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COTA presents IndyCar Series on Sunday, March 24, 2019


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  • 6 months later...

Just a reminder the IndyCar Show is this weekend @ COTA. 

Like some of y'all, I've never attended anything at that "state of the art" speed plant because (IMO) the owners screwed over Tavo Hellmund & Kevin Schwantz. 

But of course, that's just my viewpoint from the cheap seats.

However, I've decided given the current sad state of motorsport, up and down the food chain, perhaps it's time to let bygones be bygones ... and go support all forms of motorsport everywhere we can. 

Because if we don't, eventually the only racing we'll be watching is on a computer screen.  So I'm finally gonna attend a show @ COTA ... hope y'all can as well.

 

http://www.circuitoftheamericas.com/indycar/tickets  

http://www.circuitoftheamericas.com/indycar/schedule

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Yes, I thought the "Showtime" Robbie Gordon truck series stole the spotlight as well.  Fans around me seemed genuinely  jazzed with his product? 

However I was hoping for a bigger crowd on Sunday for the IndyCar finale?  But inaugural events of that magnitude ... often take time to buildup a loyal following. 

I'll bring my support again next season if they return!

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On 3/29/2019 at 7:57 AM, Exjet145 said:

If.

 BTW, that 'nearly 30,000' figure probably includes Friday & Saturday, & does include the 10,000 mostly non-race attendees he says showed up for the Muse concert (that started two hours after Saturday's track action ended and really had nothing to do with the race). 

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They'll probably be back, but I'm pretty certain what will happen long term is that IndyCar and Epstein will put a happy face on the whole thing right up to the part when IndyCar pulls out, the same way V8 Supercars, IMSA, WEC, and the X Games did.

That crowd was a complete joke. It was terrible.

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On 3/27/2019 at 11:53 AM, toyotatim said:

I sure thought it was a good crowd for Indycar. 

What do you think is a good crowd for IndyCar?

Did you know that the Lone Star Le Mans races and the one-off Aussie V8SC race outdrew this IndyCar race, despite temperatures in the 90s for most of those races and very good weather this past weekend? Even the stand-alone IMSA and WEC races did better than IndyCar after splitting the Lone Star Le Mans into separate weekends in 2017.

FYI (because few people know this kind of stuff re: COTA) .... 

There were just around 30,000 reserved seats in use for Indycar, and they were still only, at best, around 20% full on average during the race (if I'm being generous). The Main Grandstand, T1 GS, & T15 GS were pathetically empty, and the General Admission crowd was just bad at best. The most crowded-looking grandstand was T12, which has been cut in half and is also where they put the giveaway tickets and discounted tickets. There was a moderate GA gathering at T1, but typically crowded GA areas were full of nothing. T6 was not very crowded  & T18 was virtually empty. T11 was deserted. The crowd along the esses was very thin, and there were maybe 25-50 people beyond Turn 6 during the race, probably at least partially due to the fact that COTA wouldn't turn on any TV beyond the esses (as they've also been doing for MotoGP lately).

Friday and Saturday, the turnout was embarrassingly bad, both in the stands and in GA. They had to move the concert from the Superstage to the much smaller amphitheater because they knew the small crowd would look ridiculous at the Superstage. Optics are more important than actual crowd numbers at COTA.  They didn't even use Lots L or M, but still couldn't fill Lots A, F, or T, even on race day, despite the weather this past weekend being pretty great.

Regardless of Epstein and IndyCar putting a happy face on it, it wasn't a good crowd (to put it mildly). That's what usually happens when the local promoter pretty much doesn't promote. Nothing new here.

Don't get me started on the whole 'Reserved seat holders were out walking around or sitting in the dirt beside the track, so that's why the place looked so empty' nonsense. The GA crowd was strikingly sparse out in the places he's talking about. The place looked empty because it was empty.

He can say he's happy with the crowd, but if he is, then his bar is pretty low. I can't imagine IndyCar is happy, regardless of what they're saying now. WEC, IMSA, V8SC, and X Games all put a nice spin on things right up til they left COTA. V8SC and X Games both left early, mid-contract. 

And wait a minute - 80000 for F1? That's a lot less than COTA's been telling us.

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I think IndyCar will be back. This was a new atmosphere for the race fan. The access to the drivers and teams and very laid back approach will help win people over. I walked pit road Sunday morning and the fans looked shocked to be able to walk up to a car and driver on the grid at race time. Love F1 but try that on race day and you get escorted out.

Word will spread and hopefully the gate grows, if you liked IndyCar remember they will be at TMS in June on a twin bill with the NASCAR Trucks, hell of a show.

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Welp, if word spreads, it'll have to be by word of mouth, because COTA isn't gonna spread it. But that's not a new race atmosphere at COTA. Even on the racing grid we've seen the same or even more access with other series, some of whom have long since told COTA goodbye despite better crowds than the one IndyCar drew last weekend - V8SC, WEC, IMSA, PWC/Blancpain, the 24H Series, etc.

I think IndyCar will probably stay for their contract, but after that, it'll be "Adios" imho. That is ... if it's a 3 year contract. If it's 5 years, I doubt they'll last that long. Can't remember which it is.

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2 minutes ago, rails said:

I would like to finally be able to make that June show. I have never been to an Indy car race on an oval. And of course the trucks are always good, for me anyway.

IndyCars on an oval are a good show. Seeing them at TMS when it opened is what got me interested in Open Wheel  racing, leading to my F1 addiction. I'm taking my boys to the 500 this summer to hopefully see Alonso nail the triple crown. Really looking forward to it. Never been...

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I have seen them on the road course here in Houston. And i usually make the fall nascar race at ft worth. But this year they moved the truck race to the spring. So i hope i can make it. I work offshore so it’s a difficult process for me.

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I like supporting racing here in Texas.   This Essie guy is gauging the level of interest, so please just go out and support them.  We need people supporting the tracks.  Indy car will be at TMS with the Nascar trucks soon.  Get an RV, buy lots of junk to take up there, camp out, have fun.  Show the owners Texas deserves these tracks. 

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In addition to being a great way to get out information, Facebook unfortunately provides a no-cost, anonymous soap box for boo-birds who wish to vent, bash and cause mayhem within the sport.

Esse would do well to find unbiased sources of information as he develops his business plans.

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Actually, Esse is the operator at Alamo City Motorplex in Marion, Texas, which is located just off I-10 between San Antonio and Seguin. There has been some talk that Esse could be talked into building an asphalt oval on the property if the situation is right.

There are several threads to that effect in the forums here.

Nick

 

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