Nov 12

Written by: The Commish
11/12/2010 5:32 PM 

Let's give Randy Bernard his due.  After signing on to lead IndyCar after a very successful career as CEO with Professional Bull Riders and with no more than the average joe's knowledge of racing, the Indy 500, champ car, the split, etc. he's set a new lap record in getting a solid, enthusiastic title sponsor in IZOD, forming his ICONIC board to do the Dallara chassis deal and now bringing Chevy back to the series.

Roger Penske helped a great deal with Chevy of course.  Lots of people have been helping Bernard since he took the job, from sponsors and manufacturers to municipalities and media partners.  Tony Cotman has been a godsend; good for Randy for doing his homework in assembling a staff.  But there's only one guy in the driver's seat, with a bulls-eye on his torso, so Randy Bernard is the guy that gets the credit.

Hoping more than guessing, my take on the next sector of Randy Bernard's qualifying lap involves landing Ford and Dodge as engine providers and aero kit builders.   

Because his next performance has to be all about the red, white and blue.  

And I'll let the remarks from Chris Perry, Vice President of Chevrolet Marketing, delivered at the Chevy press conference, explain why:

"Why return to IndyCar? There are several reasons. First, this series opens up a new, distinct fan base for Chevrolet in the motorsports community. These fans are passionate about IndyCar and the technology that drives the sport and these teams. A return provides an important opportunity to expose our product and our technology to this well-educated, highly desirable audience.

"Second, the series is growing in interest and popularity. In the past year, male viewership in the 18 to 34 age demographic has raised 40 percent. At the same time, the growth of sponsorship investments has more than doubled in one year's time. The advantage of motorsports for the auto industry is obvious. It provides some of the highest return on investment on any promotion that we conduct.

"The third reason, we know that the technology learnings we acquire by participating on the track with IndyCar will translate to the vehicles we produce today, and vice versa, creating a strong production technology relevance.

"Those are all sound and important business reasons to get back into the series. But there's one reason that drives us more than any other: we are competitors and we are returning to IndyCar to win."

Spoken like a true marketing guy; exactly how some favored, race-wise agency PR or creative type probably wrote it for him.  And all true.

Chevy's return to IndyCar rationale applies to Ford and Dodge, too.  

And if the GM beancounters can make a case for going to market via IndyCar then so can the beancounters from the other two thirds of the big three competition.

NOTE:  Most of us race fans don't know a whole lot about what's going on behind the scenes and worse yet, we don't know what we don't know.  But we do know that from a media and exposure standpoint, i.e. that festering, impotent cable TV contract IndyCar has with Versus, this can't make financial sense unless it's eventually going to make financial sense.

Comcast, the company that owns Versus, is acquiring NBC.  When all the t's are crossed and too many lawyer's eyes are bloodshot and the FCC and SEC and BFD regulatory agencies are completely satisfied  things are going to change remarkably for the IndyCar broadcasts.  Production gets better immediately, the series will be available in so many more households and there's the brand value of being on 'NBC sports'  -- or whatever they name the channel that will immediately replace Versus -- as opposed to being on "who?"

IndyCar will have hit the big time as far as a TV partner goes.

So writing large checks to get involved with an NBC Sports -produced and promoted IZOD IndyCar Series featuring the Indy 500, supported by an efficient, effective marketing campaign re: made-in-America, growth and progress, technology and back from breach thriving instead of just surviving might make excellent sense to GM.

As it should to Ford and Dodge.  Now is the right time for them to hedge their NASCAR bets, diversify the motorsports marketing budgets and join the oldest, most storied type of racing Uncle Sam can remember, featuring the storied, internationally recognized Indianapolis 500. 

Especially if the TV package starts the ball rolling toward a too good to ignore IndyCar program.

The Amazing Randy's next test will be how he does at getting another manufacturer or three involved using turbo four bangers.  But that can wait a few years.  Right now I'm thrilled about the Chevy announcement and optimistic that Ford has an IndyCar program under serious consideration too, if only because I can go back to scoring FMFL IndyCar manufacturer points logically instead of bastardizing the rules for spec series.

I hate spec series.

What I'd like to read about in the very near future:

1. Ford announces it's providing an engine developed by Cosworth and the bodywork will be designed and built by Lotus -- the return of the Lotus/Ford IndyCar.  KV Racing is announced as the first team to use the Ford package.

2. Dodge announces it's providing an engine and bodywork developed by Ferrari for the 2012 season. I have no idea what its called (the Dodge IndyCar?  The Fiat/Ferrari IndyCar?) but Andretti Autosport is part of the press conference.

3.  Bruton Smith, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Randy Bernard and the IZOD IndyCar Series announce the $20 million prize for winning both the Indy 500 and the Coca Cola 600 mile race that same weekend, starting in 2012.  The schedules are adjusted, a few Sprint Cup Chevy drivers race at Indy and its a big deal in the media. 

4.  Tony Kanaan gets a decent ride for next season.  In IndyCar, not NASCAR.

Copyright ©2010 The Commish