Tony George resigned

[Mark in Oshawa]

You know I've been thinking (I know that's dangerous). But all of you that keep talking about how TG killed "the sport" seem to be CART fans. Well if you look at it, things are now pretty simmilar to CART in '93. If there were just more chassis and engine combinations, it would be exact. So if you would look past your hatred, you'd see the sport you claim to love so much..

The sport I loved was a lot more viable and virile in 94 than it is now. The tracks didn't include high banked ovals like Texas where no one can pass any more. There are similarities Chuck, but that too is an insult. Tony George had a lot more of my respect when he told everyone who would listen he was going to run an oval only series that would allow guys running Silver Crown's and midgets a way to get to Indy. He was talking about no road courses and giving all the American drivers a place to race. He had no plan to make any of that happen and the only American driver he really helped was Ed Carpenter.

The IRL of today is a shadow of what CART was....and the numbers of fans and viewers on TV reflects it.

It is guys like me, guys that liked the original "vision" who's sport has been killed. We don't get to see guys coming from the midgets and sprints go to Indy. We don't get to see guys put together their own engines with their own little tricks to try and go faster than the other guy. Etc. Etc..

Tony never understood the sport well enough to grasp that midget and sprint guys were not going to adapt to rear engined winged missles. They learn muscle memory and skills better adapted to NASCAR, which is why guys like Kasey Kahne and Clint Bowyer had no problem winning almost immediately. If they had tried to run an Indy Light or IRL car, they would have had a steep learning curve. Just like Allmendinger and Hornish are having steep learning curves in NASCAR. The fallacy that Tony was going to help these guys was a noble idea but it presupposed a good driver can adapt almost right away. VERY few can. Tony Stewart and maybe a Jeff Gordon could have gone from sprints to an Indy car, but Stewart is the best example. Most USAC sprint and midget guys cant or cannot be bothered.

Don't get me wrong I didn't like everything about the original "vision", nor did I like everything about CART. But I did watch, and enjoy, them both. Just as I enjoy (mostly) the current IRL. I just wish that people could see past their hatred of TG, enjoy the sport they claim to love, and yes even point out some of the flaws. But to spout off about how you will never watch the IRL "until the IMS is ONLY a track owner and the IRL is pushing up daisies", is just foolish. At least if you are a fan of AOWR..

I am with you on this one. I can watch the IRL now and have been watching it pretty steady all along (as much as I can watch any racing being on the road as often as I am) The thing is tho Chuck, the people pointing out what is wrong WANT a vital Indy Car series. Many of us may not have like Tony George, but I took a lot of heat 3 years ago advocating a merger and had been advocating it for about 3 years prior to that when it was clear Champ Car was not being run properly. I took nothing BUT heat but I wont sit there and say nice things that I don't see either. Today's IRL is a series that has potential, and some great drivers and teams, but the cars are dated, underpowered and too strictly controlled in terms of mods and aero tweaks. The result? Dull races on the ovals, and so-so to good races on the road courses. AT some point, there needs to be some serious marketing and serious innovation on the car side.

Just my 2 cents worth. And I do realize my 2 cents is not worth much to many of you.

Chuck, your 2 cents goes a lot farther with me than most. We happen to disagree but I think you are defensive of your fellow Hoosier there in Tony, and I have no such qualms. He didn't understand the dynamics of what he was messing with and now that he has learned, he is walking away with his money while the sport is a mess. Cant blame me and others for being ticked off about all of this.

CART may have had their faults, but you don't go to war over not getting "respect". You don't create a second series for OW racing when there isn't enough fans nor TV money to support both and you certainly do NOT create a series to protect the Indy 500 and the history of the sport when you have no idea of the market forces or dynamics of how drivers get rides, who pays the freight or the whole concept of negotiation as opposed to dictation.

Tell you what. If that 25/8 rule didn't exist in 96, if nothing else he would have seen a full field and all the history and love for the 500 would have never abated one iota. He did that to protect HIS series, the one that we have left now, but there was no reason to create it in the first place. THAT was his error. CART made lots of screwups post split, but most of there were a result of trying to make up for the fact they didn't have the 500 driving their TV package and their sponsors exposure.