Indycar “Charter”

Don't want to start the 2024 Indycar thread, unless you all think so. 
 

But I see news that Indycar is proposing a charter for the teams. Which makes sense, given other series do the same. The issue appears that for ~25 cars, signing the charter automatically qualifies for the 500. Which is one of the biggest issues with the IRL split. To me, that removed the rest of the spectacle that the 500 is supposed to be ( and very much used to be). I get the idea of solidifying a series, makes a ton of sense, especially if it's about multi billions over a season. Indycar isn't there. 
 

I want to watch Indycar, but other than the 500, I didn't see a single race last year. Not because I didn't want to, because I had no idea when they were even racing. Their schedule and promotion is among the worst of the worst. Add to that it being more a spec series with a +10 year old car with no set future to it or the powertrain. 
 

I can't be the only fan who can't figure out when and how to watch. Frustrating. Why would they take their most compelling race and make it so much less so?
 

Anyway, discuss. 

The same could be said for the Daytona 500. Part of the allure of the Daytona 500 was the surprises that made it into the show. Now, that's just about gone after NASCAR instituted the charter system and cut the field down.

Charters make sense for team owners because in theory they have something to sell rather than go through a mere liquidation sale. However, it does take some of the excitement away from the sport.

https://www.indycar.com/  - schedule link is on the upper left

They were discussing charters last year but I believe there was one issue that held things up. That is no longer part of the current proposal IIRC.

In reply to L5wolvesf :

Reading news about it suggests that it's still an issue. 
 

As for the schedule, thanks. Given it still moves around channels, not sure if I'll remember. But part of the news I'm hearing is a deal with Fox, which might contain the channels a little. Consistent times and channels are important. These first three weeks of f1 are a real pain being the wrong day. 

In reply to alfadriver :

If you want to watch the Lions play, you probably have to look at the schedule each week and see when the game will be played, and where it will be broadcast. Same applies to NBA teams, MLB teams, etc. Nobody has all of their events/games on a single outlet anymore. I don't see how searching for the next Indycar broadcast once per week is any harder than searching for another pro sports team's broadcast.

In reply to STM317 :

The only times I don't know when the lions play is the 4pm Sunday games. Otherwise it's always 1 pm Sunday, or the local channels make a big deal over a prime time game. I've never had to look at the Lions schedule to see them on TV. Ever. They are both consistent and well publicized. Unlike Indycar. 
 

Sure, that covers 5 different ways to watch, but 1pm and 3pm are only on Fox and CBS, Sunday night is always on NBC, Monday is always ESPN, Thursday is now always Prime. Was there a similar pattern in 2023 for Indycar?  Let alone its well publicized. There were Indycar races last year I didn't hear about until seeing the thread here pop up. 
 

If you are telling me that it's my fault I missed the entire season, ok. I get it, I'm not supposed to watch.  Seems like a curious way to attract and keep fans, though. 

Indycar is on NBC, has been for several years. Granted, that can sometimes mean the NBC family of channels, so sometimes it's on USA or CNBC, but they do the same thing with the Olympics, and CBS does it with March Madness. Or if you sign up for Peacock for $6 a month, everything is on there, including practice and qualifying.

Having said all that, the TV deal they have isn't the greatest. They get pre-empted and/or moved around fairly often. But it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem. The reason you always know when the Lions are on is that the NFL is huge, so it gets tons of media coverage. Indycar... isn't. But if they want to get there, they need to be on TV and getting promoted. But if they aren't that popular, they have to pay for the promotion instead of getting it for free like the NFL does. It's not a great situation to be in.

Anyhow, I agree about the charter system. Let whoever can qualify race.

In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :

It was easy when it was on nbcsn. Now it's not, and nbc doesn't bother with promotion, so knowing when its on is problematic. 
 

If they don't do better, I'm not the only who will forget about it. But that's not my problem, as I see it. 

alfadriver said:

In reply to STM317 :

The only times I don't know when the lions play is the 4pm Sunday games. Otherwise it's always 1 pm Sunday, or the local channels make a big deal over a prime time game. I've never had to look at the Lions schedule to see them on TV. Ever. They are both consistent and well publicized. Unlike Indycar. 

That simplicity has been because the Lions have been mediocre to poor forever. Now that they're winning games, they'll have more premier time slots, and you won't be able to simply turn on your TV @ 1 on Sundays and check CBS or Fox. Welcome to success.

My point was that a simple, 30 second google once per week will solve your viewing conundrum. Or you can bookmark/print this page which has dates, track location, and broadcast network all in one handy place:

https://www.indycar.com/-/media/Files/Current-Schedule.pdf

In reply to STM317 :

Disagree. But I'll leave it there. I'll see the racing when I happen to see it. Not my problem to worry about. 
 

And I don't apparently need to worry about the charter, either. 

Pffft. Try watching NHRA on that E36 M3 agreement they have with ESPN... it gets preempted for a water polo match in ot between Bahrain and Outer Mongolia.. And now they put in the 45min turnaround time clock.. that genie isn't going back into the bottle......

Yall have it made.

Charters are dumb from a fan's perspective but I think they are probably inevitable. It's obvious why it's good for the owners. Probably better in the long run to keep everybody happy instead of risking break-away series. 

Bump day has only been like 1 or 2 cars in recent years so I don't think it will really impact the Indy 500. I think the days of having 45+ cars are over. 

This style rule was an issue during the split because it kept the "others" from CART out but not the series is unified and there are no "others". 

If you add "All Indycar events" to your DVR recording list you won't have to worry about anything and you can watch anytime. You might miss 1 or 2 events if they have a couple that are Peacock exclusive (I think they did last year) but that's the same as missing your team's Thursday Night Football game that's only on Prime.