The NTT IndyCar Series has had a tradition of questionable marketing that has resulted in low crowds and TV viewership numbers, leaving many to question how difficult it can be do market a racing series.
When Sunday’s (March 15) inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington concluded, one sentiment rang out loud above all others. There was a sizeable crowd, grandstands were sold out and the race seemed to be a commercial success.
All that everybody needed to see was the TV number to judge whether or not the race was a broadcast success, and it was with over 1.3 million viewers despite a race time change due to weather and some FOX affiliates allegedly not having the entire race on broadcast due to the time change.
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But what made the Grand Prix of Arlington so successful? Simple, the race had massive amounts of marketing and promotional power behind it, thanks to the race track going around the stadium of the world’s most valuable sports franchise: the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys spared no expense in trying to get the word out about this race, even when it was nearly a year away. The team sent cheerleaders to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last year during month of May track activities and it was clear that everyone would know about this race.
With Arlington being deemed a commercial success, it would appear that its spot on the calendar will be safe for years to come with a multi-year contract in place. That being said, it’s worth looking at what could be IndyCar’s next big stadium race.
IndyCar racing has had eight other races with stadiums as part of the circuit landscape. St. Petersburg (second-tier MLS club), Exhibition Place in Toronto (Toronto FC), Nashville (Nissan Stadium), Denver (Pepsi Center), Houston (NRG Park and the Astrodome), the Meadowlands, Baltimore (Camden Yards), and Vancouver (CFL stadium and Rogers Arena) have all hosted (or in St. Petersburg’s case, still hosting) IndyCar races for various numbers of years with varying levels of success.
If Arlington can be a commercial success for the Cowboys, Rangers and the city of Arlington, Texas, then what could IndyCar’s next successful stadium race be? The race would need to take place around arenas with teams that can work together to increase the profile of the event and sell enough sponsorships and merchandise to make money.
It would also need to be in a market that doesn’t currently have a race so that it would attract a crowd from a large radius that is underserved by motorsports.
When looking at the four major sports leagues in America, there is one large market that has multiple stadiums in close proximity that is in a market that has very little nationwide motorsports in the surrounding area that would attract a large fanbase.
Philadelphia.
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If one were to pull up Google Maps, that would show the Philadelphia Eagles stadium is very close to where the Philadelphia Phillies play, in addition to the arena that houses both the Philadelphia Flyers and the 76ers.
An event could involve the marketing forces of all four franchises and could have year-round promotions ahead of the race, with drivers going to games of the various franchises during their respective seasons to raise awareness of the race with show cars.
There will be challenges, however. A track that would house all three arenas inside of it might be difficult to design because there are few curved roads near the stadiums. A track with only right angle turns is an uninspiring layout, but IndyCar has circuit design staff that can figure out a layout that will be good enough to race on.
The timing of an event is also critical. If the Flyers or 76ers make the playoffs, the race can’t be held before May or in June. The season can’t end in Philadelphia because the Eagles will begin their season near the end of August/beginning of September.
Which leaves the middle of summer as the only option, with the Phillies possibly having home games, unless IndyCar and MLB can work out a scheduling arrangement where the Phillies aren’t at home during race week or circuit construction, if there is a chance to have expedited circuit construction.
There might not be a perfect situation that would allow IndyCar to race in the City of Brotherly Love, but with enough marketing behind the race with the franchises that play in the surrounding arenas and effort from IndyCar to match, another lucrative event could bring numerous eyeballs onto the sport.
If Washington D.C. is a one-and-done, then this event could easily replace it on the calendar and would actually fit rather well on a weekend close to Independence Day, which would give additional significance to the race, given Philadelphia’s history.
Let Freedom Ring, baby.
My only criticism was where the pit out merged back into race traffic. They need to change that, it seemed like a bit of a blind spot for cars on the racetrack – by the time the pit out car was there, they were already committed to a line through turn 2. I don’t mind cars exiting the pits racing into turn 3, but don’t want to see collisions on pit exit.
Otherwise, a pretty good show. Track seemed well thought out, overall, giving room (and some forgiveness) for the drivers to race. I was entertained.