But can a dancing competition really revitalize a racing league that has crashed and burned?

Perhaps. Yet for the IRL, branding has become a top priority in its race to success. In 2006, the IRL announced a partnership with Simmons Abramson Marketing; as in Gene Simmons of KISS, who has been the driving force behind the legendary band’s marketing. As a music industry leader in merchandising and licensing deals, holding a record-breaking 2,500 licenses, KISS is also one of the first bands to record and promote a live album (at a time when they were not in vogue) with great success. KISS concerts were sell-outs with fans loving the theatrical aspects of the shows—flamboyant costumes, extreme make-up, pyrotechnics, and wild stage antics. Simmons capitalized on the brand’s strength by re-creating the concert experience instead of focusing on its weaknesses. While live albums and licensing deals are the norm today, in the late 1970s, they were groundbreaking branding tools.

So what has Simmons done for Indy? Plenty. His company conveyed to new and old fans that the IRL is “exciting, hip, and seductive.” The “I am Indy” campaign comes with promises of unconventional promotions and touches of Hollywood, all aimed to “blow people away.” But upon making a pit stop on the IRL’s website, one wonders, “Where is the excitement?”

Everything a fan needs to “be Indy” can be found on the website. Racing schedules, ticket sales, driver and track information, recent news, podcasts, and technical information about the cars are easily found. Live video streaming of races, even qualifying laps, are also available so that fans can catch all of the action. Even if, say, your boss passes the door wondering what on earth the high squeal of an Indy engine is doing coming from your office.

Fan interactivity, consistent with the “I am Indy” moniker, is also a main staple on the website. Fans can converse with one another via message boards, upload their own race day pictures, and participate in the aesthetic design of the league’s 2008 safety vehicles. Fan interaction is, in fact, one of the most exciting and marketable elements of the league—one that sets it apart from other professional sport leagues, racing or otherwise. This translates off-line most notably at racing events, where for a modest fee, IRL enthusiasts can attend meet and greets with drivers such as Marco Andretti and Danica Patirick. Or fans can purchase paddock passes so they can stroll by the garages to get a closer look at the cars, or collect an autograph from Dan Wheldon as he passes by on a scooter.

But the lack of an emotional connection is simply indicative of the underlying problem the IRL currently faces: bridging the disconnect between the reality that Indy car racing is thrilling and the messaging strategy that inadequately delivers a sense of excitement. In this regard, where is Simmons’ revolutionary spirit? Where are the dynamic events that draw in fans emotionally? Inexplicably, Simmon’s knack for capitalizing a brand’s soul is missing.

Indy racing is exciting and has great potential for drawing in a diverse audience, especially since the series drivers themselves represent diversity. Unlike NASCAR, Indy races feature male and female drivers ranging in age from 20 to 49 and hail from various countries. By working with Dancing with the Stars to bring one of its most likeable and successful drivers to the masses, the IRL is onto something by using mainstream media to garner attention. Why not go further with that idea, for example, and work with the producers of HBO’s Entourage and feature the Indy 500, the series premiere event, to show would-be fans just what they are missing? While seeing the show's hip characters Vince, Drama, Turtle, E, and Ari hanging around dull stock cars might not be believable, seeing them mingling around sleek Indy cars is. And the IRL gets the added bonus of being associated with a “cool” television show.

The IRL is on the right track, but it hasn’t crossed the finish line just yet. It is critical that between now and March 29 (the start of the Indy season) that the IRL improve its website and refine the promotional vehicles for delivering the roar that is Indy. Time is of the essence and, after all, in racing, timing is everything.