Itâ??s official. As reported by SpeedTV and IBJ more than a month ago, Tony George has stepped down from his leadership
role
at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The biggest question remaining is what will happen to the Indy Racing League. The IRL has long been supported by revenue (likely tens of millions of dollars annually) from the IMS. With Tony George no longer in charge of the purse strings at the Speedway, you have to wonder where the money is going to come from to keep the series rolling.
Itâ??s true the IRL has made solid progress by signing several key new sponsors this year, but race attendance appears static and TV ratings are still lower than league officials would like in the first year of a new deal with cable channel Versus. Car count and overall team health is also a continuing concern.
By Georgeâ??s own admission, the IRL has been unprofitable since its founding in 1996. As reported by IBJ in May, George told a gathering in New York in December that if the IRL was not profitable by 2013, thereâ??d be no 2013. George later told the Indianapolis Star the IBJ article (authored by me) took that comment out of context. Iâ??m not sure how you can take such a comment out of context. But since George declined to talk to me for the story despite repeated requests, we may never know.
What we do know is that change is in the air. And Iâ??m sure in the coming days, weeks and months, weâ??ll get some answers to those big questions.
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I'd say 17 years too late. They never should have let him get that far. Bunch of idiots. Sounds like none of the lackeys and yes-men are getting fired, so it's doubtful much will change, other than the Tonybux program disintegrating. If that part is true, I don't see how this fraud continues much longer as a going concern, since it has never been profitable by their own admission. :lol:
Last month, board members declined to continue funding the second Vision car that Ryan Hunter-Reay was driving.
Sounds like the IRL will get no more free money from the Humans.
Better sell IMS quick before it all comes crashing down.
Will they stop complaining and leave the board alone or will they still deride every decision further proving their bitter anger?
Look for an abbreviated schedule next season. Fields will be about 18 to 20 cars.
Brazil is an evil necessity to pay the toll for 2010.
The reason a new car was not developed is because the league had neither the capitol nor the reason to bring it into play. The current chassis will suffice until the 2011 500 has been run.
The potential new engine manufacturers into play is now a moot point and was somewhat a smoke and mirrors ploy in the first place to entice current sponsors to commit.
The IRL has about 25 races left in its existence and then its curtains.
I should know.
THe IRl is awsome and aint gone away.
we all told you this day was cumming. You hulmanista apologists. Think about it. even berwickguy has seened the light.
the big question remining is - What happens to Open Wheel now? Those two bean counters aren;t going to lead anything but a return to Terre Haute. :lol:
toldya so. :lol: x 1000000000000000000000000000000
http://www.indycar.com/news/2009/watkinsglen/WGI_IndyCar_Series_entry_list.pdf
The IRL is giving tickets away free under Tony George's business plan. The series is screwed by the same way they tried to capitalize on it. Either way, the IRL is a failure, and will be AGAIN at Wadkuns Glem.
Raise your glass to Tony George....here's to destroying the AOW sport! Good job moron.
Tony: no one loves you. :lol:
indyman?
Anyhow, 25 races tops. One lead-in race to Indy then Adios!
Reports to the newbie for his execution after Watkins.
wher are all the lemmings now?
I support your thoughts that changes need to be made and starting at the top. Somehow, people with brains and good plans need to be at the helm to right this ship. I'm talking about open wheel (not the IRL) and the Indy 500. I also don't want to be one to gloat over the demise of people that have made bad decisions. I'm not into defaming and ill wishing. In some way, I just hold out hope that what once was such a great tradition can be brought back to life before it dies with no one caring.
Brett, you in particular have such hate and venom. I can understand why, but what good does all that ill will accomplish? What's done is done. Do you think that there are good people out there that care enough and have the resources to make lemonade of this lemon we've been dealt?
Do any of you think something positive can develop? Can we just be civil about any hope for the future? Or, is the Edmund Fitzgerald in too deep of waters to be righted?
The person who leaked this story out just 72 hours after the greatest race in the world should be the first one the new President fires. Loose lips sink ships! In todays tough economy the 500 attendance was good. People who are true open wheel race fans are watching the much less exspensive as well as the more comprenhensive telecasts of races on TV. They are also geteing the word out.
The IRL is changing rules to amke it a more competitive series as well. Lets jsut stay tuned but in my book thatnks Tony for the work particularlyn over the past 5 years!!
And oh yea - where is Robin Miller (the fifth quarter :)
It is over for Barnfart, Joie Shittwood, and about hald a dozen of their bootlickers. You can bet your schnitzel on it.
That's right, Miller was wrong. He got the exact second _TG was fired wrong. That's it. Moron.
Talk about a complete cluster**ck! Sounds like more than just family fued going on here, this thing may just fall apart in the next couple monthS!
