Steady Eddie

Eddie Gossage stunned and amazed racing fans around the world, when he made it known that ovals are the future of AOW. Imagine the GM of the Texas Motor Speedway saying such a thing.

Anyone who knows me understands that I am an oval fan. Void and I argue constantly over what is more interesting to watch. I am hardly a road course evangelist, but at the same time I can enjoy them and I do understand why they are important. Eddie may know what sells, but he hardly speaks for the millions of race fans who have denounced the Nascar formula. Let us use our brains a little Eddie:

Ovals are not a magic pill

Anyone who believes it is simplifying a very complex problem. Sprint cars run exclusively on oval tracks and have yet to draw large television ratings. Let us remember that the IRL's oval ratings were hardly spectacular during the split.

You cannot gain ground on NASCAR by emulating NASCAR

Eddie is worried that the IRL will remain a "niche sport". I disagree. The Craftsmen Truck series is just that, and it is having sponsorship problems. The only thing that differentiates the series is the vehicles. It lacks the individuality that attracts the interest of fans. Why would I watch that series, when I could watch the Cup boys?

Oval parades do exist

An oval is fully capable of producing a boring race. Not every oval produces side by side racing. Super speedways are sometimes the biggest offenders. When you reduce the dependency on driver skill and the car setup becomes the primary factor, you have a parade. Plain and simple, doesn't matter what type of course you are on.

It is about the drivers

If Dale JR, Jeff Gordon, Graham Rahal, and Danica were to race against each other at Long Beach, would anyone really care about what course it was on? I guarantee you that the ratings would be through the roof.

An oval only series will alienate many talented and marketable drivers. Marco and Graham have yet to win an oval race. Winning those races gained them credibility and increased their popularity to some degree.

The IRL barely escaped with its life

Eddie reminds us that the IRL "won" the war. Is this just a man speaking what he believes? Let us remember that he is still bitter about the Firehawk 600 disaster. Maybe he has a right to be angry, but his statements prove to me that he does not have AOW's interest in mind. Anyone who willingly picks at the slow healing scabs of our sport should be despised by fans on both sides.

The fact is, both sides were dying. If Eddie's brain was still functioning properly, he would realize this. People are becoming interested again in open wheel, and we didn't have to add ovals to do it. We have stopped bickering and lashing out at each other. We are focused on the product again, and it is already working. So thanks for the advice Eddie, but no thanks.