Rethinking car racing

The death of Dan Wheldon today after an accident at the Las Vegas Indy 300 might give the sport the wake-up call it needs.

Car racing at the elite level in North America has been suffering for a few years. A big part of the reason is that it became frighteningly expensive to field a team. After the 2008 financial meltdown a lot of big-dollar sponsorship money evaporated. Both Indycar and Nascar are dominated by a few well-financed teams. This gives the season a predictability that undermines fan interest.

That financial meltdown also had a big impact on the disposable income that the fans have available. It had become prohibitively expensive as a family outing. Why lay out all that cash for something that had become a little dull. At most events in the last couple of years the thousands of empty seats have become painfully obvious. That speeds up the downward spiral. Your big entertainment spectacle loses its pizzaz when you're playing to a half-empty grandstand.

Officials and team owners have tried a variety of strategies to fill the seats. Cutting ticket prices. Changing the rules to close the gap between the stronger teams and the also-rans. For the race today Wheldon was racing for a five million dollar bonus. To make the bonus he needed to come from the very back of the field and win the race. Did it add some drama to the race? Maybe. Did it contribute to his death?

A tragedy like this doesn't help the future of the sport.