Telemundo sees money, gets in the business of sponsoring Indy cars

Personally, I find cheerleading to be more of a “sport” than auto racing.

It may be a huge, noisy spectacle. But cars going round and round and round the racetrack just doesn’t do much for me. Even horseracing is more interesting to me than auto racing.

WHICH MEANS I’M not among those people who anxiously awaits the Indianapolis 500 each year. I didn’t bother to watch it this year – even though this was the year we supposedly got the Latino-themed car in the race.

Or at least that’s the way some are trying to spin it.

For it seems that the Telemundo television network sponsored a car. Working with Newman/Haas Racing, they had the Number Two car – being driven by Oriol Servia of Spain (who happens to be bi-lingual).

It’s the first time that a Latino-themed company has gotten into sponsorship of an auto in the big race. Although there have been Latino drivers before – even Latinas (remember Venezuelan Milka Duno in 2007 and Ana Beatriz this year?).

BUT JUST AS the key to advancing in any field is to rise above the rank-and-file and work one’s way into management, that is the thing taking place here.



DUNO: The first Latina at Indy



Individual drivers may help draw interest among the growing Latino population to auto racing. Yet having one of the big Spanish-language television networks in this country giving the sport significant airtime because it has a financial interest vested in it is going to bolster interest among my ethnic brethren – although I’m pretty sure that I’m too far gone apathetic about auto racing to ever be swayed.

I recall attending an auto race when I was about 5 years old, and sometimes I think I still hear a funky buzz in my ears from the constant rumbles of the motors.

Of course, the true bottom line is money.

TELEMUNDO WANTS TO make money, and they see a chance to get in first in terms of getting Latinos interested in auto racing.

Network officials told the Fox News Latino channel (and its website) that they think Spanish-language broadcasting  in this country currently floods the market with soccer programming.

Which makes sense for those people who want to be able to follow their “old-country” teams and leagues.

But those broadcast officials figure (wisely enough) that the passage of time is going to cause more and more assimilation. No matter how much the conservative ideologues want to believe that my ethnic brethren are clinging to their old-country ways, we’re going to pick up on these new-fangled customs.

PARTICULARLY IF IT appears that we have our own stake in the race.

So it will be interesting to see how well the Telemundo car does in the race, particularly if it does so well that it draws attention. I’m sure that will irritate the nativist element of our society, who will be forced to see yet another aspect of our culture where Latinos can compete.

The day will come when all of this will be rather commonplace. I look forward to that day. Until then, it will be the one tidbit I will look up in the agate type, so to speak, when I check on race results.

Which is about the extent to which I care to follow Sunday’s activity. That, and looking up results for Beatriz and pictures of Danica Patrick.

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