In quest for readers...

I am getting a good laugh out of this whole Danica/Milka thing. Just to get it out of the way, my opinion: they are both idiots. That is about as far as it goes on my care-o-meter. What I do find interesting is the reaction to how IndyCar is handling it. In this article the author ridicules IndyCar for failing to swing into damage control mode after the confrontation occurred. He points out that the "other" league monitors off track activities. Since IndyCar is "starved" for attention it takes what it can get. He then goes on to highlight how the league takes full advantage of Danica's exploits.

His observations are correct, although I disagree with the tone of the article. You could summarize the article in one line: "IndyCar is marketing its drivers".

Sure, Danica gets to much attention. Is IndyCar supposed to ignore the free press? A series that is competing in a David vs Goliath situation is supposed to pass by a free handout? What am I missing?

The idea that the "other league" maintains better control is laughable. Sure, they dish out fines and call the drivers to the ol'hauler, but do they really care? If they did, you would see cars pulled from races and security guards roaming the pit lane. Nascar's smoke and mirrors marketing machine allows them to appear in control of the sport while they continue to capitalize on every last mishap.

No one wants IndyCar to become the WWE of racing. And if the quality of the racing began to suffer from the off track antics I would be the first to complain. The fact is, the racing has been great this year. How many leaders did we have at Mid-Ohio? I will cut short my usual optimistic rant, but keep this in mind. The quality and coverage of the racing is extremely important. But if you want to attract new fans (or past fans), you need to dangle something in front of them to gain interest. Sure, its lame.. but that is how it works.