Full Throttle

With the new “unified” series the question of how far open wheel racing in America has fallen should be moot. Questions now should be directed at how long if ever open wheel can regain what has been lost over the last 12 years.

Look across The Pond to the U.K. and it seems as if whether “unified” or not IndyCar is talking a back seat to NASCAR.

Keep in mind the U.K is motor racing mad, as much if not more so than the U.S. Also remember like all of the EU race courses to be proper ones must have those cantankerous twisty bits called right-handers and esses or chicanes.

Don’t tell that to one of the largest providers of racing on the telly in the U.K. Sky Sports. They have taken the “opportunity” of unification to drop live coverage of IndyCar in favor of… NASCAR.

When a conflict occurs IndyCar will be tape-delayed and shown after the live NASCAR event is completed.

So much for the “new, improved and unified” IndyCar.

Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Mike Spence and Piers Courage are all doing a synchronous orbit around their most honored graves about now.

UPDATE: On the other hand - Fox Sports thinks the Red Sox (Sux?) Yankees game is more important than starting the Phoenix race at the scheduled time and had it delayed until the game’s completion. Haven’t they heard of split screen.

Somehow I don’t think Hall of Fame Racing and Arizona Diamondback owners had this in mind when they said they would “link” baseball and NASCAR.