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Other Sports => Other Sports => Topic started by: cosworth151 on August 29, 2007, 06:11:54 PM

Title: Champ Car Races Cancelled
Post by: cosworth151 on August 29, 2007, 06:11:54 PM
The ailing Champ Car series season finale in Phoenix, scheduled for Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, has been cancelled, according to promoter Dale Jensen. The race, which was to be run on a new 2.0-mile street course downtown, suffered from an inability to draw sponsors.  The series has also formally cancelled its race in China, which had already been postponed from May. Champ Car hoped to secure a Thanksgiving weekend date for the China race but was unable to do so. Champ Car has now erased three dates from its 2007 schedule, with the first being Denver.

This means that Champ Car, which began a two-race European swing last weekend in Belgium and moves to Holland this weekend, has run its last race of the season in the U.S. -- Road America on Aug. 12.

"We obviously are disappointed that the organizers of Grand Prix Arizona canceled their event. While we were looking forward to closing our season with a new Champ Car race in Arizona, we're prepared to now finish instead in Mexico City, as we have done the past three years," said Steve Johnson, Champ Car CEO.

This leaves three races remaining in the Champ Car season: After Holland, the series is scheduled to race in Australia on Oct. 21, and Mexico City on Nov. 11.

Title: Re: Champ Car Races Cancelled
Post by: Dare on August 29, 2007, 09:37:28 PM
that's a real shame Cos,Champ Car to me
is the 2nd best form of motor racing and
more exciting than f1
Title: Re: Champ Car Races Cancelled
Post by: Chameleon on August 29, 2007, 10:40:07 PM
I agree with Dare - Champ Car racing is great and doesn't deserve all the criticism it gets.  But it does show that open wheel racing is in serious trouble in the States.  It's time everyone forgot all their arguments, got together and hammered out one really good formula that could be America's answer to F1.  Hiding behind NASCAR won't work forever - sooner or later the US will have to face the fact that it's pursuing an isolationist policy in motor racing that will only bring stagnation in the future.  Race stock cars, sure - they do that in Europe too but give it a fancy set of initials like the BTCC or DTM - but America needs open wheel racing too.

Scott Speed for President!
Title: Re: Champ Car Races Cancelled
Post by: johnbull on August 30, 2007, 08:36:33 AM
What is it that the NASCAR promoters do that makes it so popular?

From the little I know about racing in the USA, the same teams run cars in both NASCAR and Champ car, so where's the differentiating factor. Is it possibly the fact that Joe Public relates NASCAR to the car he drives is the only reason? I find that hard to believe.

Touring cars in Europe, and in Australia have the same attraction, but single seaters are still most people's dream. TC is just a stepping stone in most other countries. Open wheelers are the ultimate that everybody aims for.

I really can't understand why it should be any different in the USA, especially with the huge Indy cult. Indy has always been the USA's biggest race. Everybody wants to win Indy, yet Indy caters for single seaters only. So how does one explain the contradiction.
Title: Re: Champ Car Races Cancelled
Post by: cosworth151 on August 30, 2007, 04:40:26 PM
Only a few teams run both open wheel and NASCAR, and most of those have gone to IndyCar.

NASCAR has done an fantastic job of marketing for year. During off weeks in the cup schedule, major drivers go to local tracks to race and meet the fans. My personal favorite current driver, Ken Schrader, drove in an indoor midget race up the road from me in Columbus back in Feb. Between heats, he sat at a table to meet the fans.

There are stock car tracks all over the place over here. Most of us had our first exposure to racing at these tracks. I've got a pix of me just shy of my third birthday standing on a trailer behind Jack Bowsher's 32 Ford coupe stock car at Columbus speedway. (It was in 56)

NASCAR is all-pervasive pver here. One of the three major broadcast TV networks over here has a weekly hour NASCAR behind-the-scenes program.

NASCAR has series done to the local track level. For $12 each I can go to NASCAR local racing at Kil-Kare Speedway (about an hour away) on Fridays and at Columbus Speedway (about half an hour away) on Saturday.

The ticket prices for the Cup races are extremely reasonable. For Martinsville nest year, race day tickets start at $42. Week-end packages, which include the Busch Series race, are about $100.
Title: Re: Champ Car Races Cancelled
Post by: FW14B on September 01, 2007, 10:26:41 AM
I really want to try to get into NASCAR to understand the fuss around it.  I do like champcar but I think I prefer IRL at the moment, maybe as the competition is closer.
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