The Churn Continues

In hindsight, it’s amazing that Derrick Walker lasted for three whole seasons as IndyCar’s President of Competition and Operations. With one elephant in the room size exception, leaders in IndyCar don’t seem to stick around for very long. The other stakeholders in the sport, and by that I mostly mean team owners, will always find something to complain and something to be unhappy about. Taking a leadership job in IndyCar means having that complaining in your ear all the time. Walker always seemed unhappy when making public comments, and without getting into his head, I wouldn't be surprised if that had a lot to do with. Today, he decided he had enough, and will resign effective at the end of the season (which btw, is a month from today).

Looking back on Walker's tenure, the main issues were Race Control and the debacle that was Indy qualifying. When Beaux Barfield left after last season, Walker replaced him in Race Control with a multi-headed committee headed by the infamous Brian Barnhart. This is also the year IndyCar collectively decided to penalize pit road infractions post-race, which came to a head after Graham Rahal's non-in race penalty at Fontana helped him win the race. This wasn't all Walker's fault. Robin Miller noted today that Walker was directed not to hire anyone outside due to budget concerns. The Indy qualifying disaster isn't entirely his fault either, as that was an across-the-board embarrassment, but when your job title is President of Competition, the buck mostly stops with you. These are the main demerits for Walker with fans.

Of course, there were good points with Walker in charge. He oversaw the implementation of the aero kits, and after some early teething, they've produced from differentiation and exciting racing. He's worked to make the cars safer, and if the rumors are true, will have played a big part in bringing back Road America. In the end, even if one disagreed with something Walker did, one had to respect his experience and love for the sport. He's been around IndyCar for 40 years, and hopefully this isn't the absolute end of his invovlement.

As for IndyCar itself, the problem is what it's always been: dysfunction at the top. Names like Randy Bernard, Jeff Belskus, Walker, and others have come and gone. It's not just a recent things, as anyone that remembers CART's endless parade of CEO's can attest. It's not a good look for multiple reasons. One, it's hard for anyone to plan long-term when there's no guarantee they won't be around to see the fruits of their labor. In an interview with RACER, Walker noted that the aero kits were a step towards the 2018/2019 car concept. With him gone, that plan is apparently gone as well. That does not bode well for movement in the future. A lot of the time, it feels like IndyCar as an organization just lumbers from short-term plan to short-term plan, and this only enhances that perception. Second, the frequent turnover does not project stability, which can only hurt when it comes to attracting sponsors and other stakeholders.

So, where does IndyCar go from here? The search for a replacement has begun, but given the challenges of the job, who would really want it? The article mentions Mike Hull, which sounds good from my untrained eye. What I fear, what many fans I suspect fear, is that while they search, Brian Barnhart will ascend to the job on an "interim" basis. From there, the temptation to make it permanent might be too much, especially for a group that seems loathe to find outside talent. Track Forum and Robin Miller's Mailbag might catch fire from the hot takes if that happens.

In the end, it's another off track blow with awful timing. For now though, I'm going to consciously decide to not think about it and enjoy the final three races of the season. They'll be plenty of time to hand wring about the state of IndyCar in the offseason.