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Indy 500 and Hershey


Restorer32

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There has been much discussion on these forums re the changing face and relevance of Hershey. Yesterday while watching the Indy 500 it struck me that the race now shares quite a bit with Hershey. Are we to believe that the several hundred thousand attendees all show up at Indy because of the excitement of the race ? Sure, they all enjoy racing in general but the almost rabid devotion to a particular driver is no longer visible, nor is the racing all that

exciting yet every year the crowds are there. Would be interesting to know if Indy and Formula 1 racing in general are experiencing problems luring younger people into their hobby.

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The Indy race was barely mentioned on the news yesterday.  I remember when it was on the news a lot leading up to and including the day of the race.  Seems F1 is gaining a little more US audience but nothing like it gets in Europe.  Today’s morning news said attendance is down at baseball games this year too.  Lots of changes happening in this age of digital entertainment.  I went looking for the Indy race on TV yesterday and found out I missed it but did see some F1 from Monaco instead.  Ended the day with Mecum auction from someplace I can’t remember and fell asleep watching it.

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my local regional paper had a paragraph this morning about Indy and half of the article was Danica Patrick not finishing her farewell tour race.  Yes similiar to the Hersey event and don't forget those that go to Carlisle as I haven't been there in years but hear summaries of much lower attendance is  than a few years ago.  I see it in my own family as my daughter and her husband have no interest in my cars so I might as well start "thinning the herd" now!  I am going to start with selling the red 62 then then on to one the 61's.

Robert

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Hard to make a comparison I think. Hershey is a once a year event and the Club, Vendors and Participants  seem to be avid followers of "the HOBBY".  

Indy is not just one RACE, once a year. The Indy Cars travel to different tracks through the year and frankly the Indy races at the other tracks are some of the best racing seen, IMO.

The Indy 500 seems to be closer to NASACAR racing however.   The F1 racing, also is a multi course yearly form of  racing at the highest level with World Wide interest.

F1 and Indy Racing and not a Hobbies. However, your point is well taken as far as young people getting into the Hobby. It's hard to attract them if there are not friends and family sharing the enjoyment and interest in the process and accomplishment of restoration, and the pride in the vehicles associated with AACA as a participating member.

 

If we want young people involved, give them a wrench. ?

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I went to two F1 races in Europe - German Grand Prix at Nuremberg ring and Monaco— both were week long parties. Camping all around the course and very friendly people even to GI’s back in the late 60’s. 

The crowds were amazing. The grand stands still sell out but I’ve heard from people I know well and still go the rest of the crowds are much smaller. The reason is cost. Take what it use to cost to go to a NASCAR event 10-12 years ago compared to today even with adjusting for inflation. How can a family afford it. Same with baseball. Look at the stands on TV and they are barely half full a month into the season. Hershey is going to see the same problem with cost of food, hotels and something for the nonauto part of the family that is dragged along. 

Just my 2 cents that’s worth about 1/8 of what it was before. 

Dave S 

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I went to the 1993 Indy 500 on a perk from Carrier/Bryant heating and cooling companies. It was a premier dealer thing. Carrier/Bryant and Jonathan Byrd were sponsors of Scott Brayton that year. We got three days of the royal treatment including an Indy police escort through the traffic of Byrd's bus to the front gate. As we walked to the gate we heard a round of applause. Our escort of motorcycle police was riding off, standing on their motorcycle seats, like they did at the track.

We met all the people involved and most memorable was the raspy old pit Boss. We listened to his stories after dinner until late one night. I remember him telling how they had to lift the drivers out of the Buick V6 cars while they were still shaking from the rough ride. We had pit passes the day before the race and every time we sat down to eat or went back to our room there was a memento of some sort waiting for us.

I got home and said it was something great to do once in your life, for me, once was fine.

 

Hershey is different. Indy is focused like dinner at the Ritz. Hershey is like going to the best China Buffet, assorted everything. I am a pretty deeply involved car guy; Indy once, Hershey lots of times. Maybe it is my ADD, Automotive Attention Deficit.

Bernie

 

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Hershey is like some sort of pilgrimage to me. Next Hershey will be my 50th, started in 1968.  Around late September the weather is starting to get cooler and it's getting dark earlier and all I think of is Hershey. Even if I'm not looking for a particular part, I will keep attending until it's no longer physically possible. Hershey is part of my life. Indy is not the Indy of the past. At one time there was a waiting list for tickets, on Friday I saw an ad on TV offering tickets. Perhaps money has driven the "average person" from the sport. At one time during the '30s up until the '50s some brilliant mechanics were building indy cars in home garages! We will never see a time like that again.

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Jeff, I am a rabid Indy car fan and have been most of my life.  I have not only attended races but have been involved in track activities for the years that Olds raced. Indy is a bit different.  There still are rabid fans, there still are fans of particular drivers but Indy is an "event" as well.  The track has reached out to younger people with concerts and the "Indy Experience" that has all sorts of interactive things going on.  There is a lot to do and see surrounding the weekend and the crowd definitely is younger than what we see at Hershey (although last year I was encouraged seeing younger people around).

