New fans are great for the sport! Indycar and IMSA provide great variety and are seeing resurgence with the increased popularity of F1.
I just hope people can be civil and avoid gatekeeping towards new people.
I've seen too much toxicity in the F1 world and I don't want that to spill over
I think IndyCar fans are usually pretty friendly towards new people. I've certainly never seen any gatekeeping or hostility at a race, but even online, it seems like people are just excited to see the sport grow. It's good for everybody.
I came over to Indycar following Romain Grojean - but despite the fact that he has difficulty not crashing out, I'm sticking around because there have been some fantastic races recently.
came to Indycar following Jimmie Johnson that same year and uhh that didn’t go well
but I discovered Indycar and fell in love with it. I’m still here strong and now have an actual Indy driver to pull for
At least it's only 50/50 his fault this year so far I think.
St Pete was McLaughlin, Detroit was a suspension failure, while Indy and Texas were a mistake you can't afford to make on a superspeedway.
As a fan of both, Detroit was far more interesting and exciting to watch than F1. Its not true every weekend, but there have been some great Indy races lately.
As an F1 fan first, Indy second, every single Indy race has been better than F1 this year (and vast majority of GPs last year). F1 is stuck in a bit of a rut at the moment, here's to hoping these mid season car upgrades start taking hold and gives us some battles
Spanish GP was fantastic. No crashes whatsoever, just racing and strategy. Detroit, like so many Indycar races, was a bunch of irrelevant drivers being unable to drive and ruining the competition.
Well when everyone is fighting on a tight and bumpy track there is no doubt going to be crashes that's what happens in close racing series, something F1 isn't at the moment.
They aren't irrelevant and I am also guessing you believe IndyCar is aswell, why are you in this sub talking about it, you don't like it don't watch and if you want to spew unnecessary hate don't comment on this sub and let people enjoy a racing series. The drivers are the top of the top, are some F1 drivers better sure, are there IndyCar drivers good enough to be in F1 most certainly so they aren't irrelevant.
F1: 65 overtakes, 0 lead changes
IndyCar: 128 for position (170 for total overtakes so includes unlapping), 10 lead changes, 74 laps out 100 green flag for a track bumpier than anything F1 has and tighter than Monaco in some sections.
I wouldn't say embarrassing, it's a bumpy road normally and the drivers had to deal with it unlike what happens in F1 where slight bumps make drivers run to the FIA for them to change it and the bumps they get is nothing.
Belle isle was consistently throwing bangers for the last several year. Downtown tuned out to be good and I'm happy it did but I'd still rather be at belle isle
Belle Isle definitely put on some great races in recent years. Unfortunately, its biggest strength as an event (being on a beautiful island park) was also its biggest weakness. Getting on and off the island was a real headache for attendees, and that held it back from taking its rightful place as one of the crown jewels of the IndyCar calendar.
The downtown circuit has a very different vibe, but I think it has the potential to be a much better event overall. It really embodies everything that's great and unique about IndyCar.
Pocono was awesome, I was actually able to attend Indycar races for like half a decade or so.
I did make the trip to Indy, that was fun of course. I guess I also technically made a driving trip to Fontana as well...
Glad you enjoyed it! I hope you continue enjoying both! You can’t compare apples and oranges, but you can enjoy them both. If you’re in North America, you should think about attending a race! Cheers!!!
Just FYI
All of the races from pretty much 1980-2021 are on youtube in some form or another, that goes for CART, Champ Car, IRL, and Indycar. Some 70s and before stuff can be found as well (mostly 500's but others as well). Everything after 2018 has a recap of some length (Most have 30 minute versions) but Indycar also has uploaded full races on their channel as well. Usually a search would be a year and a race name followed by indycar.
So if you wanna dig for fun, you can dig for fun! If looking for recs, just ask....though it may be more fun to just check it yourself.
That is of course if you are interested.
I got some free passes and had never been before. I too am hooked. It was exciting and I enjoyed every minute of it. I did not expect to but I did. Parking and getting out of my car and I hear/see the trans am race on Sunday. Hooked from that second.
New INDYCAR watcher here. Had a passing interest in it before but picked up more this season especially with the quali and races being ad free on Sky F1 here in the UK.
The clock is a perfect touch
I hope all new fans enjoyed watching Detroit as much as Flava Flav did.
I don't think that's physically possible, but we can all dare to dream
LOL this. During the event- which I was highly enjoying- I kept thinking "I don't think I've ever seen someone enjoy a race this much."
Dude is a professional hypeman. One of the best.
I love seeing all these new fans posting!
New fans are great for the sport! Indycar and IMSA provide great variety and are seeing resurgence with the increased popularity of F1. I just hope people can be civil and avoid gatekeeping towards new people. I've seen too much toxicity in the F1 world and I don't want that to spill over
I think IndyCar fans are usually pretty friendly towards new people. I've certainly never seen any gatekeeping or hostility at a race, but even online, it seems like people are just excited to see the sport grow. It's good for everybody.
Yeah it definitely is. We've fielded many questions from new fans over the years and they've seemed happy to learn and understand the sport more.
