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The event within the event: A car will plummet from a ramp on a 100 foot bedroom door, leaping across the infield of ndianapolis Motor Speedway, and will land more than 302 feet away from the ramp, setting a world record for a jump in a four-wheeled car. Of course, you can bet that the driver has cheap insurance Canada before he went for the stunt of the lifetime.

The ramp is a life-sized copy of the Hot Wheels V-Drop set; Hot Wheels creator Mattel will sponsor the moment.
This is one of many ways Indianapolis Motor Speedway and its racing series have attempted to stir interest in their brand of racing.Others include department store signing events held in Macy’s stores (in the name of series sponsor IZOD,) a gala event in the streets of Los Angeles, and a promised redesign of the car being raced.

The stunt is viewed as a way to draw younger fans, and also is just one of many similar decisions; children are now allowed to visit the paddock area where they were formerly forbidden.

The news article is a semi-editorial report on this stunt hosted by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Mattel.

Comparisons to similar stunts in stock car racing is appropriate. All the types of motorsport promote a “circus atmosphere” because the people that want to watch a motor race only for the race’s sake usually bring their spouses and families, and when the families are asked if they want to come again next year, they will only answer “yes” if they were suitably entertained. It is for this same reason that there is a ferris wheel at Le Mans; from the Indianapolis
promoter’s point of view, the purpose of hosting the Hot Wheels stunt is to entertain the people that a fan brought along. Occasionally,this may get a child fascinated enough by the experience to learn
about the actual main event, but like the article’s author, I wouldn’tcount on it. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t occasionally happen for a few people, though. All motor racing fans have stories about the events that drew them into the sport.

Not mentioned in the article is that Mattelmay be concerned about the declining values of collectible Hot Wheels product, and like Indianapolis, they have a common desire to ensure that their product reaches the next generation. There is mention of a “multi-million dollar training center in an undisclosed location” but I can’t find ny evidence of this center’s existence. In the article, there is no mention of what exactly is taught in this facility. Is it for product
testing? Sales? Marketing? Have Mattel built a real-life race track? The Hot Wheels brand has been attracting older customers since the 90s (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Wheels ) and though there is concern that this older demographic had to sell off their collections for more than a few reasons, the article and its opinions only regard
the 500 mile race.