Being married and all, I’m quite cognizant of the dreaded “backhanded compliment.” Or at least, the always-present potential thereof. Words must chosen carefully in a marriage, and with great prudence. For around every verbal corner lies danger, around every well-intentioned praise lies fury. Because women are crazy, you see.

ME:  Wow, you look great. Have you lost weight?

WIFE:  I KNEW IT!! You thought I was fat before!

ME:  [makes mental note to never say anything, ever]  

Am I hypersensitive to the phenomenon? You bet I am. But then again, even in the polite realm of the Non-Crazy, some compliments can be construed as insults — as indictments on the past. I get it, and that’s precisely what I’m trying to avoid now. Here goes.

I was at the IZOD press conference last week, and I can tell you that there was a decidedly different vibe within IndyCar. It was a completely unfamiliar aura of confidence & swagger, and it was not subtle. Nor was it imagined. It was as palpable as a pistol-whipping, and it was unlike anything I’ve experienced in my brief time here.

Not that there wasn’t a vague sense of certainty in themselves before. Because there was. Kind of. Maybe. But nothing like this. Nothing like what I experienced Thursday, when IndyCar morphed into a shotgun-toting Doc Holliday just daring anyone to f–k with it. This was the real swagger. Difficult not to notice, frankly — yet impossible to describe.   

Maybe a $100 million deal will do that. Or maybe it comes from knowing that a global corporation believes in you. Perhaps it’s the new logo. Or the new name. Or the new clothing lines. Or the unmistakable Madison Avenue-like slickness of the event, which was certainly evident. Or how IZOD plans to napalm the free world with IndyCar “activation,” whatever that means. Or maybe it’s all of that combined. 

Not that it matters, though. Not yet, at least.

No, what matters right now is this newfound sense of confidence that permeated the press conference, regardless of its source(s). It was the single most jarring realization of the day, as well as the least expected. Now, it couldn’t possibly have come across via streaming video, and I’ve yet to read anything about it since. But it was there – IndyCar’s unmistakable air of bravado, and their genuine belief that success is imminent. Just like they never had before.

And while that may come across as an indictment on IndyCar’s past, it’s meant as a cause of excitement for their future.