Americans struggling in IndyCar series

Associated Press

Indianapolis

The day Randy Bernard was announced as the CEO of the IndyCar Series, it became clear he understood the importance of fielding competitive American drivers.

“What we have found is very important in this sport is Americans want to see Americans win,” he during his introductory press conference in February. “There’s no question about it.”

There have been few American victories lately. Only two U.S. drivers — Buddy Rice in 2004 and Sam Hornish in 2006 — have won the Indianapolis 500 in the past 10 years.

Americans dominated the series’ signature event for decades before Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi won the 1989 race. Since then, 13 of the 20 winners have come from foreign soil.

Things don’t look much better for the Americans this year.

Australia’s Will Power leads the point standings. Ryan Hunter-Reay is the top American in fourth place, and Marco Andretti (13th) and Danica Patrick (16th) are the only others in the top 20. Hunter-Reay won the Long Beach Grand Prix on April 18, but Patrick is the only other U.S. driver since the start of the 2008 season to win an IndyCar event.

Among the favorites heading into this year’s Indy 500 are Power, three-time winner Helio Castroneves (Brazil) and Scott Dixon (New Zealand), who won the race in 2008 and drove the fastest lap in practice on Tuesday (226.549 mph) and Wednesday (226.971).

Terry Angstadt, president of IndyCar’s commercial division, wouldn’t mind seeing a few more Americans near the top.

“If we just could take out a clean sheet of paper and we had a wish list, yeah, I’d like to see more American drivers. I think that’s natural,” he said. “But given the diversity of where we race, how we race, caring so much about diversity that it is one of our brand attributes, we really do embrace the international makeup of our field.”

While IndyCar executives know the United States plays a key role in growing the brand, they also recognize the importance of what lies beyond. Angstadt said the season-opening event in Sao Paulo drew about 7 million viewers in Brazil, even though it garnered just a 0.4 TV rating in the United States.

Brazil has a strong fan base and successful drivers to match. The nation has produced six Indianapolis 500 wins since 1988. Other foreign drivers have excelled, bringing new fans and advertising opportunities to the series.

“It’s very important, not for all sponsors, but for a lot of sponsors to have an international presence,” Bernard said. “And we have to honor that and if the best racers in the world come from Brazil, then America has to step up to the plate.”

Townsend Bell, who finished fourth in the Indy 500 last year and drove the fastest lap for an American on Wednesday (224.743), agrees with that assessment.

“I’m not looking for an IndyCar series that is predisposed to anything except the fastest drivers, the best guys available,” he said. “I’d love it if the best guys out there were American as well, of course. That helps our fan base. But everybody’s got to rise up to the challenge.”

Bell said his high finish in the Indy 500 did little for his visibility.

“I know that fourth place is nice, but winning is the only thing that matters,” he said. “That’s the best lesson from last year. Just go win.”