Honor, blood and a brewing battle - The Aftermath of the Civil War by Ed Hinton

[Mark in Oshawa]

Another excerpt where Tony's indifference to the stupidity is manifest from Ed Hinton:

"What promised to be the biggest, broadest-based summit meeting of the war was scheduled for that September, in the Detroit offices of Herb Fishel, General Motors' racing director. GM, primary engine supplier for the IRL, had agreed to discuss the proposal of the CART suppliers, Ford, Honda and Mercedes-Benz, for a common engine formula that could begin technological reconciliation of the two leagues.

So here were chieftains from all these manufacturers, and the chief mediator present was Bill France Jr., chairman of NASCAR.

Only one mogul failed to show: Tony George.

The one man who could make the decision for reconciliation, as Roger Penske had said, didn't even come to listen.

When I heard George had skipped the meeting, I phoned France at home in Daytona Beach to ask how he felt about being stood up.

France was so nonchalant you could almost hear him shrugging on the phone. He didn't sound very disappointed.

"He had other commitments," France said, excusing George matter-of-factly.

That was a board meeting at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. How in the world, I wondered, could any meeting at Indy be more important than the Detroit meeting that could have affected Indy for years, even decades, to come?

But there were rumblings that meetings at Indy were becoming more and more vital, in that Tony George's three sisters, all heiresses to the Hulman & Co. fortune, were growing more and more uneasy about the hemorrhaging of family wealth into Tony's IRL adventure."

[Mark in Oshawa]

Another excerpt where Tony's indifference to the stupidity is manifest from Ed Hinton:

What promised to be the biggest, broadest-based summit meeting of the war was scheduled for that September, in the Detroit offices of Herb Fishel, General Motors' racing director. GM, primary engine supplier for the IRL, had agreed to discuss the proposal of the CART suppliers, Ford, Honda and Mercedes-Benz, for a common engine formula that could begin technological reconciliation of the two leagues.

So here were chieftains from all these manufacturers, and the chief mediator present was Bill France Jr., chairman of NASCAR.

Only one mogul failed to show: Tony George.

The one man who could make the decision for reconciliation, as Roger Penske had said, didn't even come to listen.

When I heard George had skipped the meeting, I phoned France at home in Daytona Beach to ask how he felt about being stood up.

France was so nonchalant you could almost hear him shrugging on the phone. He didn't sound very disappointed.

"He had other commitments," France said, excusing George matter-of-factly.

That was a board meeting at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. How in the world, I wondered, could any meeting at Indy be more important than the Detroit meeting that could have affected Indy for years, even decades, to come?

But there were rumblings that meetings at Indy were becoming more and more vital, in that Tony George's three sisters, all heiresses to the Hulman & Co. fortune, were growing more and more uneasy about the hemorrhaging of family wealth into Tony's IRL adventure.

Again....where is he favouring Tony?

[Mark in Oshawa]

Apparently I didn't know how to do the way of acknowledging Mr. Hinton's work properly. Starter has informed me of this, and I did it only to point out in his words where he proves that he isn't what his detractors had said he was.

I hold no issue with Starter's informing me of this, and the points are still valid.

[champcarray]

That's what I read, too. Both sides eff'd up, but Tony took it to the extreme so that all he won was "scorched earth."

[Mark in Oshawa]

Champcarray...he had such a poor way of communicating his "vision" that the only way to implement it was to just do it..and hope it worked. It didn't really work though did it?

[anthonyvop]

Again....where is he favouring Tony?

Ed Hinton.

He is now bashing the losers...Champ Car and Tony George.

[e2mtt]

He wrapped up his series with part 4 yesterday. Quite a read. I'd buy that in a book, fleshed out with with side stories & lots of pictures. Really quite sad.

Sports are supposed to be fun. They are something to get excited about, to enjoy, to cheer for. The whole story of the last 15+ years of Indycar & related series is one of disappointment, disagreement, waste, & regret. It sometimes feels like the most passionate fans left are the ones that hate the most.

