IRL Interest

Weak attendance and TV ratings have plagued the IRL since its inception, Eventually, the CART series temporary lost its broadcast network television exposure, and it is suggested that CART's losses equate with IRL's gains.

To many others, the IRL-CART split has resulted in an overall loss of interest in open-wheel motor racing in North America.

Some IRL fans have become disgruntled with the inclusion of street and road courses goes against the League's founding principles

While the League's race broadcasts struggle to find an audience, this is counterbalanced by the improved and increased TV coverage and improving attendance at many events.

The continuation of the ABC network contract, as well as the establishment of successful races in Texas and Japan, and renewed interest in and attendance at the flagship Indianapolis 500 are seen by some as additional signs of stability.

Television ratings for the 2005 Indy 500 were up approximately 40 % from the previous year. Almost  all of this interest in the event due to the entry of Danica Patrick

The sharp reduction in manufacturer support for the series in 2006 resulted in a struggle by teams to find financial backing to compete.Several teams were forced to cutback their operations or quit full-time racing activities altogether

The trend continued in 2007 with only 18 full-time competitors(one more than in the rival Champ Car World Series). However, 22 cars were on the grid for the final 2007 race at Chicagoland. The announcement by the Indy Racing League on October2, 2007 of an enhanced driver/team payout system  guaranteed money for full-time participants
                                                                                    

The split has also hurt overall sponsorship of US open-wheel racing; In 2006 and 2007 several top CART and IRL drivers left for the more lucrative NASCAR, including Dario Franchitti, A.J. Allmendinger and Sam Hornish Jr.

The IRL upon releasing their 2008 schedule shortly after the 2007 season ended in September, the Indy Racing League confirmed a 16-race schedule, with the Michigan race not returning.





 Vitor Meir  2006