We Should Run The USA 1100 On Memorial Day Weekend
3/12/2014
Kevin Abraham
Thoughts on the Indy/Charlotte double. We all know Kurt Busch will be attempting to
race in both events on Memorial Day weekend this year, and it will be the first
time anyone has tried it since Robby Gordon attempted both in 2004. As excited as I am to see this attempted
again, I started to think about what else could be done to generate interest in
both races, as attendance and ratings have been declining in recent years. The
thoughts of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, and other NASCAR
drivers racing in an IndyCar at the Indy 500 would be an awesome sight to
see. I also would like to see some of
the stars in IndyCar try for the Coca-Cola 600, like Marco Andretti, Hélio Castroneves, and Scott
Dixon. This would be the basis for the USA 1100 on
Memorial Day weekend. It would entail the two races on Memorial Day
weekend, the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.
The rules of the USA 1100 would be as follows: Ten drivers would compete
for the right to win the crown of ‘Memorial Day Champion,’ comprised of five
drivers from IndyCar and five drivers from NASCAR. To qualify for the race
within races, an invitation would be made to the top five in points from each
series from the previous year that would be willing to take on this
challenge. If any of those drivers
decline, then the next in points would be offered an invite, until there were
five drivers from each series taking the challenge. The drivers’ finish at Indy would be added to
their finish in the 600, and the driver who has the lowest average finish would
be crowned the Memorial Day Champion. There would be a financial incentive as well, of
course, like the IndyCar challenge at Las Vegas in 2011, along with the bragging
rights of being called the ‘Memorial Day Champion.’ The winner would receive
the lion’s share of the money, however all drivers would earn money for
competing in both races. A title sponsor
of the race could be found to help fund the race, or IndyCar and NASCAR could
equally fund the race in an attempt to raise awareness for their respective
races. Logistics would be handled by each participant
separately, however the Coca-Cola 600 would start an hour later than present,
and the Indy 500 would start an hour earlier to accommodate travel for these
drivers. The drivers performing the
double would be able to attend the drivers meeting for NASCAR via internet, so
they could retain their starting position.
The NASCAR drivers would need to obtain a seat with
an IndyCar team, or have an IndyCar built for them by their NASCAR team. Sponsorship for the IndyCar would be on the
drivers/teams as well. The IndyCar
drivers would have to do the same on the NASCAR side, Teams which currently run
four Sprint Cup cars would be able to add a fifth car for most IndyCar drivers
as they would be considered a rookie in
Sprint Cup. (An exception to this would
be Juan Pablo Montoya as he is a Sprint Cup veteran.) There would be no special
starting positions held for the drivers in the respective races. The drivers would have to qualify for each
race as a normal driver would for each respective race. If a driver does not qualify for both races,
he would be disqualified from the challenge, so there could be less than ten
drivers competing for the Memorial Day Championship. Overall it would take a lot of work to pull this
off, and honestly I doubt it will ever happen, but what are your thoughts on
this topic? Should NASCAR and IndyCar
work together and make a grand day of racing with their drivers competing in
both races? Should they leave things
alone and let drivers choose to complete the double with no incentives? Please share your thoughts below. I
want to thank my loyal fans for their feedback and comments in my rookie season
as a writer last year. Your feedback and
contributions to my writings were greatly appreciated as I was learning the ins
and outs of writing a weekly article.
However, due to some schedule issues, I have not been able to write
weekly this year. I hope to return to be
a guest contributor once a month or so, depending on time constraints. I can be found on Twitter @kevdogg329