Shapiro Wants To See IRL Put More Marketing Behind Patrick

Shapiro Would Like To See More Marketing Emphasis On Danica

ESPN Exec VP/Programming & Production Mark Shapiro “wants to see more of a marketing emphasis on ... Danica Patrick, additional night races and no event in Japan” for the ’06 IRL season and beyond, according to Curt Cavin of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Shapiro also would “prefer a more compact schedule.” Shapiro: “Ratings are up 38[%] on ABC and money can’t buy the attention the sport got at the Indianapolis 500. We must capitalize on it.” He said that the IRL “lost an opportunity to do that this year by not racing the weekend after” the Indy 500. Shapiro added that having races on consecutive weekends during the summer would “give the television partner the opportunity to keep the attention on the sport.” IRL Senior VP/Business Affairs Ken Ungar said an April-September schedule is “the kind of schedule you’ll see from us for 2006.” But Ungar said that the IRL “won’t be so accommodating with Shapiro’s request to drop the Japan race.” Shapiro’s concern is the “time zone discrepancy, which necessitates a tape-delayed broadcast” in the U.S. The league added the race in ’03 “as a favor to its engine partner, Honda, which built and owns the track in Motegi.” There are three primetime races this season, and Shapiro “offered to give the league better TV time slots for its night races.” Ungar: “We’ve been reluctant to increase that number because of (lower ratings), but if they’re going to continue to promote the series more and give us later (time) slots, then that’s something that is possible” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 8/16).

MAKING THE GRADE: On yesterday’s edition of ESPN2’s “Cold Pizza,” the Indianapolis Star’s Cavin discussed Patrick’s impact on the IRL. Cavin: “You probably give her a B, because she hasn't excelled to the point on the track that you'd expect. ... [But] off the track, she gets an A. She’s handled everything exceptionally well. She’s elevated her sport; she’s done everything a rookie could be asked to in any sport. She’s going to make a difference long-term.” Cavin added, “Every time I get on a teleconference with her — and she has one now once every week — there’s some new organization that’s participating. People magazine, Time magazine. ... She’s in Life magazine, she’s in TV Guide –-these are ... publications that never cared about Indy Car racing before [Patrick’s] Indy 500 success. Of course, the cover of [SI] is a perfect example” (ESPN2, 8/15).