Recent history of the US GP
Alfisti,
Because not everyone knows a great deal about the USGP troubles, here's a brief history of the "recent" GP history in the USA. I'm not an expert or anything, I just want to make sure that folks know the basics of the US GP history.
I'd sure like to see a regular USGP, but I just believe that the fan base is not big enough given that even sports like Hockey and baseball are losing ground to NASCAR, basketball and football. It's a big money game and F1 just isn't as big a draw as NASCAR and those other sports.
Thanks to Wikipedia for the info:
In the 1989 season, the USGP was moved to Phoenix, Arizona (from Detroit and Las Vegas). The Phoenix street circuit was laid out in downtown Phoenix and was unpopular with drivers and the local crowd. After the race in 1991 was attended by fewer than 18,000 spectators, F1 left until 2000.
In 2000 F1 returned, with a race at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The attendance at that first race was estimated at over 225,000, perhaps the largest ever in F1. Michael Schumacher's win was his second of four straight to end the season as he overtook Mika Häkkinen for his third Championship. In 2001, the race went off less than three weeks after 9/11, and many teams and drivers featured special tributes to the U.S. on their cars and helmets. The 2002 edition was known for Schumacher and teammate Rubens Barrichello trading places near the finish line. Held in September its first four years, the USGP at Indianapolis was moved to an early summer date in 2004. In 2005, problems with Michelin tires led to seven teams withdrawing from the race after the formation lap. Only the three teams (six cars) with Bridgestone tires started the 2005 United States Grand Prix, and the event was considered a farce. Many commentators questioned whether a United States Grand Prix would be held in Indianapolis again, but the 2006 United States Grand Prix was held the next year, on July 2, 2006, without controversy.
On July 12, 2007, Formula One and the Indianpolis Motor Speedway announced that the 2007 US Grand Prix would be the last one held at IMS for the forseeable future, as both sides could not agree on the terms for the event. Reportedly the door has been left open to renegotiate the possibility of returning the USGP to Indianapolis, but Formula One has not included a USGP venue in its 2008 schedule.