The first race was packed to the rafters but audiences dwindled and terminal
damage was done by the 2005 fiasco when only six cars raced following a
dispute over tyres.
“But I was struck by the way the COTA guys went out and secured MotoGP, WEC,
V8 supercars. They have realised you can’t have a one-hit wonder and a ghost
town for the rest of the year. If COTA’s backers’ pockets are deep enough,
it could work. I still think the States needs a home-grown driver to get
behind though.”
Formula One’s penultimate race of the season – at which Red
Bull’s Sebastian Vettel could be crowned the youngest triple
champion in the sport’s history if he can beat Ferrari’s
Fernando Alonso by 15 points – will be vying for the attention of
petrolheads with the denouement to NASCAR’s championship at Homestead in
Florida.
Eddie Gossage, the president of Texas Motor Speedway near Dallas, said there
was “no crossover” between the series, adding that Formula One posed no
threat in the long-term. “It’s like soccer in this country. It has never
succeeded and I don’t think it will ever succeed because it is not our game.
” I think the race will be quite successful this year, the question is
can it sustain that success?”