IndyCar: The Biggest Change to Look for in 2011

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - IndyCar fans have plenty to look forward to in 2011 and 2012. And I don’t just mean the changes on the track that will affect competition. Quite the opposite, actually.

Fans are starting to see the gloves come off and in addition to traditional media, social media, is allowing drivers to express themselves as they see fit.

Take for example Tomas Scheckter. Scheckter wrote for the official IZOD IndyCar Series blog in December of last year, taking a swipe at Graham Rahal saying:

“I read Graham Rahal’s tweets. He is a great kid and super talented but he is about as exciting as British politics. He is in his 20s, he drives the fastest cars in the world and he’s speaking about holding hands [with his girlfriend] and getting double frappaccino with whip cream.” A few weeks later, when Rahal briefly split with longtime girlfriend Katie Osborne, Schekter commented on Rahal’s break-up and the latter responded with a quip insinuating Schekter’s preference for trashy women.

Perhaps Scheckter is jealous of Rahal’s ability to secure a full-time ride and his success in the Series. Or maybe he simply enjoys being the rebel rebel rouser of the IndyCar Series; he seems, intuitively, to understand the value of controversy.

“[I’m] pissing people off on Twitter and Facebook. [I’m] not sure that entitles me to [a] bad-boy badge, but I want one,” admitted Schekter.

And then there was this on Tuesday--in his column for RACER.com, Marco Andretti wrote about Tony Kanann’s departure from Andretti Autosport and had this to say:

“Will the team miss TK? I really don’t think so. The frustrating thing for me over the years was the perception that he was the godfather of the team.” He continued, “Don’t get me wrong, I respect Tony’s raw talent; in terms of getting the best out of a car that’s not working properly...[b]ut as far as setting up the car is concerned, [my 2011 teammates and I] can work as a team now,” alluding that this was somehow impossible with Kanaan present.

Team owner Michael Andretti affirmed Marco’s position by later stating, “I don’t want to diminish what T.K. did, but he really wasn’t necessarily the leader. Maybe it just looked that way.”

It did.

Plus, Kanaan’s results speak for themselves. In his seven years with Andretti Autosport he brought home 14 wins, while Marco Andretti enters his 6th season with IndyCar still looking for his second win and Danica Patrick enters her 7th season doing the same. Both Marco and Danica have detractors who would argue that their first wins were less than clean or earned. Moreover, more people mention Ryan Hunter-Reay as the heir-apparent for the leadership role left open at Andretti Autosport than Marco or Danica.

In the last practice session prior to Saturday’s qualifying session for the 2011 season opener, Kanaan fell in at seventh while Andretti and Patrick landed at 15th and 17th, respectively.

New teammate, Mike Conway, who stepped into Kanann’s spot as the fourth Andretti Autosport teammate ranked second after practice just behind leader Will Power (Team Penske). Quite impressive considering Conway failed to finish the 2010 season after a horrific accident in the final laps of last year’s Indianapolis 500 that left him with serious injuries.

On the record, Kanaan has taken the high road, dismissing their comments as mere opinions and wishing them the best. But it definitely makes you wonder what Kanaan and his best friend, Dario Franchitti, have discussed the past few days.

Fans can expect more of these mini-dramas in 2011 and it will bode well for the Series. It’s hard to meet someone who has seen, but is not impressed with, how an IndyCar runs. As cool as they are, however, cars are inanimate. What has been hard is for the Series to get fans emotionally invested in and connected to the sport and especially, its drivers.

Authenticity breeds excitement. Excitement breeds emotional investment in the sport. This is how a series grows.

As the story lines expand beyond the race and become more interesting and entertaining, look for IndyCar’s fan base to keep pace.

Robyn L. Schechter -- ARN Reporter