Sunday, February 27, 2000
AUTO RACING INSIDER
No single file at new Speedway
BY TOM GROESCHEN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Last week's Daytona 500 was not wildly exciting. Everyone from Dale Earnhardt to cynical reporters to longtime fans said so, carping about the tedious single-file racing. From early reports, the new Kentucky Speedway won't have such problems.
Scott Goodyear, the veteran Indy Racing League driver, says Kentucky should be a funhouse for both fans and drivers. Goodyear will drive in the inaugural IRL race at Jerry Carroll's new track — the Belterra Resort Indy 300 on Aug.27.
Goodyear, who was in Cincinnati last weekend signing autographs at the Auto Expo show downtown, discussed Carroll's track and also the state of racing in America.
“I've seen the (Kentucky) track, and I was very impressed,” Goodyear said. “It's well-thought out, well-laid out. It'll allow us to go fast, probably 215 miles per hour, but you'll also be able to put on a show.”
In other words, you won't nod off as some apparently did during the Daytona 500. CBS-TV ratings for Daytona were the lowest since 1993 and fell 12 percent from last year. The old rip, “It's just cars going around in a circle,” was something NASCAR thought it had outgrown.
At Kentucky, Goodyear said, the track's 11/2-mile layout and 14-degree banking — about half as high as Daytona — is the best format not only for open-wheel Indy cars but also Winston Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck racing.
“We'll be able to race side-by-side, wheel-to-wheel, two and three abreast,” he said. “It's not going to be one of these deals where you're single-file through the turns. And let's face it, we're in the entertainment business.”
WITHER THE IRL? The 40-year-old Goodyear, a two-time Indy 500 runner-up, is one of few recognizable names in the IRL. The league has fought for attention since its nasty split from CART in 1996, with Winston Cup destroying both Indy-car series in attendance and TV ratings.
“Even if there had been no split, I don't know if we would have impeded Winston Cup's growth,” Goodyear said. “I think it was just destined to happen, and nothing was going to slow it down.”
The IRL has struggled since Tony George pulled it away from CART in 1996, and recently dropped auto parts chain Pep Boys as its title sponsor.
The IRL claims Pep Boys failed to make required payments, and recently signed Internet search engine Northern Light Technology as title sponsor. Northern Light has committed $50 million to the IRL for five years.
SAME OLD: There appears to be no thaw in the CART-IRL war. That means another lackluster Indianapolis 500 field this May.
Indy 500 TV ratings sink yearly, but more than 300,000 people keep showing up for the race. Still, longtime Indy watchers say they notice the crowds decrease each year. And that's a shame.
SPEEDWAY UPDATE: Construction of Kentucky Speedway is about 75 percent complete, Speedway media relations director Tim Bray said.
Bray, a former Channel12 weekend sports anchor, said construction crews are finishing work on the luxury suites. Also “under roof” are the media center, infield hospital, and the garage area.
“We are on schedule, and the weather has not bothered us at all,” Bray said.
With the cost overruns and delays at Paul Brown Stadium, it's nice not to hear that with Kentucky Speedway. Reason: It is being built with private money.
The Speedway is to open with a NASCAR weekend June 16-17, starting with Craftsman Truck qualifying and a Slim Jim All-Pro Division race on Friday and the Kroger 225 truck series race Saturday night.
Tom Groeschen welcomes your email at tgroeschen@enquirer.com
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