Indianapolis, IN
NASCAR Must Learn From Indianapolis Communications
The way the weather delays at the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 were handled this past Sunday (May 26) were night and day from each other, and it revealed an area where NASCAR can heavily improve.
As a media member who was there, I can tell you firsthand that the folks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar did an excellent job in keeping us briefed on the situation and what their plans were. They were proactive.
At 6 a.m., IMS President Doug Boles held a press conference. That’s right, I said at 6 in the morning! I’ve never seen a press conference so early, but it was necessary.
All the media and a lot of fans get to the Indy 500 well before 6 a.m., so it made sense to do it at that time. And we all knew from looking at the forecast that weather was going to impact the race in some capacity, so there needed to be a game plan.
Boles was transparent in the presser, and he told us they’d keep us posted on what was going on. Keep in mind this was over five hours before the first lightning delay or rain drop.
The next update from Boles came a little before 11 a.m., a little over an hour and a half before the Indy 500’s scheduled start time. This time he said they would make a decision at 11:15 a.m. on whether to go ahead with the opening ceremonies or delay them and tell fans to seek shelter. He said they were going to be far more cautious than the typical eight-mile lightning radius used at sporting events, because the very old IMS has limited spots to find shelter.
I’m not sure about the first Boles press conference, but Frontstretch‘s Tom Blackburn said that local TV station WTHR and radio station WFNI aired the second presser live. Other stations could’ve as well, but we don’t know if they did or not.
Boles and the IndyCar team even broke news during his second presser, revealing that Kyle Larson was sticking around to run the race despite the delay.
Right on time, at 11:15, the numerous video boards around IMS showed the lightning delay message. After a four-hour delay, the weather was gone, the track was dry and the race started, going the full distance.
Over at Charlotte Motor Speedway, NASCAR did not communicate half as well. Frontstretch‘s Stephen Stumpf was there and told me that there were no proactive updates from NASCAR or the folks at Speedway Motorsports, owners of CMS. He said the vibe in the media center was very much that they would resume racing once the track was dry.
Obviously, the track did not dry like anyone thought it would due to the humidity. But that information was not relayed until the race was abruptly called after two hours of track drying.
Justin Allgaier was brought into the media center to do a press conference during the delay, and he was talking about how excited he was to see Larson take over the No. 5 car once the race resumed.
Then, a few media folks heard rumblings the race wasn’t resuming and the rest of the media had to find out from overhearing gossip. About 10 minutes after the Allgaier presser, it was announced that the race was over.
Stumpf, who wasn’t in the media center at the time, gathered the race was over from seeing victory lane being set up. NASCAR didn’t even do a good job communicating to Christopher Bell that he had won the race, as he found out during his interview with FOX’s Mike Joy.
And you wonder why the sold-out Charlotte crowd was angry to the point of almost causing a riot. NASCAR or Charlotte needed someone like Boles in Indy there to give updates. We needed to hear, “Our track-drying efforts aren’t doing much, and if we’re not able to see progress by (insert time), we’ll have to end the race.”
I’m not asking for much, just some better communication and more transparency on the NASCAR side. If fans and media got that, they would be much more understanding of the tough decisions they’re forced to make.
It really feels like NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports dropped the ball in Charlotte, and they should look at what IMS did as a blueprint going forward if they’re going to improve in their communications.
Sign up for the Frontstretch Newsletter
A daily email update (Monday through Friday) providing racing news, commentary, features, and information from Frontstretch.com
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis City-County Council president explains her desire for a data center moratorium.
Council President Maggie Lewis wants to put a pause on new data center developments. The proposal comes after months of public pressure from residents and environmental groups who say the city needs stronger rules before allowing more data centers. Now, Lewis says it’s time to hit pause while those questions are answered.
“I’m not saying that we’ll never have a new data center in our community. That’s not what this is about. I understand the importance of economic development in our community, but it is important that we hit pause, do that deep dive, and allow the community and the experts to have an honest conversation about the topic,” Lewis said.
