100 Days To Indy is a great step for IndyCar
IndyCar has some of the best racing in the world and an array of fascinating personalities but those outside of their diehard fan base rarely find out about any of it and IndyCar is aiming to change much of that with a new docuseries called 100 Days to Indy.
The six part docuseries that will air on CW will follow a group of drivers on and off the track as they compete in the races leading up to the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 28th.
The first episode of 100 Days to Indy premiered in Long Beach at the Terrace Theater ahead of the Long Beach Grand Prix last week and I had an opportunity to join the crowd and watch it before its TV premiere on CW on April 27th.
Episode one kicks off with David Letterman giving viewers an introduction to the Indy 500 in dramatic fashion and seems like a smart move as it introduces the series to potential new viewers with a figure from popular culture who is also deeply involved in the series.
Once we get into the episode we see that much of the focus will be on introducing a handful of drivers that they feature prominently in this episode which include Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, and Marcus Ericsson. We get an introduction to the drivers that humanizes them but also see how they each deal individually with the first race of the season.
We get introduced to their families and hear about how each driver met their spouse and even learn about how Scott McLaughlin has become close to his in-laws as they travel with them to the races and Scott's father-in-law makes tacos prior to race day.
The first audible response in the theater came during the segment where Josef Newgarden was introduced as fans in the theater cheered as he appeared on screen without a shirt during a scene where he was exercising at home.
While McLaughlin and Newgarden appear to be part of the popular kids group based on their segments, Ericsson is introduced as more of an outsider even though he is the reigning Indy 500 winner. This helps to build a storyline of some conflict and the rivalry that exists between Penske Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing when it comes to the Indy 500.
Former IndyCar drivers like James Hinchcliffe and Danica Patrick drop in at times to give their analysis alongside prominent journalists like Jenna Fryer who helps to paint a picture of the history and conflicts between some of the personalities that are involved. We even see multiple team owners appear to share their perspectives and get insight from multiple angles.
Comparisons to Drive To Survive are inevitable and while 100 Days to Indy might be chasing fans in a similar fashion their approach gives off more of a raw and real time feel for what is happening in the series which can partly be contributed to how quickly they will be releasing episodes after each race. Five of the first six episodes will air prior to the Indy 500 which means that the episode that was recorded there in Long Beach will air in just a couple of weeks.
We get a lot of insight into who these drivers are in the first episode and I can see the character being built out for each one whether that’s McLaughlin as the import from New Zealand that can win in any type of car or Newgarden who quickly shapes up to be the All-American superstar of the series not only due to the shirtless workout scene but due to the fact that he also married a Disney princess.
The episode is a bit heavily focused on Penske Racing but that’s not a huge surprise considering that the series is backed by Penske Entertainment which owns the IndyCar series and starting with drivers like Newgarden and McLaughlin likely seemed like a logical step. Ericsson gets a decent amount of screen time as well but hopefully future episodes will bounce around the paddock a bit more.
As someone that just followed The Masters for the first time ever after watching Full Swing on Netflix I can see how 100 Days to Indy has the potential to bring in a whole new crowd of fans to IndyCar as I can see a lot of similarities in how they approach personalities to help people connect with the drivers. I always imagined golf as a quiet and somewhat boring sport but learning about the personalities and rivalries on Full Swing made it all exciting so I can see how a similar concept with race cars can offer even more excitement.
My biggest takeaway is that the interactions appear unfiltered and line up with my experiences working in professional racing as a mechanic and crewmember in IMSA where we’ve often shared the paddock and pit lane with IndyCar as we did at Long Beach last weekend. This differentiates it from Drive To Survive and many other docuseries that piece together segments from multiple races or times of the year to build a conflict that may not really be there.
I departed from the Terrace Theater not only excited to see the next episode of 100 Days to Indy but just enthusiastic about checking out the next race and I did just that by deciding to spend my Sunday back at the track checking out the IndyCar race and watching as Kyle Kirkwood achieved his first win in the series.