The fallout of NASCAR beating the IndyCar Series to the punch for a race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City next year certainly created a shockwave through the paddock.
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 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 revealed to reporters at Milwaukee 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.
Then 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 favourite sons who raced in IndyCar 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 team-mates 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.
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.
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
“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 recognised 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 North American open-wheel racing 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 it still sputters to get out of neutral.
Everyone shares how this era of racing 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 motorsport.
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 friend and fellow Monterrey 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 realise 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 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 centre 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.
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 one of the biggest races 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’.
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 nowhere, with little to no fans in attendance?
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, 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
A perfect example of that was during the race weekend at Mid-Ohio. This writer walked into a Wal-Mart to pick up a few items and ran into Colton Herta, picking up 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.
This situation that erupted at Milwaukee provided a chance for IndyCar to take a hard look at itself
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. So, there has been plenty of time to heed comments, take notes and observe ways to push IndyCar 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. There are plenty of relatable personalities in IndyCar, but maybe that’s hard for leadership to recognise when the only place they seem set on building up is within the Indianapolis bubble.
This situation that erupted at Milwaukee 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? It has the personalities to make it happen and be successful, but that’s only if leadership can actually recognise it.