 

The purist in me loves Indy for the race but there are a lot of people that got to it for the party.  Yes, I have even joined in on the Snake Pit in my younger days. The Folks at IRL have done a better job at providing fun for everyone and it seems to be working although certainly not as big as in the heyday. 

 

Just my personal perspective but I think the lack of American drivers with big personalities is hurting the sport.  Drivers today in all motorsports are just too corporate or plain vanilla.  They say and do the right things which I guess is good but give me more Foyts and I will be happy!

 

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I read a comment somewhere several years ago that when Nascar came to the Brickyard the security didn't have much to do as the fans came to watch the race,

Total opposite than the norm of the 500 where most folks come for the party.

My brother who is not really much of a car guy went to the 500 once. (probably about thirty years ago) I don't think he watched the race, all he talked about was the party.

I couldn't comment about Hershey, but I understand the disease.

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39 minutes ago, Steve Moskowitz said:

Just my personal perspective but I think the lack of American drivers with big personalities is hurting the sport.  Drivers today in all motorsports are just too corporate or plain vanilla.  They day and do the right things which I guess is good but give me more Foyts and I will be happy!

 

 

Yes indeed. The colorful drivers and owners are mostly gone. NASCAR is now boring - restrictor plate racing is ridiculous. Disqualifying a car because at the end of the race it is a wee bit out of spec is ridiculous. It is now all about corporate greed and money - the drivers have to think carefully to include all in their thanks, to put on all their sponsors hats. Even the owners and pit chiefs have have been muzzled. The attempt to cleanse the sport of fights, hard driving, name calling, etc. is destroying the enjoyment for those of us brought up with the Allison's, the Unsers, AJ, Mario, Yarborough, Roberts, the Petty's and all the others that did everything they could to win races. It now reminds me of the new "Participation Trophies" given to our youngsters because they don't keep track of the score - you can't win or lose. 

 

Sports in general is dying from over zealous self regulation and the new mantra of political correctness. As Ralph Nader said " what you do is to turn people into (having) skins that are blistered by moonbeams".

 

 

 

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NASCAR's roots are in the South, and, at one time, NASCAR's most avid fans were from the South.  I don't think that even die-hard Southerners minded or even paid attention to NASCAR's branching out to the West and Northeast, so I don't think that was a factor.  What deeply offended me about the NASCAR Organization, was their banning of the so-called "Rebel Flag" three years ago, and, as a result,  I rarely even watch NASCAR races on TV these days.  I agree that NASCAR's corporate identity has become homogenized and politically correct and that the real tragedy of this development  is that the same philosophy has been imposed on the Drivers, Crews and Owners. 

 

Cheers,

Grog

          P.S.  I never owned a "Rebel Flag" until three years ago.

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Ok, This year will be 49 in a row at Hershey, and the INDY 500 is no longer on my "Bucket List". Try this bet, if you have one, put a $100.00 bill on the table with your car buddies and ask them to write down the names of six drivers in this years INDY 500, Danica does not count (I'll miss her) and they can't use the damn cell phones. I've always loved the cars and history of Indy before WWII, not as much Post War, Jim Clark and the Lotus Ford changed everything. Yes, I watched the race yesterday, will Roger win his 18th next year? I didn't stay for the show on Saturday at Hershey for the first time ever, did I miss something? 

 

Bob 

Edited by 1937hd45 (see edit history)
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capngrog, I have a very good friend in Hickory, NC. Die hard, southern, NASCAR fans are probably the most passionate race fans there are. He told me some of his buddies stopped watching races when Toyota was allowed to race. He said others quit watching when Danica Patrick, Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya started driving. He mentioned some other things about this years crop of new drivers that I won't go into here. Yes, he also mentioned the Rebel Flag issue. NASCAR is not regional anymore and some have a hard time with that.

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27 minutes ago, 46 woodie said:

He told me some of his buddies stopped watching races when Toyota was allowed to race.

 

In 1953 it was OK to uninvite the the foreign stuff and make rules to keep them out.

image.png.b9e8716f43c46483674157f2080bd093.png

 

Especially when they won.

 

In the picture above the driver was hopping that plane for England and left the Jaguar behind. A bunch of good old boys found found an outside grease rack, lifted the car, and put it on a flatbed. I hear than ran it up to Boston and threw it in the harbor, then sat around a Boston bar dressed like Indians and drank beer.

Bernie

 

I always thought George Washington was the father of stock car racing. He went after those west Pennsylvania moonshiners for tax money to pay the war debt. Figure that was the start of it all.

