Daytona or Indy?

[MrBug708]

I'm by no means a NASCAR fan, but the radio sports station brought up a good point. They said that the Daytona 500 has surpased the the Indy 500 as the most popular race, due to NASCAR's seemingly nationwide popularity. It's certainly a lot easier for the average person to name 5 NASCAR drivers then any 5 on the Indy 500 circuit.

Anyone disagree/agree?

[bosshogg23]

I agree its the most popular. When IRL & CART split the Indy 500 really lost alot. My dad wont watch Indy racing anymore despite growing up in Indianapolis. However he is sitting at the Daytona 500 right now.

[SteelerFan448]

I think autoracing is dumb, but I will watch the last 25 laps or so of the Daytona 500.

[SunDancer]

Tony George killed Indy and the open-wheel racing with his "IRL" joke series. Thankfully, ChampCar is looking good, but it won't be racing in Indy unless George gives up, merger, or some type of racing.

[FBPro]

I prefer Nascar to Indy, atleast the cars sound like cars and not vaccum cleaners.

[DanGarion]

Indy died when Tony George fucked it up. It used to be my favorite and my dads, now we are strictly NASCAR watchers.

[TLK]

I perfer Milwaukee... the week after Indy :)

[SackAttack]

When I was young - we're talkin', like, 7 or 8 - I was a casual Indy fan. I couldn't name any of the drivers except for the Andrettis, but if I saw a race on TV, I'd watch it, which is more than I could ever say for NASCAR.

[Dutch]

I think autoracing is dumb, but I will watch the last 25 laps or so of the Daytona 500.
When I see a thread about knitting...I don't even click on it.

[Ryan S]

I used to love the Indy 500, but now the race is dead to me. To be honest with you, I would rather see the race cancelled than see it continue in the state it is in now.

[TLK]

I used to love the Indy 500, but now the race is dead to me. To be honest with you, I would rather see the race cancelled than see it continue in the state it is in now.
Did you ever know that you’re my hero,
And everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle,
For you are the wind beneath my wings. yep....

[cartman]

I too was a huge Indy 500 fan growing up in the 70s. Johnny Rutherford was a Ft. Worth boy, so it got a lot of attention.

Nowadays, IRL isn't even on my racing radar. I love F1, and was glad I got to see some races while I was living in Europe. CART is a close second, I try to make the races at Laguna Seca. And I do follow NASCAR, but I don't get into it as much as F1 and CART.

[SunDancer]

I too was a huge Indy 500 fan growing up in the 70s. Johnny Rutherford was a Ft. Worth boy, so it got a lot of attention.

Nowadays, IRL isn't even on my racing radar. I love F1, and was glad I got to see some races while I was living in Europe. CART is a close second, I try to make the races at Laguna Seca. And I do follow NASCAR, but I don't get into it as much as F1 and CART.

F1 and ChampCar is good. F1 is kinda boring though, with the Ferrari and MS domination.

[Craptacular]

Definitely used to be an Indy fan, until George killed open-wheel racing in the US. I've been a fan of NASCAR since the days of Alan Kulwicki, but always preferred to watch the Unsers and Andrettis battle it out. I went to a number of Indy races at The Mile, and even one Busch series event (when they brought it back to The Mile in '93) where Jerry Glanville must have brought out at least a half-a-dozen caution flags by himself.

[SunDancer]

I remember being like 9 or 10, and watching those last few laps of that classic Scott Goodyear-AL Unser Jr. finish in Indy back in 92 or 93.

[TLK]

NASCAR Beats Champ, IRL in the Ratings War, and its Not Even Close

Written by: Robin Miller (http://www.speedtv.com/speed/bio/273/) Indianapolis, IN – 2/23/2005

http://www.speedtv.com/_assets/library/img/medium/45336_nas.pack04.jpg (http://www.speedtv.com/_assets/library/img/large/45336_nas.pack04.jpg) NASCAR is the most successful form of motorsports in America (Photo: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)




The NASCAR juggernaut continued as last Sunday's Daytona 500 tied an all-time high with a 10.9 rating on FOX and Friday night's Craftsman Trucks drew an all-time best for SPEED of 2.1. And, if that's not impressive enough, there's talk next year's Daytona race won't start until 5 p.m. so it can finish in prime time and really put up a staggering number.

To put that Daytona rating in proper perspective, we need to realize that a 10.9 was larger than all 14 Champ Car races added together and multiplied by three on SPIKE last season and it almost topped the Indy Racing League's total for 16 races on ABC and ESPN. The IRL averaged a paltry 0.8 rating in 2004 and Champ Car's was so pathetic it barely registered as a test pattern.

That's how lopsided this deal has become during the past decade.

And, considering all the competition for viewers among the USA's 109.6 million TV homes, it makes NASCAR's number even more jaw dropping.

But there was a time when the Indianapolis 500 ruled and pulled in nothing but double digits.

From 1973 to 1984, Indianapolis never drew anything under a 12.3 and it topped out at 17.9 in 1976. Granted, these were the days of only three major networks and cable was in its infancy in the mid-80s but you also have to remember that Indy was shown TAPE DELAYED in prime time during that period.

It wasn't telecast live until 1986 and the rain-delayed Saturday show still managed an 8.8 rating. That was followed by the largest live audience ever of 11.1 in 1987. As ESPN shoved NASCAR towards the mainstream in the '80s and early '90s, it coincided with cable taking off so those 14s, 15s, 16s and 17s were never seen again for Indy.

Still, despite the misinformation spewed by some experts, Indy more than held its own against Daytona until the split in 1996.

The highest number in the '90s for Indy was a 10.9 in 1992, while Daytona's best during that decade was a 9.6 in 1999 on CBS. And, in the last real Indy 500 in 1995, Jacques Villeneuve's victory garnered an 8.4 compared to the 7.8 for Sterling Marlin's second straight win.

That first IRL 500 in '96 only dropped to 6.6, but it then bottomed out at 3.1 in 2002. Last May, the 500 pulled a 4.1 --lower than most Nextel Cup pre-race show's and two points behind the 2004 Brickyard 400.

After last year's disaster, Champ Car bought its way back on CBS, NBC and SPEED but you understand the reality of today's TV ratings when Champ Car issues a press release boasting of a 1.2.
blah....

[digamma]

BRISTOL!!!

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

I was at the Cart race ihere in september. It seemed exciting but I really wasnt into it. It was close side by side racing but it just didnt feel rightr. I didnt know the drivers and Champ cars are just too fast. I enjoy stock car races better.