SADNEWS: IndyCar has bigger problems than NASCAR beating it to Mexico following…

Last week, IndyCar itself and McLaren’s star Mexican driver Pato O’Ward were dragged into the spotlight as NASCAR announced a race in Mexico – something that IndyCar has been linked to since O’Ward rose to prominence, yet hasn’t pulled off.

Some pointed comments from IndyCar’s ownership then drew criticism from fans and made O’Ward a very popular winner in race one at Milwaukee on Saturday.

Obviously, O’Ward wants to race in Mexico. Many other IndyCar drivers not from Mexico agree with him. IndyCar doesn’t think it’s the right time.

I want to start by saying that, as a Brit who remembers CART racing at Brands Hatch, little excites me more than the idea of IndyCar stretching its legs and racing further afield than the US and Canada.

Mexico especially would be the perfect marriage. O’Ward is arguably the series’ best personality as someone who appeals to all demographics, is never afraid to speak his mind, and who has a massive following in both motorsport generally and in Mexico. He’s the perfect modern driver to market.

The problem here is certainly not Pato, nor Mexico as an IndyCar destination. It’s the series itself.

There are far more pressing things to focus on for IndyCar than worrying about racing further afield.

Fundamentally, there’s no one currently there offering to pay the freight bill for the IndyCar teams to go. There’s no cigarette or alcohol money like there was in the CART heyday of racing regularly in Australia and Japan.

There are far more issues to sort out at home.

A new charter system is high on the agenda, with teams being given paperwork to read over about the new franchise system that will hopefully give owners something of value for their investment.