If you live in a baseball-crazed
city, particularly in the Midwest or East, Opening Day is a big deal.
Optimism abounds. Fans see hope in
the green grass and flowering plants after a long winter. The possibilities of
spring and all that.
I wonder if Opening Day at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway will ever create that vibe.
Last year, despite sunny skies and
what one would assume to be a fair amount of anticipation around the 100th
anniversary of the Indianapolis 500, the turnout was, well, tepid. To be fair,
the action on the track – at least early on – was equally so. A few cars roared
out after the first green flag dropped, took a few laps, then came in.
From a practical standpoint, the mileage
limits on engines, restricted supply of tires and dearth of entries means a
full week of practice is no longer necessary. Maybe open the track during the
week and see if an even more condensed schedule ramps up the activity and
therefore some excitement because, frankly, a quiet racetrack is a boring
racetrack.
Another way to boost interest would
be to have some sort of exhibition race during the week. This race would pit
last year’s winners and pole winners in a 25-lap sprint using
previous-generation chassis and unbranded engines. You’d need a sponsor to foot
the bill for the equipment and the purse, but such a concept opens the door to
invite drivers from other series to compete as well because it would be just a
one-day commitment.
Back to reality. I’m eager to see
the new cars and engines on the track. I just hope they’re out there early and often on
Saturday.
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