POSTCARD FROM America

He made the Indianapolis Motor Speedway a success, now Doug Boles is tackling IndyCar. He's the right man, thinks

- JOHN OREOVICZ

From 1911 to 1994, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was pretty much a one-trick pony. The gates opened on May 1, the Indianapolis 500 was contested a few weeks later, and by June 1, the gates were locked again for another 11 months - other than for the golf course that was constructed within and adjacent to the track in 1929 as a revenue generator.

Increasing revenue was the goal in 2013 when the Hulman-George family commissioned the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to produce a now-infamous report that suggested several ways to monetise the Speedway and grow the IndyCar Series. Thankfully, most of the ideas for IndyCar were rejected, including condensing a 15-race championship into 19 weeks (teams are already stretched to the limit with a 26-week campaign). The championship would end with a NASCAR-style three-race 'playoff' and the 33-week off-season (!) would be filled with a miniseries of non-championship events run outside the USA.

The study found the Speedway was an easier source for lower-hanging fruit. Hiking ticket prices was a no-brainer; Indy 500 practice days accessible for $5 as recently as 2007 now command $25. Qualification and Carb Day ticket prices have similarly jumped.