Should IRL Consider Adopting Green-White-Checkered Finish?
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IRL Race Finishes Under
Caution For Second Straight Week |
With a late crash at Saturday's IRL Bombardier Learjet 550 at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) forcing an IndyCar Series race to end under caution for the second straight week, it is "time for the series to do what NASCAR did a few years ago: go to a green-white-checkered finish," according to Richard Durrett of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Saturday's ending was a "big letdown for what became an exciting race after a slow start." IRL VP/PR John Griffin said that the league doesn't think a green-white-checkered finish is "feasible, because the cars don't have onboard starters, and it's time-consuming to restart them." Griffin: "We think that would slow things down and take away from the show." However, IRL driver Scott Dixon said, "The fans come first. That's why we're here." Chip Ganassi Racing Owner Chip Ganassi added, "I think about the fans. They come to see a show, and they deserve to see an exciting finish" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/8). In Ft. Worth, John Sturbin wrote each of the "podium finishers hedged when asked if the league should adopt a green-white-checkered flag rule similar to NASCAR's." Ganassi said that the idea "definitely deserves consideration" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 6/8).
ATTENDANCE: An estimated 83,000 fans attended Saturday's race, 3,000 less than last year (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 6/8). TMS President Eddie Gossage said, "This crowd is great and is still the biggest crowd to see an IndyCar race outside of the Indy 500. We're very proud of it. But attendance has dropped almost 20[%] since 2005. It's clear that inserting a race between Indy and Texas had an effect." In Ft. Worth, Gil LeBreton wondered, "Is the IRL punishing Gossage for canceling the second date?" But Gossage "says no, that the track's second NASCAR date precludes a second IndyCar race." LeBreton wrote, "Surely, there's a price ... that the two sides can agree upon. There has to be, because the IRL should be proud to call [TMS] its second home" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 6/8).
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