Reaching out to Tony George.......

[jimispeed]

Champcar is a series that is a continuation of racing that has been going on for 100 years!!

Indycar is a series that is based on the Indianapolis 500, that has been enticing the greatest of drivers since 1911!!


Tony George should give great thought to this deep down in his heart, and at least try to preserve the Champcar series, along with his own.

I know what you're all going to say, but without the split in 94' this story wouldn't have to happen.

Please do the right thing Tony George!! If you're gonna own it, at least preserve it and carry it on for eternity. Fans from your own series, and Champcar will love you for acknowledging it.....

The Indy 500 will always be known as the greatest, and be one of the most sought after trophies in racing.

1996 brought back the return of the Vanderbilt Cup. But we all know that it was a celebration of what started it all.

Tony George could bring alot of Champcar fans with him if he embraced this, and didn't let Champcar just die in his hands!!

I know how much open wheel racing means to me, and I could come to terms with Tony George, if he were to do these things compassionately....



Please don't try to tear this apart.

This is truly how I feel as a fan of a series my father introduced to me back in 1978.

This series must not die, and Tony George has the power to preserve both his heritage, and Champcars'...

If Tony George becomes CEO of this venture, I hope he speaks to the media and embraces both series, the Borg Werner Trophy, and The Vanderbilt Cup.

Would he call it the Indycar World Series?

I hope so....

I hope to stay on these forums for a long time to come.

Thank you,

Jimi

[seppefan]

Unlikely.

TG started talks, leeked it to Miller who published leaving CC looking bloody silly and with a ever increasing fragile product. All this was TG's plan. It is called capitalism. Not even sure KK etc realise they have been hoodwinked.

Anyway we will end up with one series which is good news. The strategy is another matter.

[ChaimWitz]

Champcar is a series that is a continuation of racing that has been going on for 100 years!!

Indycar is a series that is based on the Indianapolis 500, that has been enticing the greatest of drivers since 1911!!


Tony George should give great thought to this deep down in his heart, and at least try to preserve the Champcar series, along with his own.

I know what you're all going to say, but without the split in 94' this story wouldn't have to happen.

Please do the right thing Tony George!! If you're gonna own it, at least preserve it and carry it on for eternity. Fans from your own series, and Champcar will love you for acknowledging it.....

The Indy 500 will always be known as the greatest, and be one of the most sought after trophies in racing.

1996 brought back the return of the Vanderbilt Cup. But we all know that it was a celebration of what started it all.

Tony George could bring alot of Champcar fans with him if he embraced this, and didn't let Champcar just die in his hands!!

I know how much open wheel racing means to me, and I could come to terms with Tony George, if he were to do these things compassionately....

Please don't try to tear this apart.

This is truly how I feel as a fan of a series my father introduced to me back in 1978.

This series must not die, and Tony George has the power to preserve both his heritage, and Champcars'...

If Tony George becomes CEO of this venture, I hope he speaks to the media and embraces both series, the Borg Werner Trophy, and The Vanderbilt Cup.

Would he call it the Indycar World Series?

I hope so....

I hope to stay on these forums for a long time to come.

Thank you,

Jimi

Jimispeed,
Great post. I too hope that Tony George respects and embraces the thirty year combined history of CART and OWRS. Like USAC and the AAA before them along with the current IRL era, they are all part of the rich and heroic story of the American National Championship. It would also be wonderful if one of the real Vanderbilt Cups could be used rather than a replica because they represent an authentic American spirit and heritage. For more, check this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanderbilt_Cup

[cartpix]

Jimi, we don't agree, on a lot, but when we do, I want to make sure you know it. The Borg Warner for winning Indy & the Vanderbilt for the championship. That's a wonderful idea.

Jeff

[Chris R]

agree - excellent idea jimispeed

[Chaparral66]

Jimi, we don't agree, on a lot, but when we do, I want to make sure you know it. The Borg Warner for winning Indy & the Vanderbilt for the championship. That's a wonderful idea.

Jeff

I'll second that, Jeff.

[jimispeed]

Jimi, we don't agree, on a lot, but when we do, I want to make sure you know it. The Borg Warner for winning Indy & the Vanderbilt for the championship. That's a wonderful idea.

Jeff


Thanks,

I had to do alot of soul searching before I wrote all that.

[garyshell]

Well done, Jimispeed.

A perfect example of fence mendin', my friend. A absolutely PERFECT example.

Gary

[cartpix]

Thanks,

I had to do alot of soul searching before I wrote all that.

I bet you did. It can't be easy watching Champ Car, turn to crap, before your very eyes. It's not that easy, for me, either. The only difference is, I've been noticing it for a much longer time. I didn't want to believe it, either. I have been saying there has to be a merge / unification, for a few years, now, & it looks like there finally will be.

As a race fan, who likes ALL forms of racing, I could never understand the I hate the IRL mentallity. I prefered CART & that's what I covered, as a photographer & followed it to Champ Car. But I still watched the IRL, NASCAR, NHRA, etc. I watched the IRL even more, when the CART drivers went there.

