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OPEN
WHEEL RACING IN AMERICA, NASCAR AND INTERNATIONALIZATION
By
Carlos de Paula
I
am afraid we are in the midst of a transition phase in American motorsports, and
I am not quite positive where it is going. In the last few years, open wheel
racing has lost much of its appeal to the American public, and in spite of that,
a merger between Champ Cars and the IRL has not happened. The two series
continue to battle each other in a predatory manner, in spite of a dwindling fan
base and poor TV ratings for both. In the meantime, NASCAR grows ever more.
The
latest blow to open wheel racing came in the form of A. J. Allmendinger’s
sudden defection to the NASCAR camp. After a few years trying to break into the
winners circle in Champ Cars, A.J. simply jumped ship when he finally made it to
victory lane. A.J. was a big trump card for Champ Cars, the single successful,
star quality American amidst a bunch of good foreign drivers. Now the poster
child is gone.
Whether
A.J. will make it in NASCAR is questionable, though. Frankly the only open wheel
driver to make it in the series has been the IRL’s Tony Stewart. The
rest has at best won a race here and there, failing to become a factor in the
sport. Scott Pruett, Christian Fittipaldi, Adrian Fernandez (in the Busch
series), Robby Gordon, Casey Mears, John Andretti, Michel Jourdain Jr, Wally
Dallenbach Jr…The list is large and growing.(*) However, the Americans’
magnet to NASCAR is economic: a driver who finishes 30th in NASCAR points might
make more money than the Champ Car champion!
We
would like to believe that race car drivers practice the sport merely because
they love it. Remember, foremost it is their profession, and money is a factor. A
big one. So, at the end of the day, if a driver is paid 2x to finish 14th
week in and out, and “x” to finish first, he will choose “2x” and 14th
places. So much for having stuff to tell your grandchildren. “Yup, I used
to finish 29th every weekend, when I qualified, that is. I have the record for
most 29th places in NASCAR history!”
I
understand that perhaps A.J.’s move was hasty because time might be running
out for American drivers in NASCAR as well. Read on.
I
simply do not believe in coincidences. Toyota’s entry into NASCAR’s
big league, Juan Pablo Montoya’s hiring and the announced
“internationalization” desires of NASCAR are all interconnected, make no
mistake. NASCAR knows that the one reason it is winning the fight against open
wheel racing is the fact that its field comprises almost 100% American drivers.
This, on the other hand, is the very same reason why it is not very popular
overseas: the non USA public is simply not very interested in seeing a whole
bunch of American drivers duking it out in large Fords, Chevies and Dodges, week
in and out, with no car and driver they can relate to. Thus, NASCAR must now
promote the internationalization of its field, if it is to pursue its
expansion aspirations beyond U.S. borders.
NASCAR
is considering going international because it has either detected the U.S.
market is saturated or that there is huge, untapped potential overseas. Or a
mixture of both.
The
fact that Juan Pablo Montoya is the first driver involved in this process
has design all over it. The Hispanic market is very important in the USA, and
Montoya is both a former winning Formula 1 driver and Indy 500 winner. Plus,
Montoya is a colorful character. The plot could not be better. Another former
Formula 1 driver, ex champion Jacques Villeneuve, is involved in
“talks” about a possible involvement. I read this as Canadian Jacques
Villeneuve will be in NASCAR, sooner than later.
The
question is how international will NASCAR’s field become. Granted, there are
close to 50 cars qualifying for most NASCAR races, but further international
drivers are likely to occupy existing drives, rather than adding on to the entry
list. The writing is on the wall: some American drivers will eventually be
replaced by international drivers, especially those bringing sponsorship
(welcome by cash strapped teams) or coming from so-called key markets.
I
do not foresee a NASCAR field with more foreign drivers than Americans, as in
Champ cars and the IRL, but sooner than we think, I can see a couple of
Brazilians (keep this name in mind, Giuliano Losacco), a few Europeans, a
couple of Mexicans and Japanese drivers gracing the fields.
If the Toyota experiment works, I would not be surprised if an European
manufacturer joins the series, most likely a German one (my money would be on
Audi or BMW).
NASCAR’s
genius lies in knowing how to balance, even things out. It will need to find the
proper balance to make its product palatable to international tastes, while not
affecting its U.S. popularity. It will tweak with several different
configurations, and we might still see two NASCAR Cups, a U.S.A. Cup, and an
International Cup. It remains to be seen whether this might help out open wheel
racing, or kill it once and for all.