This weekend is huge

... very big, for the IRL.

Normally, it's a mid-August date at the broiler known as the Kentucky Speedway (although moving it to a night race should help the temps quite a bit).

But, on a national stage, it's an opportunity that doesn't come around very often -- a chance to build on momentum gained from last week.

Not since Ashley Judd went running down the pits in a sopping wet shirt has the IndyCar Series been *this* all over the place. Well, at least Dario Franchitti has been all over the place -- on the CBS Early Show, on Larry King Live, in celebrity magazines, on ESPN's SportsCenter highlights package about 372 times a day. There have been multiple columns written (and a lot of chatter) about Danica Patrick's rather blunt views on Dan Wheldon's involvement in the "big one," stoking the rivalry that flared up in Milwaukee.

From a TV perspective, a Sunday afternoon on ABC would probably yield the biggest ratings of the season outside of the Indy 500. But there *is* momentum in IndyCars -- a rare week outside of May when the ICS gets more of the headline/TV billing than NASCAR (even with ESPN's hype machine only tuned to the fender channel these days) -- and it's important to capitalize on that.

For starters, play up the Danica-Dan wars of words. If this were NASCAR, that would be *all over the place* this week. (Where's Eddie Gossage when you need him?). Second, it's fortunate that Kentucky is the next race on the schedule, as it usually is one of the more entertaining races of the season. There's already a good crowd on the horizon (about 76% of the 66,000 seats have been sold, and that's not including walk-ups) and it's likely that quite a few new eyeballs will be trained on the TV come Saturday night.

Putting on a good show -- something that usually isn't a problem for the ICS -- is imperative this week.

Longtime ICS followers know to expect some breathtaking moves, good wheel-to-wheel racing, (usually) a clean race and a 200mph thrill show with what will likely be a side-by-side finish that *didn't* need a bogus debris caution to manufacture. There are still some who haven't paid much attention to OW racing since the early 1990s (or, if you're more used to reading Robin Miller, "the glory days") that still have the perception of IndyCars as a dull, strung-out parade where two cars finish on the lead lap. The last few Indy 500s should have changed that, but people are stubborn.

The IndyCar Series' racing product has produced the most breathtaking and entertaining oval series in the world -- especially with the 2003+ chassis spec in vogue. But where NASCAR has had the upper hand is in personalities -- creating the hero/antihero of Dale & DW, or Dale & Jeff, or Dale Jr. & Jeff, or Tony & the world, or DEI & Hendrick -- that create conflict and stir passions in fans. The collegiality of IndyCars and the fan base doesn't tend to create the hero/antihero sense, but with the series' biggest star openly feuding with another driver ... with some big names (Danica, a third-generation Andretti, a third-generation Foyt and even Hornish), some intriguing people (TK, Helio) and the star power ... this is a *big* weekend.

A good show on Saturday would go a long way in riding that momentum, and maybe even creating a few more IndyCar fans -- whether among the 50,000+ in attendance or those watching on TV. But this weekend *is* big to keep that wave going.