INDYCARNATION

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One in a series looking at the 200th IZOD IndyCar Series event this weekend at Kentucky Speedway.

Chief steward Brian Barnhart had a great view of Dan Wheldon holding off Tony Kanaan after a Lap 194 restart to win the Firestone Indy 225 at Nazareth Speedway on Aug. 29, 2004. That was the Indy Racing League IZOD IndyCar Series’ 100th race.

He also was at Walt Disney World Speedway on Jan. 27, 1996, in a support role for the Indy Racing League’s first event. Fourteen years later, as the chief steward of the 200th race this weekend at Kentucky Speedway, Barnhart will have another memorable event.

“I am stunned at how quickly it seems like 200 events has arrived,” Barnhart said. “It’s been a long way, a long journey to get here. On the other hand, it seems to have gotten here pretty quickly. That’s an awful lot of driver’s meetings.”

Leo Mehl, retired general manager of worldwide racing for Goodyear who was named vice president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and executive director of the Indy Racing League in December 1996, added Barnhart to the full-time staff of five in March 1997 as director of racing operations. He was promoted to vice president of operations in 2000, and currently is president of competition and racing operations.

More than his titles and responsibilities have evolved over the years.

“When you stop and think about all the things that have been created that went against the establishment in the sporting arena, whether it’s the USFL or the XFL challenging the NFL or the WHA challenging the NHL, or the ABA challenging the NBA, none of them survived,” said Barnhart, who moved across the street to the league offices after serving as superintendent of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for two-plus years.

“If you look at the creation of the IRL, challenging the establishment of that time, the fact that it has been the one carrying the sport forward is something to take a lot of pride in. You feel responsible to be the stewards of the sport and look out for its best interests. I think it speaks to the commitment and dedication Tony (George) had in forming the IRL in the first place.

“I’m certainly proud of the contributions on an individual level and on a league level that we’ve brought to the sport in terms of safety and in redefining competition. The margin of victory we’ve had of less than one second is staggering (86 of 199 races). The number of events that we’ve had of less than a tenth of a second is staggering. The quality, the depth of the field and the level playing field we’ve provided has dramatically altered the competition in general, and we’ve defined competition in open-wheel racing.

“Combined with the safety advancements such as the SAFER Barrier and some of the rules changes we’ve made are the things I take the most pleasure in and are things I’m proud of.”

The series was oval-centric until 2005, when the first street/road course event was held on the scenic streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. Forty-one additional races have been held at locations in the U.S., Canada and Brazil. An exhibition race also was conducted in Australia in ’08. Next year, the series will race on a Baltimore street course that includes the Inner Harbor and Oriole Park at Camden Yards for the first time.

“I think it was a critical decision from a strategic standpoint and the best decision we could make because it has created more opportunities for us as a business entity moving forward than any decision we’ve made,” Barnhart said. “It’s proved beneficial from many different aspects. It makes our sport appealing to a broader fan base, opens and creates a lot more opportunities for us domestically as well as worldwide. I don’t know if you’d call it a turning point, because when you’ve been through the ups and downs that we’ve had in our existence there’s been a lot of turning points. It was certainly one that has created a lot of benefits for us and will continue to do so in the future.”

The 2012 chassis and engine package is another opportunity to expand the commercial and competition aspects of the sport. Barnhart was a member of the ICONIC Advisory Committee that researched and recommended the IndyCar Safety Cell (rolling chassis) that will be complemented by open design, development and manufacturing of aero kits (the car’s skin) from anyone who wants to supply teams.

A new engine strategy will allow manufacturers to produce engines with a maximum of six cylinders as well as maximum displacement of 2.4 cubic liters. The ethanol-fueled engines will produce between 550 and 700 horsepower to suit the diverse set of tracks on which the IZOD IndyCar Series competes and will be turbocharged to allow for flexibility in power.

“We have a lot of challenges, but what an exciting time,” Barnhart said. “We have a very creative concept moving forward, and it’s been so long since we’ve introduced new equipment that everyone associated with the series from a league standpoint to our participants are excited about the new car and new possibilities it will bring on board.

“Clearly this car has served us very well, but everyone is ready for the next generation car. As quickly as time goes by, 2012 will be here before we know it. I look forward to the next 200 races.”