[Bob Riebe]

Another excerpt where Tony's indifference to the stupidity is manifest from Ed Hinton:

"What promised to be the biggest, broadest-based summit meeting of the war was scheduled for that September, in the Detroit offices of Herb Fishel, General Motors' racing director. GM, primary engine supplier for the IRL, had agreed to discuss the proposal of the CART suppliers, Ford, Honda and Mercedes-Benz, for a common engine formula that could begin technological reconciliation of the two leagues.

So here were chieftains from all these manufacturers, and the chief mediator present was Bill France Jr., chairman of NASCAR.

Only one mogul failed to show: Tony George.

The one man who could make the decision for reconciliation, as Roger Penske had said, didn't even come to listen.

When I heard George had skipped the meeting, I phoned France at home in Daytona Beach to ask how he felt about being stood up.

France was so nonchalant you could almost hear him shrugging on the phone. He didn't sound very disappointed.

"He had other commitments," France said, excusing George matter-of-factly.

That was a board meeting at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. How in the world, I wondered, could any meeting at Indy be more important than the Detroit meeting that could have affected Indy for years, even decades, to come?

But there were rumblings that meetings at Indy were becoming more and more vital, in that Tony George's three sisters, all heiresses to the Hulman & Co. fortune, were growing more and more uneasy about the hemorrhaging of family wealth into Tony's IRL adventure."

I would say this shows CART's arrgance. from the get go, and attitude towards TG and Indy, was the greatest cluster-fu--, and it came back to give them their just rewards.
TG's failing was crapping on himself and what he started by changing it from what it was.

[veeten]

well, it looked like even Mr. George had finally came to realise just what was the real reason why the lack of american drivers was evident, for both series...

And now George acknowledged something monumental, something impossible to overcome, something that flashed the sign, "Game Over."


The USAC ladder system was impossible to restore because it no longer worked for Indy cars at all. It had become, in fact, a fine feeder system for NASCAR.


Through evolution, rear-engine Indy cars by now behaved very differently than front-engine sprint cars and midgets, which now behaved more like front-engine NASCAR cars.


"As far as having a feel for the way the cars drive, off the right rear, coming up through those series [of sprints, midgets and Silver Crown on ovals] -- [drivers are] probably more suited today towards a career path toward NASCAR. They seem to do better," George said.


The USAC system that had produced A.J. Foyt, Johnny Rutherford, Mario Andretti and all the Unsers for Indy was now churning out the likes of Gordon, Stewart, Newman and Kahne for NASCAR.

So George's quintessential intent for the IRL, bringing heartland Americans to Indy from the dirt tracks, was finished.


Any ladder system for Americans to Indy now must include a progression of rear-engine formulas.


For that, "We have a sort of disjointed, dysfunctional ladder system here in the United States," George said. "It's not as clearly defined as it is in Europe."


What was needed? He described a system America didn't have, and still doesn't, and probably won't have anytime soon:


"If we had a better single-seat, rear-engine formula ladder system to encourage and develop young American drivers from go-karts up through IndyCar [now the brand name of his series] to Formula One, there'd probably be a lot more American drivers. Not from the USAC sprint, midget, Silver Crown divisions, but American drivers nonetheless. Someone like a Sam Hornish or an Alex Barron who grows up with an orientation toward racing formula cars."


(Hornish, George's best American hope of the time, would of course eventually defect to NASCAR himself.)


At this point, I thought, "Game Over."


With one feeder system diverted to NASCAR, and the proper feeder system virtually nonexistent, just where was George supposed to get stellar young American drivers the public would embrace?


Out of the blue?


Maybe. Just maybe …

just goes to show what happens when you resist change, and this should've happened by the mid-70's. Unfortunately...

[champcarray]

While I thought the series was an interesting ready, I think Hinton passed over some key issues. For example, while Indy is mired in tradition, the fans of open wheel racing generally want change and innovation. Tony never seemed to understand that, throwing his family's money at a regressive vision of open wheel racing. And right down the toilet. He could have let the Brickyard 400 meet the desires of folks who prefer less sophisticated race cars, but no such luck: Tony wanted champ car racing to appeal to the same fans. It really doesn't work that way.