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Monday, September 3 A look at the numbers By Jack Arute ESPN.com The Indy Racing League's announcement that it has extended its TV contract with ABC and ESPN through the 2007 season does more than silence critics who try to dismiss the six-year old sanctioning body. It solidifies the IRL's position in the U.S. motorsports marketplace and provides leverage on par with the undisputed U.S. racing king, NASCAR. All but four races on the 2002 IRL schedule will receive network coverage, putting in the same company as NASCAR as far as network/cable outlet coverage. NASCAR's $2.5 billion contract with Fox, NBC and TNT finds nine of the 36 Winston Cup events aired on networks. Lagging far behind these two is CART, which recently announced a "time buy" on CBS for a maximum of eight of its expected 20 races in 2002. These figures produce some interesting percentages. NASCAR's network event coverage is 75 percent, and CART's a paltry 40 percent.The IRL's new agreement provides them with 72 percent of their events on ABC. Another important point was buried in the agreement's fine print. In extending the announcement, ABC/ESPN agreed that IRL events would be the only major US based open wheel series aired on the Disney-owned TV conglomerate. Effectively, this locks them out of any potential return by CART as was seen by the IRL after a one-year deal with Fox in 1999. The new arrangement means additional coverage of the league on ESPN's RPM2Night. In lieu of the traditional Indy 500 daily report shows that the cable company aired for the last couple of years during the month of May, RPM2Night will air from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on a daily basis throughout May and additional IRL tracks during the course of the season. This could become one of the most underrated, yet best values of the new contract, as the IRL will gain increased exposure on RPM2Night. "The Indy Racing League is the leading American open-wheel racing circuit, based upon the heritage of the Indianapolis 500," said Mark Shapiro, senior vice president and general manager of ESPN Programming when the announcement was made. "ESPN has chosen to partner with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Racing League as the future of open-wheel racing in the United States." With continued exciting wheel to wheel races, increased on-site attendance and the formation of a support series, the Indy Racing League has solidified four of the five primary tenets for its success. "The combination of ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 gives us the best broadcasting and cable platform in American television to carry America's premier open-wheel, oval-track series," says Tony George, president and CEO of both the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Racing League. All that remains, is boosting the corporate participation through car sponsorship. The new TV package will go a long way in that department.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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