To Succeed, INDYCAR Must Make The Right Decisions

By Anne Proffit

Anne Proffit

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1 1,785 views Aug 16, 2011

Randy Bernard needs to firmly take the reins at INDYCAR. Photo: Anne Proffit

When is INDYCAR going to fess up and stop denying its officiating incompetence?  The buck clearly stops at the feet of CEO Randy Bernard, who is a year and a half into tenure and, by now, surely has figured out how things work in the world of high-stakes motorsports.

Bernard inherited an ailing franchise when he joined what was known as the Indy Racing League early in 2010.  Founder Tony George had been kicked off the boards of his family businesses, and without his financial support, IRL was circling a drain.  

The only viable signs of health Bernard saw were the remaining team owners that kept delivering good drivers to the series and the other participants who believed in the show and the possibility of making it better.  Including fans with passion in this equation, there were more people around to assist Bernard than he likely knew what to do with. 

Randy Bernard also inherited an ongoing plan to scuttle the 2003 Dallara chassis for a newer tub in 2012 and to remove the normally aspirated single-make engine spec that had been in place since 2006 after both Toyota and Chevrolet left, making Honda the only power mill still standing.  

Thankfully, at the end of the 2010 season, Bernard jettisoned the Indy Racing League monicker in favor of the INDYCAR name for the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Road to Indy ladder steps endorsed by the sanctioning body.  The IRL is now a dead item; let's hope it stays that way.

The ICONIC committee formed to determine the new specifications for 2012 decided to stick with longtime INDYCAR chassis builder Dallara and to move forward with a 2.4-liter (later reduced to 2.2-liter) V-6 engine with single or double turbochargers.  Honda and Chevrolet were the first engine makers to come onboard for this specification; Lotus joined on the final day to submit a plan.

Just this past weekend, Bernard was forced to defer to team owners who insisted his pet project for the 2012 chassis--alternative aerodynamic body kits--be shelved for a year due to the costs of changing from the old spec Dallara chassis to the new, together with the costs of development and engine leases (even though both chassis and engine bills are expected to be far lower than the current costs).  

At least fans will have an opportunity to hear new engines next year - that's the only "open" category remaining for the 2012 season.  To deny the opportunity for aero kits is a poor move on Bernard's part.  Caving to the owners is another poor move on Bernard's part, but he's still a babe in the woods and there are some rather powerful people wearing owners' caps in the IndyCar Series garage.

If Randy Bernard wishes to be seen from a position of strength, he has one big change to make in INDYCAR's world.  He needs to get rid of the last vestiges of IRL by removing two men hired by Tony George's minions and replacing them with people that are knowledgeable in the workings of the cars and people in the INDYCAR garages.  

Yes, it's time for Brian Barnhart and cohort Kevin "Rocket" Blanch to go.  

Errors in Race Control, combined with regular intrusions into the running of races, reached a head with the MoveThatBlock.com Indy 225 held at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this past Sunday.  Owners, drivers, media and, yes, fans have been vocal in their distrust of Barnhart and Blanch, who have manipulated races over the past several years to the point where the competition gets lost in translation.

Sunday's faux pas just intensified the calls to remove Barnhart, who admitted after the fact that he should never have thrown a green flag after a yellow-flag time-out for rain on the one-mile oval.  The result was carnage and a disputed ending to the race, which itself had been another sloppy affair.

Barnhart's inconsistent handling of penalties and his preferential treatment of drivers (almost like a parent scolding a wayward child) show he has little respect for the folks who put on the shows.  That has turned to the point where Barnhart has received no respect from the drivers, particularly from championship contender Will Power, who gave Race Control a double-digit salute after being taken out by a spinning Danica Patrick at Loudon, NH in an aborted, final green-flag start.  

Having never been a member of the Brian Barnhart fan club, I don't mind the fact that he's pushed himself to the edge of extinction.  I only hope that Randy Bernard has the balls to do what must be done - removal of this cancer at once.  To let Barnhart stay "on the job" through the end of the season sends the wrong message to teams, drivers, media and a dwindling corps of fans.

We want to see good competition and we need to see it now.  There is a race in less than two weeks at Infineon Raceway Sears Point in Sonoma, CA.  This contest must be run efficiently, almost silently and must allow the drivers to behave like adults that can perform on the stage of competition without undue influence.  The only way that can occur is if Barnhart and Blanch step down.  Now.

© 2011 Anne Proffit