George named motorcyclist of year
Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George has been named 2008 “Motorcyclist of the Year” by Motorcyclist, one of the most widely circulated motorcycle magazines in the U.S., for his efforts to bring the…
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SPORTS: Games are-or should be-all about the athletes
At the same time, those same athletes, thrust into the spotlight, will find their failures magnified along with their successes. Media who normally shun gymnastics, or aquatic sports, or track and field, or cycling, or rowing, or even Taekwondo, will suddenly become instant experts, lifting up the victors and damning the vanquished. How well I know. It was my good fortune to cover three Olympics for the local daily: Seoul in 1988, Barcelona in 1992, and Atlanta in 1996. The…
Stadium’s flexibility should help attract extra events: But some experts say stadiums are still a hard sell
Lucas Oil Stadium can be a jack of all trades. Hang rigging from its ceiling, lower built-in sound-absorbing curtains over most of the seats, and it can host a fairly intimate 20,000-seat concert. Roll out the temporary floor to cover the turf, part and pack away one side of the bleachers, and it can stretch to be a convention hall, boasting 183,000 square feet of contiguous exhibition space plus 12 meeting rooms, a welcome plaza and party deck. But the…
$720 million stadium will open with big operating deficit
Cleaning crews are wiping construction dust from the 63,000 seats in Lucas Oil Stadium, prepping for the public’s first peek at the $720 million venue Aug. 16. But the hard work is only beginning for the city’s Capital Improvement Board, the entity charged with operating the stadium. The fumbling point: CIB is anticipating a $20 million operating deficit for Lucas Oil Stadium in 2009.
Stadium scores Colts 30-percent sponsorship increase: Entertainment in 14 themed areas starts four hours before kick-off; strategy gains notice from other NFL teams
The Indianapolis Colts will score almost $18 million annually through their new stadium’s title sponsorship and deals with 14 founding sponsors, each of which has its own themed area of the stadium’s interior. Including sponsor agreements for two massive video boards at each end of the stadium, a narrower video board circling the upper reaches of the lower bowl, and other in-stadium deals, the Colts should bring in $20 million, 30 percent more than in the RCA Dome, according to…
New stadium’s food vendor for sale
The company city officials hired to handle general concession sales and premium dining at Lucas Oil Stadium could be sold before serving its first hot dog at the 63,000-seat venue set to open…
Favre’s return spurs Colts question
Brett Favre is returning to Green Bay today to play for the Packers. This after Packers brass offered to pay him $20 million to stay away.
This got me thinking. Which of the Indianapolis Colts that has retired or otherwise left …
SPORTS: NASCAR ill-prepared to race on hallowed ground
It would be piling on if I were to join the chorus of displeasure and disapproval following the 15th running … and stopping … and running … and stopping … and running … and stopping … and running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Aw, the heck with that. Clear the way while I pile on. For the second time in three years, the good folks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway-without throwing a punch-received a black eye from a…
Racquet Club Pro Shop continues record growth: Team sales pushing specialty retailer’s expansion
In the midst of a down economy and tepid interest in tennis, the only problem the Indianapolis Racquet Club Pro Shop has is where to expand next. Pushed by double-digit-percentage sales growth in nine of the last 12 years, the IRC Pro Shop has expanded from a 750-square-foot shoebox to become an industry giant in the specialty tennis category. Most tennis club pro shops are breakeven operations, but IRC officials said they have seen profit grow each of the last…
Hotels feeling travel slump: City occupany rates fall, but downtown operators performing well this year thanks to convention biz
Staggeringly high gasoline prices and a sputtering economy are preventing scores of would-be travelers from packing up their thirsty sport-utility vehicles and heading to their favorite vacation destinations. Nationwide, hotel occupancy rates slipped to 68 percent through June of this year, down from 71 percent the same time last year, according to the most recent data from Tennessee-based Smith Travel Research. For the most part, local hotel operators are feeling the same pain. Through the first six months of the…
IU names Crean to AD search team
Indiana University President Michael McRobbie announced this afternoon that the school has formed a 13-person search committee to find a replacement for athletic director Rick Greenspan. The search committee will include faculty members, administrators and alumni. The search committee will be…
Tracy, Subway could be back in IRL
Open-wheel race driver Paul Tracy may not be done this year on the Indy Racing League circuit. This morning, Walker Racing officials told IBJ they continue to work with Subway Restaurants and other…
Tour victory rolls out of Speedway
Carlos Sastre’s Tour de France victory was cemented in Paris July 27, but the wheels that carried him to victory were made in Speedway.
While Zipp Speed Weaponry has been providing high-end bicycle wheels…
IRL works on schedule, TV deal
At 2 p.m. today, IRL officials are expected to unveil their 2009 schedule. Motorsports sources tell IBJ there will be 18 races next year (10 ovals and eight road courses), with the Nashville…
Threat of Crean’s exodus moves IU
Indiana University is making me look pretty smart these days. And it has nothing to do with the degree I earned there almost 20 years ago.
Three weeks ago I was asked on a…
Tony, tires, Danica make news
The big stories in the world of motorsports have been coming at such a high rate of speed, it’s been difficult to keep up.
The long weekend kicked off with Tony Stewart getting into an altercation with a U.S. Auto Club…
SPORTS: NASCAR: Good for the city, not so fun to watch
Depending upon when IBJ lands in your hands, the 15th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will be either coming to or going from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So let’s talk racin’. Let me begin by saying how pleased I am that Tony George took that giant leap in 1994 and welcomed NASCAR to the hallowed openwheel grounds of IMS. By most accounts, the Brickyard 400 instantly became the second-most-coveted prize on the NASCAR circuit and it has remained in that…
VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Stock investing means navigating emotional mind fields
This has been a dizzy stock market, maybe even ill, but it isn’t terminal. Learning how to manage one’s own emotions while investing is an important part of success. And, the most crucial factor is practicing realism over optimism, instead of the reverse. Hope is helpful in most areas of life because it gives us optimism and a reason to live, but in the investment arena, it can quickly drive our portfolio into negative territory. Our desire for excessive investment…
Big crowds greet IRL in Edmonton
The Indy Racing League’s foray into Edmonton is looking good.
Sources on the ground there for this weekend’s race report that IRL race signage and promotional material posted by city officials is evident along streets,…
IRL drafts off NASCAR
Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George’s open-wheel racing enterprise has gotten a boost from its fendered brethren that few outside racing circles are aware of.
So powerful is the connection between NASCAR and the…