17/2014 at 15:29

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Absolutely, and here's why:

- The series is finally starting to recover from CART/IRL split (which was 100% Tony George's fault). The quality of racing, engines, drivers, schedule, TV ratings - pretty much everything is moving (albeit slowly) in a positive direction.

- The Championship seems to always come down to the final race of the season. In some years it's more of a long shot than others but whoever is in 2nd coming into the last race always seems to be in the fight. Their points format is a no-nonsense format that rewards quality racing (including poles, fast lap, etc.) across an entire season but never seems to have anyone run away with it (Vettel style). And no dumb playoffs - as it should be. Winning at the opener in St. Pete counts just as much as winning the finale in Fontana.

- The diversity of tracks (roads, street circuits, ovals) ensures that you will have a mix of winners each season and a unique schedule. I prefer road racing but I also enjoy watching the drivers peg it on an oval from time to time.

- The drivers appear to actually have personalities!! And they manager to achieve this without stooping to the wrestling-style PR tactics of NECKCAR.

- The on-track product is the best in the world. Yes, the cars could look better ascetically but they produce fantastic, competitive, back-and-forth racing that is only matched by the last-lap duels you see in GT racing. Get on YouTube and look up the finish to the Sao Paulo race last season.

JR1 > NCO61 02/17/2014 at 15:31

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Do you know if seating is cheap to an actual race?

JR1 > KeaneCheese 02/17/2014 at 15:34

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Overwhelming support seems to be the main thing on Oppositelock so I am definitely going to tune into the broadcasts and watch it, thanks for the advice!

JEM > JR1 02/17/2014 at 15:40

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I would go so far to say that if you only watch one racing series right now, watch Indycar. You have small teams fighting right up there with big teams and sometimes winning. All the racing, throughout the whole pack is competitive. You have an international mix of drivers with a wide range of experience, from F1 to dirt tracks. You have road courses, street courses, and oval tracks all in the same series. The cars are fairly easily distinguishable in their liveries. And a lot of the finishes come down to nail biting moments. Also, it's probably the most dangerous racing series out there :-/

quarterlifecrisis > JR1 02/17/2014 at 15:54

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I love it. One of my rooms is covered in Indy memorabilia, and I've got plenty of signed photos I've taken hanging around and taking up space in a binder right now... I got into it in a big way.

KeaneCheese > JR1 02/17/2014 at 16:11

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This probably isn't a good thing for the series, but I used to score dirt-cheap tickets to the race at Kansas Speedway on the secondary market... which probably has a lot to do with why they don't go there anymore. A face-value full weekend pass, depending on where you go, can range between $75 - $125. Ovals & permanent road courses tend to cost less than street races.

KeaneCheese > KeaneCheese 02/17/2014 at 16:16

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Bonus points: Pick out a weekend that pairs up with USCR, you can't go wrong with that.

NCO61 > JR1 02/17/2014 at 16:27

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Tix are decent. Cheaper than cup, Much, Much cheaper than F1.

Very, Very, Very Fan Friendly. Autograph sessions, and the Fan Village gives away a lot of goodies.

GasMan > JR1 02/17/2014 at 16:39

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The Indy 500 used to be the best race in the world. Every year you couldn't wait to see the product of some amazing minds and craftsmen. Remember the turbine car? How about the laydown roadster? That sparked many a young child's dreams.

And just like 10 yr old boys, the media loved it too. There was always something to cover because some brave driver was going to strap his ass into a crazy machine. That was REAL Reality Television.

Modern racing is a cartel. Pay the admission fee and everybody gets to play. If you can find a sponsor you will make some money and since there is no innovation, no disruptive technology is going to obsolete your expensive machinery. That might be good for the owners in the short term but it is killing motor racing.

Lacking real drama, racing has stooped to creating artificial excitement with gimmicks like phantom caution flags to bunch the field. To draw viewers they manufacture story lines like Driver Feuds, The Chase, Crappy Tires, and Danica Watch.

Give me some incredible machines, brave men and women to drive them, and a safe but awe-inspiring place to race them and I am all in. Otherwise, you are mildly amusing background noise in the bar like Canadian Rules Football and Pro Wrestling.

Somethingwittyer likes noisy > JR1 02/17/2014 at 17:24

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If you can get past some of the politics (which are usually off track) the hideousness of the DW12, then it's a great series. Tons of close racing.

JR1 > GasMan 02/17/2014 at 17:31

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Well said. Cars like the Deltawing need to be happen more often. Genuine excitement in the sport.

JR1 > Fred Smith 02/17/2014 at 17:42

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Now THAT was good racing!

merlyn11a > JR1 02/17/2014 at 18:27

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yes

TheApeWithNoNAme > JR1 02/17/2014 at 19:02

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No.

Revs2-12k > JR1 02/17/2014 at 19:59

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Would be worth watching with better looking cars.

jgreen11 > JR1 02/17/2014 at 20:41

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It really isn't that disappointing. KERS and DRS were introduced into F1 originally as a sort of entertainment gimmick, but this year the cars have more ERS power, and no button to utilize this power, it is put down automatically. The DRS helps, especially if the tires continue to be as poor as they have been in the past. A faster car might not be able to get around a slower car due to the fact that the lead driver is making his car very wide. The DRS allows him to pass and get along with driving and racing at full speed.

JR1 > Revs2-12k 02/17/2014 at 21:03

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I think they look better than f1 at least

NCO61 > KeaneCheese 02/17/2014 at 22:38

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Hell, the Pirelli World Challenge is pretty good too. They usually team up together.

Hoon U. Class of '76 > JR1 02/18/2014 at 09:56

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"Finally I cannot stand the constant wins by Vettel. He is a good driver but the concept of racing is nonexistent with him in the lead."

I felt the same way about Loeb in WRC. I've been a rally fan for ages but I just assumed he would win whatever event that he was in. I watched just hoping he would take himself out (rarely) and to see who could step up in that case. He did put on a fine clinic though....

JR1 > Hoon U. Class of '76 02/18/2014 at 10:03

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That is exactly how I felt about Vettel. Sometimes the greats juts ruin the series for the rest of us.

veearesix > JR1 02/18/2014 at 10:12

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cheap is an understatement. You can get into the Detroit GP for $20 with a general admission ticket and see everything. Another $20 gets you a paddock pass, where you can get really close to the cars and drivers.

PeteCE. > JR1 02/18/2014 at 13:24

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I think generally, the answer is: Death. Cars/technology are to the point that if we wanted, we could make cars with tremendous downforce and speed, that the drivers can't physically handle. Look at the CART Texas race where drivers were blacking out. Until we have drone racing where the drivers limitations are taken out of the equation, I don't think you'll see true innovation again.

PedalHead > JR1 02/18/2014 at 22:10

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Well, that's not setting a very high bar...

GrannyShiftR > JR1 02/19/2014 at 00:06

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Admittedly this is IndyCar Lights, the minor leagues of IndyCar so to speak, but I don't know if you'll ever see a better finish than this.

JR1 > GrannyShiftR 02/19/2014 at 09:04

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Best finish I've ever seen.