I grew up with drivers switching between series. I watched Danny Ongias drag race & then go to Indy. Mario went from sprint cars, to stock cars, to Indy, to F1, & back to Indy. Gurney & Jones would drive anything they could get their hands on.

Then came the split. Fans HAD to make a choice between CART & the IRL. Why? Because the egomaniacs, in CART, made us. Of course TG's 25 / 8 rule helped, but he had to protect his new series. But he was evil & the CART owners were the good guys or the other way around, if you were on the other side of the fence. It left me, as a motorsport fan, in a minority.

I will continue to watch ALL forms of motorsports & not take sides.

Jeff

[ChicagocrewIRL]

In my opinion, the Vanderbilt Cup is hugely more beautiful and meaningful than that ugly checkered silver grotesque cup they use for the IRL Championship Trophy. GET RID OF IT PLEEEEZ.

The Vanderbilt Cup is the only fitting prize for winning the American Open Wheel Championship

[Skid Marx]

IThen came the split. Fans HAD to make a choice between CART & the IRL. Why? Because the egomaniacs, in CART, made us.
Jeff

HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh stop, you're killing me! Talk about your revisionist history! The egomaniacs in CART????? I believe it was one Mr. Anton George who, because CART wouldn't make him supreme ruler over their series, decided to take his toy and go home, then keep the legitimate competitors out by instituting his spiteful little 25/8 rule. Make no mistake, the fans forced choice of series, CART or IRL, was due to the actions of one man, and one man alone. And that man will soon have his way, at which point he will be more insufferable than ever. Sure, I'd like to see a series with healthier car counts, better financial shape, and better TV ratings, but with it being run by Tony George? Maybe you're familiar with the saying, "You can't polish a *****." That fits the IRL, with or without the addition of CCWS teams. Oh well, looks like I'll get more yard work, house work, etc. done on Sunday afternoons this year.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh stop, you're killing me! Talk about your revisionist history! The egomaniacs in CART????? I believe it was one Mr. Anton George who, because CART wouldn't make him supreme ruler over their series, decided to take his toy and go home, then keep the legitimate competitors out by instituting his spiteful little 25/8 rule. Make no mistake, the fans forced choice of series, CART or IRL, was due to the actions of one man, and one man alone. And that man will soon have his way, at which point he will be more insufferable than ever. Sure, I'd like to see a series with healthier car counts, better financial shape, and better TV ratings, but with it being run by Tony George? Maybe you're familiar with the saying, "You can't polish a *****." That fits the IRL, with or without the addition of CCWS teams. Oh well, looks like I'll get more yard work, house work, etc. done on Sunday afternoons this year.

Well it is true that in the early days of the split, a great deal of the animosity I built up anti-CART was because of the condescending nature and air of false superiority of CART fans, drivers, and teams, but mostly because of CART fans. Patrick Carpentier had a very interesting quote on the Yahoo IRL pages today...


Carpentier said he feels a bit of Karma has hit Champ Car because he remembers a drivers' meeting for a CART race at Homestead when he was a rookie and how such derisive comments were made about the rival Indy Racing League, which is now the IndyCar Series.

"The first day I sat at that driver's meeting at Homestead, I sat there and they were laughing at the other group," Carpentier said. "In life, it always comes to bite you back. I remembered thinking of that in that driver's meeting. I said I'm not sure I would be laughing if I were them.

"For years, both of them kept arguing. I hope they can bring it back because they have something good in their hands."

and remember the "WHO NEEDS MILK?" comment by Jimmy Vasser ? ugh

KARMA KARMA KARMA

[Chaparral66]

I take Jeff's view up to a certain point, but I admit my concern about Tony George running this sport is of great concern to me. I can't help but believe he just might have a Gentillozzian approach to this and make it even harder to watch. But then, the opposite is true, should the reunification go through and he has control, he could do OK with it. His prime goal is to make the Indy 500 king again, which is what most of us admit needs to happen to take back what the sport lost to NASCAR, so we'll see. My heart won't be in it as much but I will make an effort to watch, as I find it much easier to do with Indy every year. But my eye will always be on him and what he does. There are options, and I do plan to watch more sportscar racing this year as well as my usual quota of F1 and NASCAR, and maybe a bit more NHRA. But just because TG has the sport nearly in the palm of his hand doesn't automatically mean he has the devotion of the fans as a whole. He'll have to work hard, very hard, to earn that.

[cartpix]

HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh stop, you're killing me! Talk about your revisionist history! The egomaniacs in CART?????

You don't think they were egomaniacs? They all decided to have a race, on the same day, at the same time, as the greatest racing spectical in the world, the Indy 500, at it's peak. They thought that without them, there, no one would watch Indy. Sounds a bit self centered to me. Then the best of the best couldn't make through the 1st lap, without writing off half the field & having to restart, with backup cars.

As for Tony George, was there some kind of law he broke, by starting the IRL? Seems to me, he did what Gurney did, in the 70's, by starting CART. But Gurney was a hero & Tony George is a bum. CART had no ego & TG is all ego.

And you tell me about revisionist history...