Lewis says she isn’t trying to stop economic development. Instead, she says the city needs more time to fully understand what data centers could mean for Indianapolis before approving additional projects. Lewis says residents have raised questions about the potential impact on utilities, the environment and quality of life, and she believes those concerns deserve a more thorough public discussion before the city moves forward with additional developments.
“The community really is feeling as if their voices haven’t been heard. I believe it’s important that we bring all the stakeholders to the table and have that honest dialogue,” Lewis said.
Councilman Ron Gibson, who supports bringing data centers to Indianapolis, and he says these projects can bring investment to neighborhoods when they’re built in the right locations.
“This land where they’re going to actually develop it has been vacant for more than 43 years,” Gibson said. “It’s zoned for industrial use. This is really going to enhance our neighborhood. It’s going to bring back life, create more businesses that want to move into our area, and create more opportunity.”
One of the biggest concerns raised by opponents is whether increased demand for electricity and water could create additional costs for taxpayers.
“I believe strongly that the data centers must uphold total costs. I made sure the developer, in writing, is responsible for all utility costs, so none of that rolls over to constituents,” Gibson said.
Across Indiana, at least 17 counties have approved temporary moratoriums on new data center developments. Marshall and Cass counties have gone even further, banning new facilities altogether.
The committee meeting begins Monday at 5:30 p.m. inside the City-County Building, where members will hold a public hearing on the proposed zoning rules and consider Lewis’ amendment for a temporary moratorium. If approved by the committee, the proposal would move to the full City-County Council for further consideration.
INDIANAPOLIS — An investigation is underway after a woman was killed in a hit-and-run crash in downtown Indianapolis Saturday morning.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, at around 3:15 a.m., officers responded to the intersection of East Maryland and South Pennsylvania Streets after hearing a loud crash in the area.
When officers arrived on scene, they were flagged down by several people stating a pedestrian had been struck. Officers located an adult female who had been on a scooter in the crosswalk of the intersection.
She was transported to an area hospital in critical condition but later died from her injuries, IMPD said.
Investigators said the striking motorist did not stay on scene.
Police are encouraging those with information on the crash to contact Detective Adam Jones at (317) 327-3475 or call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-8477.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detectives on Friday afternoon asked for help in locating 14-year-old Kathya Rodriguez, last seen on Monday afternoon.
On Friday night, an Indiana Silver Alert was issued for the girl.
Described as 4 feet, 9 inches, and 99 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes, Kathya was last seen on Monday in the area of 2100 Waterford Place. That’s at The Meridian apartments off Westlane Road/West 71st Street on the city’s northwest side.
She was last seen about 12:45 p.m. Monday. She was wearing a gray hoodie with white writing, blue jeans, and sandals with socks.
In a statement Friday, IMPD said early in the investigation, detectives had no information indicating she was in danger, but as the investigation continued, detectives found details that led them to believe Kathya might be at risk.
Detectives believe she may be with Victor Martinez, 15. IMPD described him as 5 feet, 5 inches, and 165 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen Monday near 7200 Knobwood Drive. That’s also at The Meridian apartments.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts was asked to call 911, contact the IMPD missing persons unit at 317-327-6160, or call Crimestoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.
This story was updated from its initial post after IMPD corrected the last name of Kathya.
-
Los Angeles, Ca44 minutes ago19-year-old arrested, accused of distributing marijuana to minors across Riverside County
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoPhillies end the Tigers’ winning streak at 6 with a 4-2 victory
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoGiants select Barry Bonds’ nephew Peyton in third round
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoMark Cuban takes legal action against the Dallas Mavericks ownership over proposed arena deal
-
Miami, FL1 hour agoSouth Florida businesses report economic boom, as FIFA officials estimate a billion dollar economic impact
-
Boston, MA1 hour agoForecast: Looking ahead to toasty temps next week
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDenver weather: Warming trend continues this weekend and into next week
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoTech Investor Vinod Khosla to Acquire the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks for $9.6 Billion
