With the Centennial version of the Indianapolis 500 in the books, I thought I would offer my musing of what could be done to improve this great event.
1. Fan accessibility to the drivers.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway did a superb job of this during the Centennial celebration, and the fans really enjoyed the opportunity to meet legendary drivers. But this practice should not be limited to the Centennial or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as the Indy Car series stretches all over North America.
The same approach should be utilized at every stop on the schedule. Fans want and need to be close to drivers at IMS.
2. Keep handing out the big prizes.
Currently, the IZOD two seater car gives a pace lap ride to a lucky winner before Indy Car races. IMS is also giving a replica 2011 Indy 500 pace car to a fan in conjunction with their 2012 race ticket renewal program. While these are great prizes, why not take it up a notch and allow a fan to ride in the shotgun seat of the pace car at the 500 next year?
You could also have a fan sitting in the pit box with their favorite team during the race as an honorary crew member.
3. Give a taste of the “suite life” to someone who cannot afford it.
Sitting in a climate controlled suite with food and drink is the ultimate way to enjoy the race, but most fans will never get that experience. Dedicate at least one suite to this cause. Be creative and sell sponsorship of this and generate good public relations at the same time.
4. Connect to youth.
Facebook and Twitter is a good start, but you must go out and virtually recruit the next generation of race fans. The sport desperately needs a new era to be ushered in to replace old geezers like myself.
Get them hooked young and keep them interested. Develop racing applications for their cell phones and make sure you have a slick, high-tech offerings for their gaming system.
Give them great options and a lot of them will keep coming back for more.
5. Lift the local TV blackout.
Many traditionalists associated with IMS would argue that lifting the local blackout would negatively impact the paid gate.
I say it would not be that dramatic and they could offset that with allowing locals to purchase the event on their cable or satellite systems at home.
There is more than simply the ticket cost associated with attending the 500 and many folks cannot afford it. They can however spend some money for it at home, just as they do for pay-per-view movies.
Danny Bridges, who loves Indy Car racing but thinks it will fail to exist as we know it today without sweeping changes, can be reached at (317) 578-1780 or at Bridgeshd@aol.com.
