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series — such as NASCAR or the NHRA — if that driver could win the IndyCar season finale at Las Vegas. The possibility of that happening is as small as the IRL’s TV ratings, but that didn’t stop several IndyCar reg- ulars from blasting the idea from the moment it was announced. IndyCar officials defended their plan, stressing that it had generated lots of off-season publicity and say- ing that more than a dozen poten- tial entrants had contacted them even before the year’s first race. But one big complaint is valid, and that is the question of why they spent their winter on a gimmick instead of focusing their energies on help- ing deserving drivers get rides, beef- ing up ailing teams or working harder to generate more desper- ately-needed sponsorships. This deal just sends the wrong message — that IndyCar thinks it needs outsiders to enhance its cred- ibility. How is it going to look if an outsider — even someone as qual- ified as Tony Stewart or Juan Pablo Montoya — were to actually win that race? Elsewhere, the off-season was a mixed bag. The races this year fea- ture side-by-side restarts, which I applaud. But the IndyCar chiefs also wanted to implement NASCAR’s “lucky dog” concept of giving the first driver one lap down a free pass back onto the lead lap during every yellow flag. That proposal provoked an almost unanimous howl of pro- test from both fans and race teams. One other important change for this year: The fields are now lim- ited to 26 cars for every race except for the Indy 500 (which, as usual, will cap its field at 33) and the sea- son-ending Las Vegas race, which will be expanded to include the five “outside” drivers. The fields are now filled by 24 qualifiers and two provisionals, and the provisional rules also generated some chuckles. The first three driv- ers eligible for a provisional are, in order, the 2010 series champion, the 2009 series champion, then the 2010 Indy 500 winner. What’s so funny? Dario Franchitti just hap- pens to be the 2010 champ, the 2009 champ and the 2010 Indy 500 champ! After that, there are some other ways for filling the provisional spots, but fastest qualifying speed is the very last one. Is it just me, or shouldn’t that be the first determin- ing factor? Good, bad or indifferent, though, none of these changes is likely to make even a small dent in the series’ biggest problem — how to make open-wheel racing matter. Sadly, even the 100 candles on the Indy 500’s birthday cake aren’t enough to make the IndyCar Series hot again. Kay Bell is an Austin, Texas-based writer. When she’s not yelling at her television during NASCAR races, she blogs about taxes and other financial topics at www.dontmesswithtaxes. typepad.com. Circle 354 on Reader Service Card or visit truckersnews.hotims.com MAY 2011 TRUCKERS NEWS 41