"King" George speaks

[Mark in Oshawa]

Just read part two and this stands out from both parts:



All I can say is: and "de nile" is not just a river in Egypt.

Gary

Yes, he is a little defensive isn't he?

The elephant in the room throughout that whole piece was what was asked at the end, in that "was the formation of the IRL worth it?"....

He never really answered that.

I also found it interesting that he is very positive on the direction of the league, and Bernard's hiring...but I really started to have my BS button pressed when he claimed what it cost him to start and own the IRL was cheaper than buying a franchise in other major sports. Gee Tony...when you drag the sport down into the sewer, and spend a lot of money on it, that is the BEST justification you have?

Naive..the man is naive. A very NICE man..but completely in denial and clueless...

Part of me couldn't hate Tony....but I really hate what he did...

[the bro]

But hey at least I learned a new word: bifurcate. Which apparently means: split or divide into two. I guess he would know a thing or two about that.

[Mark in Oshawa]

But hey at least I learned a new word: bifurcate. Which apparently means: split or divide into two. I guess he would know a thing or two about that.

He does...He took one whole, made two halves..shrunk em with some help from idiots like Andrew Craig and Kevin Kalkoven...and then put them together and we have about one eighth....not sure if there is a word for THAT.

[markabilly]

He does...He took one whole, made two halves..shrunk em with some help from idiots like Andrew Craig and Kevin Kalkoven...and then put them together and we have about one eighth....not sure if there is a word for THAT.

two words ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrunken_head

[Blancvino]

He does...He took one whole, made two halves..shrunk em with some help from idiots like Andrew Craig and Kevin Kalkoven...and then put them together and we have about one eighth....not sure if there is a word for THAT.

Well, it's actually two - Ill advised

[dataman1]

Good idea Gary. I await the answer to "Was it all worth it?"

I waited and was not impressed. What a waste of news print and my time. His ego is soo... large he can't see or admit to his own mistakes.

[SarahFan]

I think the whole experiment made him stooooopidererer

[Andy Traxel]

Doesn't the last reply say it all?

"There is great value in the Indy Racing League; it exists to support the institutions of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500 Mile race..."

Indy and the 500 do have a long and great tradition. But most of it is about men who were too nouveau riche or ethnic to be invited to Augusta in April. So they went to Indy in May. Indy was a hobby for them, not a business. That changed after WWII. But the Speedway and its various proxies (AAA, USAC) never adjusted. It was the Indy 500 and everything else fended for itself.

I cite the failure to hang on to Marlboro/Philip Morris as the series sponsor as one glaring example of the Speedway's failing.

The Sprint Cup, or all of NASCAR, doesn't exist to support the Daytona Speedway or the Daytona 500. The Frances understood that for racing teams to be successful as businesses, they needed a series of races and a season, not just 4 weeks in May.

The original CART owners wanted to race open wheel cars with sponsor's money. They put a series together that attracted sponsors and TV networks. When Tony thought that this threatened the preeminence and power of the Speedway, he fought back. And pulled the whole house down around him.

Andy

[spiritone]

Interesting interview(not) all the things that bothered us champ car fans about this man are laid out for all to see. He is the same vague, evasive, and bumbling person that irl's thought was saving racing in north america. It's taken a long time for some to realize that this was all about ego and very little about making racing better. I'm sure that tony with all his money and ego thought that he could squash champ car a lot quicker than it took.

There is no joy in saying i told you so. He decimated my favorite sport and the prospect of it coming back are looking pretty bleak. The only hope is that a new car and new engines will come soon enough to start over.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Doesn't the last reply say it all?

"There is great value in the Indy Racing League; it exists to support the institutions of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500 Mile race..."

Indy and the 500 do have a long and great tradition. But most of it is about men who were too nouveau riche or ethnic to be invited to Augusta in April. So they went to Indy in May. Indy was a hobby for them, not a business. That changed after WWII. But the Speedway and its various proxies (AAA, USAC) never adjusted. It was the Indy 500 and everything else fended for itself.

Augusta wasn't much of anything to any noveau rich until after the war. The rich didn't make Indy, it was guys like the Granatelli's coming from Chicago with their junk specials, and the various USAC dirt track drivers who sacrificed everything to make the trek. Indy really is a tradition that started with dirt under the nails grit as much as the stock car guys did. The rich did come in, and for the most part funded things, but the heart and soul of what made this race a big deal was the dream and living it...

I cite the failure to hang on to Marlboro/Philip Morris as the series sponsor as one glaring example of the Speedway's failing.

I think they would have lost it anyhow. Losing PPG and FEDEX however are inexcusable but that was CART in the aftermath of the split...

The Sprint Cup, or all of NASCAR, doesn't exist to support the Daytona Speedway or the Daytona 500. The Frances understood that for racing teams to be successful as businesses, they needed a series of races and a season, not just 4 weeks in May.

The Frances made sure they had their fingers in half the tracks. If they hadn't, maybe they wouldn't have been so egalitarian....

The original CART owners wanted to race open wheel cars with sponsor's money. They put a series together that attracted sponsors and TV networks. When Tony thought that this threatened the preeminence and power of the Speedway, he fought back. And pulled the whole house down around him.

Andy

You have this last post right, and all and all an excellent post. Post more often....