Despite the loss of big-name drivers to the rival U.S. 500,
the Indy 500 still figures to win the ratings battle on Sunday,
that according to two reports in USA TODAY this morning. Rudy
Martzke predicts Indy won't drop more than a point off its three-
year average of 8.4, while the U.S. 500 will have trouble
improving on ESPN's average of 1.5 for its previous IndyCar
races. Martzke adds that NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 could top the
U.S. 500 by a 2-to-1 margin. The NASCAR race has averaged a 4.1
on TBS since moving to early prime-time in '93. Meanwhile, USA
TODAY's Michael Hiestand cites an IRL-commissioned study by Bortz
& Co. that projects a 9.4 for the Indy 500 on ABC and a 2.9 cable
rating for the U.S. 500 on ESPN (USA TODAY, 5/24). In New York,
Richard Sandomir reports that ABC "guaranteed" sponsor Valvoline
an 8.0 for Indy, which Valvoline Sports Marketing Dir Mark
Coughlin called "generous." Sandomir also notes if the viewers
of ABC's regular IndyCar telecasts switch to ESPN, it could mean
1.9 million viewers or two ratings points. Steve Potter, Manager
of Sports Marketing for Mercedes-Benz North America (a U.S. 500
sponsor): "Viewership will be split on Sunday, but by the end of
the day, the U.S. 500 trendline will be up and the Indy's
trendline will be down" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/24).
KEEP THE POLITICS OUT OF THE PITS: Because the Indy 500
attracts so many "casual viewers," ABC will not spend much of its
pre-race coverage on the CART-IRL feud. Race announcer Paul
Page: "We will address the issue, but we're not going to dwell
on it. ... We're going to talk about the guys who are in the race
and not the ones who are not" (Prentis Rogers, ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 5/24). Indy 500 Producer Bob Goodrich: "I'm in
sports entertainment. I'm not a journalist" (Rudy Martzke, USA
TODAY, 5/24).
