Running on star power

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Lack of recognizable faces, of bona fide stars, is a frequent criticism of open wheel racing in America; an explanation of its lack of popularity here.

The Indy Racing League is trying to change that.

For the first time in its 11-year history, the IndyCar Series this season might be able to tout the kind of star power that has long been missing. And although he doesn't like to think so, Michael Andretti just might be the man who can save open wheel racing by moving the star power front and center.

"I wouldn't say I'm the one," Andretti said during the IRL's preseason testing at the Daytona road course this week. "I would say our team has done a lot to help the series advance, but not just in that way," Andretti said.

Andretti and partners Kim Greene and Kevin Savoree have put together one of the most formidable teams in the IndyCar Series. All three men are veterans of racing who know its business from all angles – Andretti as a championship-winning driver, Greene as a championship-winning owner and Savoree as a savvy businessman.

"We as a team believe in the IndyCar Series and have worked hard to help it grow," Andretti said.

But the real attraction is AGR's driver lineup.

For 2007, Andretti's team features his 19-year old son Marco Andretti – who last year gained worldwide attention by nearly winning the Indy 500 on his first try – and undoubtedly the series' biggest name, Danica Patrick.

They join veteran Dario Franchitti, whose wife is award-winning actress Ashley Judd (more star power), and former series champion Tony Kanaan.

The differences between this year and last – aside from Patrick and Marco being on the same team – are that Patrick now has what should be a strong car, while Marco has a year of experience under his belt.

In other words, the prospects of success for these two budding stars will be much higher in 2007.

On the track, all four of AGR's drivers are capable of winning races – including the crown jewel of the series, the Indy 500, as well as potentially the series championship.

Off the track, the Andrettis – Marco, his father Michael and grandfather Mario – and Patrick deliver the kind of marquee names that IRL officials acknowledge are needed to get race fans out of the homes and to the races in person.

Star power is why NASCAR is so popular. It is responsible for transforming the once regional stock car series and into an international mega-marketing machine that features superstars like Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and others.

As NASCAR has boomed, American interest in open wheel racing has waned – largely due to the mid-1990s CART-IRL split. Attendance and TV ratings for both series (CART is now Champ Car) dropped and generally have remained at pre-split levels.

The IRL has tried everything to draw attention to itself in the past decade, from hiring model Elaine Irwin (rock singer John Mellencamp's wife) as a spokesperson to encouraging "90210" actor Jason Priestly to compete in the series.

Irwin's stint lasted one season and Priestly nearly killed himself in a serious crash before moving to the broadcast booth.

Then last year, the series' marketing gurus hired an outside marketing company associated with KISS bass player Gene Simmons to develop a hip marketing strategy for the series. That group came up with the catchphrase "I Am Indy" and an accompanying rock anthem theme song that has been played during television broadcasts and over public address systems at race tracks.

This most recent effort to broaden the series' appeal hasn't quite done the job, either.

In fact, none of these attempts to draw attention to the Indy 500-based open wheel series came close to capturing the public's attention quite like the good luck that came marching through their front door in 2005 in the form of Danica Patrick.

As she begins her third year in the series, Patrick's off-track career has been far more successful than her on-track performance.

In '05, she did become the first woman in the 89-year history of the Indy 500 to lead the race and eventually finished fourth, another best by a woman. She was also gained the prestigious race's Rookie of the Year title.

Patrick's appeal easily can be measured by that rookie appearance at Indy, which was responsible for the biggest jump (40 percent) in television ratings for the legendary event in nearly a decade.

But last season, Patrick struggled in what was to be her final season with Rahal-Letterman Racing, and after publicly announcing (in what some deemed a publicity stunt) that she might be interested in a career in NASCAR, she eventually was convinced by Andretti to join his team.

Patrick brings to AGR the kind of recognition that rivals even Earnhardt Jr. Her celebrity status is unquestionable – and promoters know this, as rarely is an IndyCar race advertised without her face and name prominently displayed.

The 24-year-old, when in full makeup and dress, has the looks of a fashion model. That has led to appearances in numerous television commercials and in dozens of print ads.

And she's not shy about her sexuality.

Three years ago, Patrick posed (partially clothed) for a layout in the men's magazine FHM.

"I'm not going to lie and say I don't want to look pretty and sexy in pictures or a commercial, but there's a fine line you walk," Patrick said last year in an interview.

For her newest racing sponsor, GoDaddy.com, Patrick will be part of another series of potentially controversial Super Bowl television commercials.

"Five years ago, if you'd ask me to be in a Super Bowl ad, I would have thought twice about it," Patrick said. "I've had some amazing sponsors with some knowledge on how to really promote. GoDaddy is no different."

Off the race track, Patrick is a stone-cold marketing success. But on the track, there still are many more hurdles she needs to clear in order to establish herself as a successful driver.

The biggest of those is the task of winning her first race.

It's what motivates her daily.

"I want to win," she said. "I want to win soon and I just want to get it over with so I don't have to answer any more questions and it doesn't have to be sitting on my shoulders.

"But I can't imagine I feel any different than anyone else who hasn't won their first race either. I've been hired for my ability. I need to do my best."

Her teammate Marco Andretti, on the other hand, is just having fun.

As a third-generation driver from the racing Andretti family, he knew early on what direction his career would take. It's just now that he's finally at an age to see it come to fruition.

"I'm living the dream, for sure," said Andretti, who turns 20 next month.

Although his rookie season was marked with stellar performances, including nearly winning the Indy 500, it was also a difficult year for the young driver, who overnight found himself center-stage in the world of auto racing.

"Last year there was a lot of pressure on me, as it will be this year, of course," said Andretti, who scored a win at the Infineon Raceway road course last summer. "But I put more pressure on myself because a lot of it was new to me. It's going to help so much this year because I've already been there."

He says the instant stardom and constant push and pull on his life wasn't unexpected.

"It's good for me to get my name out there, get my face out there," Andretti said. "It's part of the game. I knew that since I was 9 years old."

While the instant notoriety that came because of his last name was OK with him, Andretti would much rather make a name for himself.

And that, he says, will come when he wins more races.

Two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, who also is considered one of the series' biggest names, readily admits that the attraction Patrick and the younger Andretti bring to the series is critical to its survival.

"People come to watch the stars perform," Castroneves said. "In Miami [where Castroneves lives], people come to watch the Heat play because of Shaq, it's plain and simple."

Franchitti's actress wife also enjoys attending races when her schedule permits, but she and her husband prefer to keep her presence as low-key as possible. Nevertheless, fans flock for a glimpse of Judd, which adds to the already huge attraction the Andretti Green team provides. And that attraction could grow even more if Michael Andretti makes another return to the driver's seat at Indianapolis this year.

When it comes to pure star power, NASCAR has a two-decade head start. With names like Gordon, Earnhardt Jr. and Stewart among its ranks and new stars being invented every year, there's no question stock car racing will remain the leader among race fans in North America for years to come.

Still, IndyCar Series officials are absolutely ecstatic about the prospect of more and more people tuning into their television broadcasts and showing up at the track this year to see the two AGR franchise players do their stuff, as Patrick tries to win her first race and Andretti looks to live up to his family's legacy.