Series Seeing Growth Following Unification

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — When it was announced in late February that the Champ Car Series would be folded into the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, many felt it would mark the beginning of an era of growth for the series.
That growth is already being realized.
DirecTV is set to become a presenting sponsor of the IndyCar Series entering into an entitlement role.
The two sides are currently working out the final details of a program where DirecTV will market and promote IndyCar racing.
“It has been pretty busy,” said Terry Angstadt, president, commercial division of the IndyCar Series. “Just lots of good energy and developments within the commercial activities of what we do. Sponsorship is pretty critically important at every level and that has been a lot of the focus.
“I’ve been absolutely overwhelmed with the reaction. Far better than what we thought it would be. And you never really know what to expect. We knew some people would use a convenient excuse in terms of, ‘Gosh, yeah, I’ll invest when all of this might be one (series).’ We’re kind of calling those in.”
Also, Coca-Cola has been signed as a sponsor and will activate a series of regional sponsors to promote the IndyCar Series.
“I’ve been overwhelmed with the reaction,” said Angstadt. “It’s far better than we thought it would be. And you never really know what to expect.”
The series also made a revision to its “I am Indy” logo which now includes the line “One Series. All the Stars.”
For the first time since 1999, the IndyCar Series also announced car limits for its races with 28-car fields for tracks over one-mile to 26-car fields at the short tracks of Milwaukee, Iowa and Richmond, which means a few cars may actually be sent home in qualifications.
It’s all a sign of progress for a series that suddenly got a growth spurt through unification.
“It’s been about 30 days since we officially announced unification, and since that time, everything has gone pretty well,” Tony George said. “I don’t know what more we could possibly do to help manage the traffic and logistics involved to help get the equipment of the Champ Car teams come on board. The Champ Car teams have had a big challenge to organize themselves to get here this weekend. It’s been tough on them, but by May, hopefully everything will find the right level, the anxieties will leave them and we’ll be able to get on with a great Indianapolis 500.
“But it’s going to be challenging and interesting in the next few weeks.”
“I think it’s terrific that Tony George, Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerry Forsythe were able to put together a deal,” said team owner Roger Penske, who ironically was one of the original founders of CART. “I love seeing the number of cars on the race track. There are new cars, new people. There are a lot of good cars and driver combinations. Some might be at a disadvantage now on the oval, but when you go to St. Petersburg next week, it will be a much more level field.
“From a sponsor standpoint, you’ll be able to talk about one series and with that we’ll have the ability to see more sponsorship.”