IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard wants “to add five non-regular-season drivers to the starting field” for the Izod IndyCar Series' season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and “vows that if it doesn’t drastically improve TV ratings in the United States, he’ll quit his job on the spot,” according to Norris McDonald of the TORONTO STAR. Bernard acknowledged some IndyCar regulars are "going to be upset" by the format for the Oct. 16 finale, which includes a $5M prize to any non-IndyCar driver who wins the race. This year's season-ending race will air on ABC; last year's at Homestead-Miami Speedway ran on Versus. Bernard said, "Here’s the deal with it. Last year’s best-kept secret was the Homestead race. It was a fantastic race and it got a .3 rating. If we do a .3 rating on this, I’ll quit. Right there on the spot. I’ll literally quit on the spot. If we do a .8 rating, I will quit. On the spot.” He added, “I think we have to do something big. … There are famous drivers that are willing. We say we have the best drivers in the world, now we’re willing to put up $5 million to prove we have the best drivers in the world.” Bernard said he has had “some F1 drivers call but they couldn’t figure out a way to get to Las Vegas from Korea, where they’re racing the same weekend.” He noted there are “definitely a couple NASCAR drivers who are interested,” adding driver Kasey Kahne “has expressed a lot of interest.” Meanwhile, Bernard acknowledged “some justification on the part of drivers who didn’t like determining the starting lineup" for the doubleheader at Texas Motor Speedway by lottery, and said that when IndyCar returns to TMS for another doubleheader in ’12, he will “simply invert the field rather than mixing it up.” Bernard also said that he will “sit down at the end of the season with Toronto race owners Kevin Savoree and Kim Green as well as Edmonton promoter Octane Management of Montreal to determine if there’s interest in another Canadian race.” Discussing Danica Patrick’s rumored move to NASCAR, Bernard said, “I think she’ll go where her chequebook takes her. And yes, she’s done a lot for IndyCar. But I think her sponsor, GoDaddy, has done as much and I hope I can get them to stay” (THESTAR.com, 6/29).
