The Indy Racing League couldn’t have asked for a better debut as a reunified open-wheel series with the Champ Car World Series than last Saturday night’s Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
There were thrills, spills, and even some chills.
Best of all, it was televised in prime time on ESPN2. In high definition, no less.
It pulled a .8 rating, up a 10th of a point from last year’s opener, and reached some 815,000 households to rank as ESPN2’s highest-rated IndyCar Series race, and most watched on ESPN or ESPN2 in almost three years.
It paled in comparison to NASCAR’s ratings, but, hey, it was a start.
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