MILLER: Back to The Glen... and date equity?

For all the grief I’ve given USAC, CART, IRL. Champ Car and IndyCar through the past 47 years (and trust me most of it was well deserved), it’s not too often the folks that call the shots get a pat on the back. But what’s transpired in the past two weeks deserves a big thumbs-up.

As laughter was still ringing down across the motorsports world from the Boston Massacre and IndyCar fans were gloating about correctly predicting that race would never happen, Jay Frye was dialing his cell phone.

“I think I learned Boston was out at 7 p.m. and I was calling Michael at 7:01,” related Frye (right), the president of competition and operations for IndyCar.

Michael Printup is the president of Watkins Glen, one of the many former homes of IndyCar racing that couldn’t be sustained because of poor promotion, bad choices of dates or general apathy.

Frye was offering what amounts to suicide for any promoter: Please take our event, and oh by the way you’ve only got three months to sell tickets.

“I said, ‘Are you serious?’ and there was a pause and I thought he was playing with me,” related Printup. “He said to think about it and call him back and by Sunday morning we were exchanging business deals.”

Now, the fact that The Glen came to IndyCar’s rescue after Boston canceled its street race for Labor Day weekend is noteworthy for a couple reasons: It keeps the Verizon IndyCar Series at 16 races and it’s one of the finest road courses in the world.

It also slowed the ridiculing, as even most of the toughest critics had to admit it was a great trade going from another street race likely to be one-and-done to a national treasure for road racing. And it doesn’t sound like it’s simply plugging a hole or just a quick fix.

“We were already talking about doing something in the future with Michael in 2017 and it turns out the future is now,” said Frye. “It’s yet to be determined if this is a date he might want to try but the plan is to do business for a long time.”

Printup, who last hosted IndyCar on July 4 in 2010, favors the fall.

“That July 4th date was killing us and it was never going to get any better," he said. "I think an open-wheel event belongs in September or October, but ideally sometime between the first and fourth week in September.”

To say the IndyCar schedule has been a work in progress the past few years would be kind because it’s more like target practice.

Three years at Baltimore – big crowds, big losses, see ya. Moving Fontana from October to September to June where it had zero chance to succeed – adios. The eyesore that was NOLA only made one dismal start. Houston in October, Houston (left) in June – Houston, we have a problem. Brazil had four years, three good races and big losses. Milwaukee in June, July and August with late starts and poor crowds. A one-and-done at Loudon. Edmonton drew pretty well and lost millions. Homestead, Chicago and Kansas City – NASCAR tracks that lost interest or money, or both.

Those 11 tracks and races have come and gone just since 2009. And, despite the quality of racing, IndyCar is a tough sell on ovals and a series in dire need of some schedule stability.

But there seems to be a trend with Frye. Sure, he’s always seems overly optimistic yet he’s got contacts, friends and what appears to be a plan to get IndyCar some much needed date equity and partners with a future.

Derrick Walker got Elkhart Lake back on the schedule before departing and Frye has now put Phoenix and Watkins Glen back in play. He’s pals with a lot of ISC/NASCAR types because of his association there and seems well respected.

The IRL/ISC connection was eventually exposed for what it was: a one-way street in which Indy cars got very little love and less promotion.

Based on the encouraging return to Phoenix International Raceway (below) last month and enthusiasm shown by Printup, it seems like these two NASCAR strongholds are serious about a partnership.

Unlike a lot of NASCAR tracks, PIR and The Glen are still packing ‘em in, so it’s not like they need an IndyCar race. But Bryan Sperber of PIR gave IndyCar a good ride considering he had a NASCAR show in March.

“Bryan did a fantastic job and don’t forget he only had about four months from the time we announced it and ISC has been phenomenal with us,” said Frye. “We’re looking forward to doing more in the future.”

If four or five ISC tracks became regulars and promote like PIR did, it could be tonic that IndyCar needs to try and get back on the map. 

Frye’s demeanor is easy to embrace but his lets-get-it-done mentality and vow to come up with a dependable schedule that promises date equity is why IndyCar fans should be more optimistic than they have in a decade. He made a real nice save last week.

And even the haters have to admit that having Road America, Phoenix and Watkins Glen back in play is pretty damn cool. Let’s just hope we can keep them.