Beyond the Flag
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Troubled IndyCar Must Have Faith in CEO Miles

By Ric Libertino

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Worried?

If you’re a fan of the Verizon IndyCar Series, you likely aren’t alone.

With a canceled race in Brazil and the reappointment of a controversial race director, IndyCar has contended with an unkind winter. All the while, auto racing as a whole faces emptier grandstands, smaller TV audiences, and lessening pools of sponsorship. Undoubtedly, there are areas of concern.

There were even more when Mark Miles first took over as CEO of Hulman & Company.

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Aerokits were announced, then forgotten before Miles stepped in. Under his watch, whisperings of quiet cancelation and team owner insubordination turned into full constituent support. Now, Miles will be the first person to put on an IndyCar race with more than one, uniform car entered since a lone Panoz attempted the 2008 Indy 500.

Prior to Miles, Indy Lights was losing legitimacy as a feeder series. Few drivers were on the grid, and fewer were graduating. Through Dan Andersen, to whom Miles relinquished control as promoter, Indy Lights faces a revival in 2015. Finally, a new car, with new teams, and real, solid prospects who were respected in the divisions they leave behind.

It’s that release of control that has made Miles so successful. His appointments, including that of Derrick Walker, allowed those with a racing background to handle technical and competition issues. Meanwhile, Miles freed up time to focus on his own strengths, manifested in IndyCar’s title sponsorship with Verizon, the creation of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, and the hugely successful Jason Aldean concert.

As a scheduler, he’s kept Pocono, Fontana, Milwaukee, and Iowa despite murmurs any or all could be gone in 2015, while simultaneously adding a new event in Louisiana.

More impressively, Miles did the impossible: keeping popular and historic Toronto on the schedule without upsetting longtime IndyCar supporter Eddie Gossage, even as both events were hardliners for the same date.

These aren’t the dreary days of absentee sponsors. These aren’t the marketers who thought Gene Simmons would connect with a millennial audience. These aren’t the ancient chassis, road irrelevant engines, and dominated seasons.

Under Miles, and through the work of many (empowered by Miles’ willingness to delegate), IndyCar has its most credible title sponsor since FedEx, its most competitive seasons on record, and its greatest exposure on ESPN’s promotional platforms in recent memory.

Even conceding those accomplishments, some fans might ask what Miles has done for them lately, but that’s the wrong measure. You’re only as good as your next – not your last – performance.

As fans file into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, signage from the Grand Prix reminds of a new, network-televised event created by Miles. (Ric Libertino)

Miles has many options for that act.

For one, a continual push for a safe way to restore faster qualifying speeds at Indianapolis will only re-cement the 500’s position as the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Miles has already committed to his, and did so by understanding it was not his area of expertise.

New technological pairings with Verizon will better leverage the title sponsorship in ways that were not possible with successor IZOD; as NASCAR emphasizes a second screen experience, IndyCar is in a better position to deliver it with Verizon.

Miles gave a prestige boost to a Providence proposal by shifting to Boston; now, he must make the race a reality. Ensuring that Houston’s eager promoter and sponsor return at a new venue will be a priority. Equally, Miles’ push for international events to shorten the off-season “dead space” has to continue. Time zone advantages avoid NFL and NASCAR competition, while other climates facilitate non-traditional dates.

Other scheduling options exist on midweek races, something NASCAR hesitates to include.  Terry Lingner, IndyCar’s producer, suggested this as a way to gain from NASCAR’s new relationship with NBC.  It could also expand the schedule without running past Labor Day, hosting an oval race on a weeknight, then a nearby street course that weekend.

Miles has already started efforts to move some races from the NBC Sports cable outlet to NBC proper, and could get exclusive partner ABC’s consent by offering an extension to its Indianapolis 500 rights or by giving ESPN the first right of refusal to midweek racing.

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On other fronts, Formula E can be an opportunity for IndyCar. Instead of a contentious relationship with Formula E’s Long Beach and Miami dates, IndyCar and the all-electric division can drive fan crossover.

Moreover, shared suppliers like Dallara can be the focus of an alliance. Figuring out ways to make components more mutual would help Dallara’s economies of scale, lowering the cost of racing for teams in both series. Even where differences lie, promoting the health of Dallara-sourced championships still aids all parties: the more scope Dallara has in the auto racing industry, the more cost advantages it gains.

Anecdotally, the crowd at the Indianapolis 500 appeared younger than those at other races – keeping a party atmosphere in the infield, attracting relevant musical acts on race weekend, and using group ticket rates with nearby universities will help demographics. On the first two, Miles has already executed.

Other efforts can tap into younger audiences. Spanish demographics run young in the U. S., and popular drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya are well-suited for reaching that segment. With Carlos Muñoz recognized as Univision Deportes’ driver of the year over candidates from NASCAR and F1, IndyCar’s potential to resonate with new audiences is apparent. Promoting IndyCar’s cultural diversity, off-track experience, and on-track product in Spanish-language media would be productive. Tying street race festivities into city cultures would authenticate that message.

Certainly, that’s a long agenda, but that only means IndyCar has many avenues to pursue. They wouldn’t exist without Miles, who has already started down a few.

Worried? It’d be easy to see why if you were.

But it wouldn’t be foolish if you were hopeful about IndyCar’s future under Mark Miles, too.