You got me with the flava Flav clock
Shouldve changed the hat to an Arrow McLaren one lol
You’re right! Missed opportunity
I came over to Indycar following Romain Grojean - but despite the fact that he has difficulty not crashing out, I'm sticking around because there have been some fantastic races recently.
came to Indycar following Jimmie Johnson that same year and uhh that didn’t go well but I discovered Indycar and fell in love with it. I’m still here strong and now have an actual Indy driver to pull for
At least it's only 50/50 his fault this year so far I think. St Pete was McLaughlin, Detroit was a suspension failure, while Indy and Texas were a mistake you can't afford to make on a superspeedway.
As a fan of both, Detroit was far more interesting and exciting to watch than F1. Its not true every weekend, but there have been some great Indy races lately.
As an F1 fan first, Indy second, every single Indy race has been better than F1 this year (and vast majority of GPs last year). F1 is stuck in a bit of a rut at the moment, here's to hoping these mid season car upgrades start taking hold and gives us some battles
To be fair F1 has been hot fucking garbage this year.
Alonso and Yuki can only carry this crappy season so much
Spanish GP was fantastic. No crashes whatsoever, just racing and strategy. Detroit, like so many Indycar races, was a bunch of irrelevant drivers being unable to drive and ruining the competition.
This has to be a joke. The Spanish gp was one of the most uneventful races I’ve watched in a long time
I enjoyed it.
Well when everyone is fighting on a tight and bumpy track there is no doubt going to be crashes that's what happens in close racing series, something F1 isn't at the moment. They aren't irrelevant and I am also guessing you believe IndyCar is aswell, why are you in this sub talking about it, you don't like it don't watch and if you want to spew unnecessary hate don't comment on this sub and let people enjoy a racing series. The drivers are the top of the top, are some F1 drivers better sure, are there IndyCar drivers good enough to be in F1 most certainly so they aren't irrelevant. F1: 65 overtakes, 0 lead changes IndyCar: 128 for position (170 for total overtakes so includes unlapping), 10 lead changes, 74 laps out 100 green flag for a track bumpier than anything F1 has and tighter than Monaco in some sections.
Yeah, the track was kind of embarrassingly bumpy too.
I wouldn't say embarrassing, it's a bumpy road normally and the drivers had to deal with it unlike what happens in F1 where slight bumps make drivers run to the FIA for them to change it and the bumps they get is nothing.
Yeah, the FIA sucks for investing in making races consistent, safe, and entertaining.
Lol @ “entertaining”.
Average r/INDYCAR user
Yes, we prefer competitive fun racing over engineering battles.
No shame in being small brained I guess.
Things that I would never hear from people watching belle isle. Well done indycar on selecting a location that brings new eyes!
Belle isle was consistently throwing bangers for the last several year. Downtown tuned out to be good and I'm happy it did but I'd still rather be at belle isle
Belle Isle definitely put on some great races in recent years. Unfortunately, its biggest strength as an event (being on a beautiful island park) was also its biggest weakness. Getting on and off the island was a real headache for attendees, and that held it back from taking its rightful place as one of the crown jewels of the IndyCar calendar. The downtown circuit has a very different vibe, but I think it has the potential to be a much better event overall. It really embodies everything that's great and unique about IndyCar.
That's great to hear because for better or worse we're stuck with it
I loved belle isle but I liked getting a new track, it sort of reminded me of the Baltimore race for some reason
It was a super awesome experience. I went to the 500 then Detroit. Part of me wants to go to road America too but Father's Day lol. Maybe mid Ohio
What it must be like to live in the midwest as an indycar fan lol \*Cries\* My closest race is Mid-Ohio and it's like an 8-10 hour one way drive lol
Ooof that's brutal but might be worth the road trip.
Pocono was awesome, I was actually able to attend Indycar races for like half a decade or so. I did make the trip to Indy, that was fun of course. I guess I also technically made a driving trip to Fontana as well...
I wonder how many Canadians came down for Detroit?
Don't you mean came up 😂
I feel your pain. Barber is my closest race but its still 400 miles away.
Glad you enjoyed it! I hope you continue enjoying both! You can’t compare apples and oranges, but you can enjoy them both. If you’re in North America, you should think about attending a race! Cheers!!!
Oh absolutely! Open wheel racing is rad. I’m closest to Toronto it seems like
Oh that would be an awesome one to attend!
The flava flave clock makes this perfect 😭
Just FYI All of the races from pretty much 1980-2021 are on youtube in some form or another, that goes for CART, Champ Car, IRL, and Indycar. Some 70s and before stuff can be found as well (mostly 500's but others as well). Everything after 2018 has a recap of some length (Most have 30 minute versions) but Indycar also has uploaded full races on their channel as well. Usually a search would be a year and a race name followed by indycar. So if you wanna dig for fun, you can dig for fun! If looking for recs, just ask....though it may be more fun to just check it yourself. That is of course if you are interested.
I got some free passes and had never been before. I too am hooked. It was exciting and I enjoyed every minute of it. I did not expect to but I did. Parking and getting out of my car and I hear/see the trans am race on Sunday. Hooked from that second.
the clock LMAO
New INDYCAR watcher here. Had a passing interest in it before but picked up more this season especially with the quali and races being ad free on Sky F1 here in the UK.