Edited by 60FlatTop (see edit history)
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This is an inter

On 5/28/2018 at 7:31 AM, Restorer32 said:

Would be interesting to know if Indy and Formula 1 racing in general are experiencing problems luring younger people into their hobby.

 

This is an interesting question. Indycar and the Indy 500 have definitely suffered a decline in attendance, but it's mostly because they shot themselves in the foot. In the mid '90s, the sport was very healthy and growing. Then "The Split" happened for the 1996 season and gutted the sport. If you don't know the story, the car owners (who owned the championship) and the owners of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (who run the Indy 500) separated and each ran their own series. It's taken about 20 years for the sport to stop the bleeding and stabilize.

 

I attended my first Indy 500 forty years ago and I worked in the sport for 8 seasons. Without a doubt, the racing is more competitive then it has been in my lifetime. I was at the Indy on Sunday and can also report there are plenty of young people there and the crowds are growing again. Another observation is that the hundreds of thousands of people in the stands are fans that understand the sport. Yes, many people come for the party, but more love watching the race.

 

I've only been to Hershey once, but have attended many other other classic car events. The difference between the two, as I see it, is that the Hershey event and the people involved don't seem to change with the times. With all due respect, some of the opinions about Indy in this thread is a good example of that mindset. "It was better back in the day". No, it wasn't. The racing is better now. The TV coverage is better. There are plenty of personalities. Indycar is evolving to be relevant, and this draws in new fans. Hershey, and the old car crowd, seem to want to keep things the same and don't understand why new people aren't attracted. "Young" people are in the car hobby, they are just in another part of it.

Edited by Buick64C (see edit history)
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I attended my FIRST Indy 500 this past weekend!  Drove from Northern Virginia about 12 hours each way.  A friend of a friend had an extra ticket and since I had never been before I said yes!  Left my home at 6:10am Friday!  We spent all day Saturday and Sunday at the track. Paid $10 to get into the track on Saturday to watch the $499 ride along laps from Turn One.  One warm up lap, one or two hot laps, and a cool down lap.  I heard speeds were in the 180 mph area.  Caught the tail end of the driver's meeting and watched them introduce all the drivers.  Then they brought out 3 or 4 groups of 10-15 former/early Indy-cars to do some parade laps at speed!  This was the best thing I saw on Saturday. Spent some time looking at all the new CHEVROLETS (and Hondas...).  Went to the memorabilia sale which was very crowded and finished at the museum.  The museum was well worth the additional $10.  I'm not too sure if they have ALL the winners, but a good portion of the Indy 500 winners from the 1911 Marmon Wasp were on display and I believe they are all kept in driving condition.  I'm sure some people may not go to Indy because of the cost!  My seat was $115, which I thought was reasonable.  The four of us rented a small SUV plus fuel, spent three nights in a hotel (breakfast was included) and ate out for lunch and dinner.  I bought myself a $28(!) ball cap, and a $25 Indy checkered flag for my garage.  I also saw an $80 jacket that I liked, but $80?  Maybe next time...  I don't have the final totals yet, but I shared a lot of the costs with three others to make it more affordable.  Would I go to Indy again?  In a Heart Beat!  Maybe not next year, but in another 2-3 years, but next time I would bring my 18 year old son.  He would love it! 

 

I try to go to Spring Carlisle and Fall Hershey and hit at least one or the other every year.  Both are a 2 - 2:30 drive from my home so I typically just go for the day with a friend.  I took my son to Fall Carlisle last year and when I asked him if he would go again at the end of the day, he said yes!  It's a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack, but I'm typically looking for Corvair parts at both swap meets and usually find something I can use (wearing a sign helps!).  I'm in my early 50's.  All the standing and walking does take it's toll.  My one complaint about both Carlisle (especially the car corral) and Hershey is that sometimes there are long stretches of open space where car sellers and dealers don't show up!  They need to CONSOLIDATE a lot so there is not so much open space to waste time and energy passing by. 

 

  

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Indy back in the day was one race not part of a series. Guys worked for 11 months building a new car to win,new ideas and innovations and bending the rule book to build a car nobody else could copy. We had turbines,diesel and who can forget the sound of a Novi .Everybody experimented to get the edge on the competition.

Now we have 2 engines and 1 car body is that not what the IROC series was all about many years ago?

I am sorry there is no cheating like there once was! But hey it was only cheating if you got caught.

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24 minutes ago, playswithbrass said:

Indy back in the day was one race not part of a series. Guys worked for 11 months building a new car to win,new ideas and innovations and bending the rule book to build a car nobody else could copy. We had turbines,diesel and who can forget the sound of a Novi .Everybody experimented to get the edge on the competition.

Now we have 2 engines and 1 car body is that not what the IROC series was all about many years ago?

I am sorry there is no cheating like there once was! But hey it was only cheating if you got caught.

 

You're right that there used to be a lot more teams that just ran Indy, but it's been part of a points-based championship season since 1927.

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