Jeff

[Chaparral66]

HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh stop, you're killing me! Talk about your revisionist history! The egomaniacs in CART????? I believe it was one Mr. Anton George who, because CART wouldn't make him supreme ruler over their series, decided to take his toy and go home, then keep the legitimate competitors out by instituting his spiteful little 25/8 rule. Make no mistake, the fans forced choice of series, CART or IRL, was due to the actions of one man, and one man alone. And that man will soon have his way, at which point he will be more insufferable than ever. Sure, I'd like to see a series with healthier car counts, better financial shape, and better TV ratings, but with it being run by Tony George? Maybe you're familiar with the saying, "You can't polish a *****." That fits the IRL, with or without the addition of CCWS teams. Oh well, looks like I'll get more yard work, house work, etc. done on Sunday afternoons this year.

Who's kidding who, here, Skid Marx? What filthy rich guy, who's used to getting his way come hell or high water, do you know who doesn't have a king sized ego?

[jimispeed]

Champcar is a series that is a continuation of racing that has been going on for 100 years!!

Indycar is a series that is based on the Indianapolis 500, that has been enticing the greatest of drivers since 1911!!


Tony George should give great thought to this deep down in his heart, and at least try to preserve the Champcar series, along with his own.

I know what you're all going to say, but without the split in 94' this story wouldn't have to happen.

Please do the right thing Tony George!! If you're gonna own it, at least preserve it and carry it on for eternity. Fans from your own series, and Champcar will love you for acknowledging it.....

The Indy 500 will always be known as the greatest, and be one of the most sought after trophies in racing.

1996 brought back the return of the Vanderbilt Cup. But we all know that it was a celebration of what started it all.

Tony George could bring alot of Champcar fans with him if he embraced this, and didn't let Champcar just die in his hands!!

I know how much open wheel racing means to me, and I could come to terms with Tony George, if he were to do these things compassionately....



Please don't try to tear this apart.

This is truly how I feel as a fan of a series my father introduced to me back in 1978.

This series must not die, and Tony George has the power to preserve both his heritage, and Champcars'...

If Tony George becomes CEO of this venture, I hope he speaks to the media and embraces both series, the Borg Werner Trophy, and The Vanderbilt Cup.

Would he call it the Indycar World Series?

I hope so....

I hope to stay on these forums for a long time to come.

Thank you,

Jimi

Don't let history fall. It belongs with both Indy, and Champcar. And, it belongs with the fans forever.......


Champcar we loved ya!!

Let's hope TG speaks to this, and embraces it.

I hope to god he will......

[Rex Monaco]

Unlikely.

TG started talks, leeked it to Miller who published leaving CC looking bloody silly and with a ever increasing fragile product. All this was TG's plan. It is called capitalism. Not even sure KK etc realise they have been hoodwinked.

Anyway we will end up with one series which is good news. The strategy is another matter.

I would never admit to the world that I was out strategized by TG, would you?

[mikiec]

Totally agree with jimispeed's original post and the only thing that I would add is that in the spirit of reconciliation, the 'IRL' moniker should be dropped and we call the single series 'Indycar'.

Those three letters will forever be synonymous with 'the split' and as we will no longer have the 'CART' or 'CCWS' acronyms, it just seems fitting to put this chapter of AOWR to rest and start again with a name that both sides of the split can relate to.

[Sandfly]

Ther IRL earned nothing. Internal conflict within the CC ownwership brought them down, while still having the better series. Time will tell, but IF this comes off as leaked - American open wheel racing will not be well served. Perhaps the vision will turn back into the CART model and we will all have had a fifteen year time warp.

[garyshell]

Totally agree with jimispeed's original post and the only thing that I would add is that in the spirit of reconciliation, the 'IRL' moniker should be dropped and we call the single series 'Indycar'.

Those three letters will forever be synonymous with 'the split' and as we will no longer have the 'CART' or 'CCWS' acronyms, it just seems fitting to put this chapter of AOWR to rest and start again with a name that both sides of the split can relate to.


Good luck with that. The Vanderbilt cup idea might have some traction, the dropping of the name is a non starter.

Gary

[gearhead250gto]

Make no mistake about it...one series is all that there is room for in North America. However, if Tony George is at the helm....this will quite possibly go down as one of the biggest tragedies in racing history and I will have absolutely no part in it. North American open wheel racing will be dead. I have spent much of my time, effort, talents, abilities, savings, ect. to help support Champ Car and drivers with aspirations for Champ Car. I have seen this coming for the last year and it pains me to see something I believe in and have fought for to be in this situation. And somehow the Redneck 500 got millions of viewers last weekend and there is a plethora of sponsors on the cars. What is wrong with that? The American public is so gullible.

[weeflyonthewall]

And somehow the Redneck 500 got millions of viewers last weekend and there is a plethora of sponsors on the cars. What is wrong with that? The American public is so gullible.

Would the fact the Daytona 500 is NASCAR'S marquee event and season opener make a difference? Plethora of sponsors yet past Indy 500 and OW champion JV got dropped by Davis racing for lack of sponsorship. Maybe he could barely cover the crash damage....