Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward shared his disappointment in yet another year lost of having a chance to race in front of his home fans, who haven’t seen an IndyCar race in Mexico since 2007 during the Champ Car era.
Other drivers expressed similar sentiments as O’Ward, including six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon, who simply said, “I think that's a massive miss. I don't know how that happens.”
Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles shared insight with a small group of reporters last Friday afternoon at The Milwaukee Mile, which included the likes of the Associated Press, Indianapolis Star and NBC Sports. Among some of the points made by Miles was that Corporacion Interamericana de Entretenimiento (CIE) – the promoter of Mexico’s Formula 1 race – told Penske Entertainment officials: “You’re not well-known enough to be in Mexico City” back in 2021, while offering a track rental without partnership assistance.
A misstep by management
Miles really stepped in it by trying to compare O’Ward, unquestionably IndyCar’s most popular driver, to Adrian Fernandez, another one of Mexico’s favorite sons. Fernandez raced in IndyCar, mainly under the CART banner, from 1993-2005.
“I will say that it’s clear that Pato isn’t as famous as the last previously famous Mexican driver, Adrian Fernandez — but he’s really gaining ground, and he’s actually on some billboards now,” Miles said. “He’ll probably complain that I haven’t dragged him in, and that he should be the guy to go in and make the deal.
“I do think Pato is a natural star, and I do think this is going to happen, but in 2021, I’m quite certain they didn’t think it was time. But there have been a lot of conversations this time around. It hasn’t been a drive-by thing.”
Those comments incensed the paddock, as well as the fans. Everyone from rivals to current and former teammates came to the aid of O’Ward, sharing similar stories of various events where a sea of fans show up just for a chance to get an autograph and/or photo with the 25-year-old Mexican.
Reasons I can think why @PatricioOWard is actually as famous as he thinks he is while I’m sitting on couch.
— Alexander Rossi (@AlexanderRossi) August 31, 2024
1. Has fan bases so loud that when they chant we can’t actually complete an engineering debrief. In Portland of all places.
2. Needs his own merchandise tent because…
It took less than 24 hours for Miles to walk back those comments, with a statement that read:
“As I said repeatedly yesterday, Pato is a natural star and his popularity is tremendous and growing. It’s unfortunate that a few of my additional remarks failed to convey anything other than this viewpoint. He is a marquee personality for our series and a terrific partner in our marketing and promotional efforts. We continue to invest in our drivers, and Pato absolutely continues to be a primary individual we direct resources and support.
“In summary, Mexico remains a market of heavy interest, and we believe there will be an amazing IndyCar race weekend there sooner rather than later. Pato is a superstar, and his popularity and talent will be critical to making this happen.”
By then, though, the damage was done. The reality that needs to be recognized is those initial comments by Miles regarding O’Ward’s popularity – or lack thereof – are more of an indictment on IndyCar’s inability to market the drivers than anything else.
It’s baffling that Miles would reference a driver who last raced in the series two decades ago having a more significant impact than a current one. Under that assessment, the sport has regressed.
Stuck in the past
Is the sport still a prisoner of the past? It has been 16 years and six months since the reunification of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League to form the IndyCar Series, yet somehow the sport still sputters to get out of neutral.
Everyone shares how this era of racing in North America’s premier open-wheel championship is the most competitive, so why is it that the CART era of the late 1990s is the one which drivers are remembered most fondly? Sure, it’s collective from talent, different chassis and engine combinations, along with alcohol and tobacco money that are no longer existent in the sport.
However, I can’t help but look at the fact that, even through its own storms, NASCAR has found a way through the other side. That’s why, even with Cup Series driver Daniel Saurez having a lesser following than longtime friend and fellow Monterrey, Mexico native O’Ward, NASCAR can venture south of the Rio Grande to give its driver a celebrated weekend on home soil. It’s quite astonishing to realize that, while NASCAR’s account on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has 3.6 million followers to IndyCar’s 497,000, Suarez has 110k to O’Ward’s 232k.
The hard truth, that even I hate admitting, is that NASCAR’s stranglehold on racing in North America provides a platform to turn nearly any upcoming late-model driver with an inkling of talent into a star. It’s not just because of the television numbers, sponsor interactions or on-track scuffles, but because they are front and center for 38 weekends a year making it feel like every race matters.
One could only imagine the amount of star power the likes of O’Ward or Scott McLaughlin, also equipped with immense charisma in his own right, would grow to in an engaging environment like that.
Building prestige beyond Indianapolis
In the IndyCar Series, it genuinely feels like the only day of the year its drivers are treated like absolute rock stars is at the Indianapolis 500. Obviously, it’s the biggest race in the world and should stand apart, but something is missing when the other 16 (or 17, if you include the non-points exhibition at The Thermal Club) races combined don’t even equal the impact of ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’.
An honest question: How is any IndyCar driver supposed to evolve into household names revered like the past on the level of Andretti, Foyt, Mears, and Unser, if they are racing at a random club track in the middle of BFE with little to no fans in attendance?
These drivers are literally defying death every single time they step out on a race track, and they should be celebrated like the rock stars they are.
While he likely doesn’t mind it, the fact that Dixon, despite all of the accomplishments that cements his name as an all-time great in the sport, could walk in unnoticed at a grocery store is a travesty - and he’s someone that raced wheel-to-wheel against Fernandez.
Making drivers household names
During the race weekend at Mid-Ohio, I walked into a Walmart to pick up a few items and I ran into Colton Herta, who was literally getting all of his essentials for the weekend. No one was with him, and no one else seemed to notice him, either — yet he was pounding the pavement for the next three days less than seven miles away.
Miles has been in his current role since January 2013, whether under the regime owned by Hulman & Company or when Roger Penske purchased it — and with it IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in January 2020. There has been plenty of time to heed comments, take notes, and observe ways to push the sport forward. In fairness, he has, in some ways. But one area that continues to be the biggest struggle is making the drivers a household name.
I’ve said for a long time now that if it’s raw and it’s real, then it’s relatable.
And there are plenty of relatable personalities in IndyCar, but maybe that’s hard for leadership to recognize when the only place they seem set on building up is within the I-465 bubble.
This situation that erupted at The Milwaukee Mile provided a chance for IndyCar to take a hard look at itself. Does it want to continue to be the big fish in a small pond or actually venture out into the world and stretch its legs with the chance to do some magical and historical things?
IndyCar has the personalities to make magical, historical things happen — but only if leadership can actually recognize what it has.