The IRL: Nobody wants it.
This is the plan. Secretive, yes. But soem of us found out what the plan is and are letting the cvat out of teh bag, knowing full well we will be derided and dismissed.
But it is quite true. No IRL, no Indy 500 after May 2011.
The fact the Hulman-George Family has allowed all this to happen this summer shows the hysteria within the company and the family. Thsi was all not to take place until this time next year. Announcements were to be made in Summer 2010 in order for teams ans sponsors to prepare for the inevitable end and before sponsorship agreements, driver contracts, etcetera...could be put into place for multi-year arrangements.
There will be two more seasons of IRL competition and two Indy 500s. And really the 2011 season will be either a very short season with one lead in race to the 500, or a stand-alone race with a field more resembling the 1996 race as some key drivers depart to earn money in other series.
The end is near for Indy car racing.
Not actin'. Just factin'.
My involvement in the Series will last until we take our final checkered flag in May 2011.
This is a bitter, hard pill to swallow, I am sure. People love the IRL and Indy. Well, a few people love the IRL.
But I feel it is more important to state the facts as they are. Not as some would make them appear to be.
The truth will be told.
c'mon man!? I thought you were a true blue, patriotic, gun-toting Constitutionalist Bible thumpin Right winger! Everyone is allowed their say in the USA! I happen to think the exact same thing Count is opining....that the IRL is toast, and the sooner the better. the hulman/george heirs can spin this any way they want in the media, but its a crap car in a crap ceries that's been lead into the ground by Captain Crap himself, Tony.
Oh yeah, everything was gonna be A-OK after they killed CART/ChampCar. :lol: I seem to remember Tony telling the world the fans would come kicking and screaming and that one day all of this would be bigger than F1 and NASCAR....wow.
And now he's been kicked to the curb, in an ironic twist of fate by his own tribe. Perhaps it was his ever-evolving Vi$ion$ or perhaps his inability to effectively communicate to the world his naked power grab attempt, but along the way the only constant was that nobody was buying it. The prized Demographic of the CART fan despised Tony from his initial tantrum. the original gomers who bought into the All American/All Oval BS mantra hung on as long as they could, but in the end he betrayed them too. All that is left are an aging and dwindling crew of place fans who don;t watch MoNtegi, couldn't tell you what or where Watkins Glen is, and still think AJ might have sumpin up his sleeve on Bump Day. What's that you say? Recycled Chevy Pace Cars? No more Fords or Toyotas? Hmmmm, pass me anuther Bud Light, dude.
so in the end, Berwickguy, it is you to blame as much as it is Tony. He strung out some cheap cloaked Vi$ion, and you bit. We CART fans have been telling you guys for YEARS that he was doing it wrong. Penske and ganassi laughed all the way to the bank and Vistory circle, rocking on eveyone else's dime, while true oval-bred American racers fled for NASCAR. You thought Tony was listening to you? Tony failed at all of this, and he failed the sport. Count is right, as are many others. This thing is a joke, crippled for the foreseeable future, with no remedy in sight. Like you, I hope one day it returns, but there is an awful lot of damage done, and it will be a long road to any sort of recovery.
Sad days ahead for all of us, but don;t get pissed at us because -
WE TOLDYA SO!
Actually, I was just trying to get a rise out of the Count, cause he always steps up to the plate to defend himself. Sorry, Count, shouldn't have sounded so blatently bad.
As you know, my eyes have been opened and I feel like a fool. And man whenever that happens, especially when it involves tradition, it hurts big time. Who would ever have thought that the blood lines of Tony Hulman would turn to ruin what he raised up like a Phoenix???
But, hey, the blame games stops with it being my fault as much as his. I may have held out unrealistic hope and may have been one of the naive nabobs, but I didn't fund his habit. You can cast that stone towards the Count. He's a participant, not me. I haven't paid to attend an IRL race EVER!
I also didn't flock to NASCAR. That series has become a sham as well with their stupid Car of Tomorrow. It has become a bloated bag of money, foraging on fickle fans that will turn on them with the latest in thing, and slapping around and abandoning some of their bread and butter in their southern roots.
Thank goodness we still have WOO and the real racers of dirt track America. Unfortunately, they don't have a route to the top anymore. No real Indy to showplace the creative that we used to see in A J Watson and his counterparts. No place like Indy to see today's version of AJ, Mario, the Unsers, the Bettenhausens, and so on.
I've said before that I prefer to see the glass as half full. I realize that it has to be a different glass. Here's hoping someone steps forward.
And oh, by the way, where's Indyman been???
No love from Robin Miller....
Probably both on suicide watch at Wishard. Bt the way, who well get Tony's hammer now that he won't need it any more? BAAAAAHAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!