On Mar 4, 1:22 pm, Ken Plotkin <kplot...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> On Tue, 4 Mar 2008 04:21:41 -0800 (PST), Lenny <hayso...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> wrote:
>
> >I don't know if that translates to bringing the whole series down, but
> >it didn't help. They should have pacified the stooge...after all he
> >has shown to have the resources to bring down US OW racing all by
> >himself.
>
> He had help...CART made every wrong move. If CART could not win
> against a man you perceive to be a stooge, how would they have done
> against Bernie?
They didn't try to win against George before he split. He took the
first shot. If he had helped them go up against Bernie, they could
have possibly had a great, international series with ovals, road
courses and street festivals... all making more fans and money. As it
was when George declared a war, no one won.
>
> >I went to that first race and it was pretty dull. No real talented
> >drivers made it a dull and uninteresting race. I thought the real
> >reason they didn't attend was the 28/8 was announced.
>
> Unfortunately, I missed that race, so I can't judge. I was in New
> Haven that weekend, and the local TV stations were covering college
> basketball. The IRL races did not really become decent until Texas
> and Charlotte of '97. The '96 500 was actually pretty good.
>
> 25/8 wasn't why CART didn't attend WDW. The opposite was true. The
> CART strategy was to not enter any IRL races other than the 500. TG
> tried several incentives - the split season was one. 25/8 was his
> final attempt to force them to enter his races. We know how that
> worked out.
Yea, we do know what bad drivers and poor attendance that brought
about. A great blunder by George.
>
> >We don't really know what could have happened. With George's help,
> >they could have done very well and be the top racing series in the US
> >and possibly the world.
>
> My problem with CART's worldwide plans was that they were hijacking
> the top tier of American open wheel to do it. At up through Craig's
> day they considered Indy racing to be a top series. I cringed during
> Pook's year when he said he'd be happy to be a feeder to F1.
They always were a feeder to F1...he just verbalized it.
>
> >OTOH, we do know how George's vision turned out. Can you say 0.9
> >overnights?
>
> That's all going to turn around. The war is over. Car counts will be
> in the mid-20s for most races, and there'll be bumping for the 500. I
> think the teams themselves are looking forward, not backward. I look
> forward to a group hug between r.a.s.c and r.a.s.i.
>
> I only have two real concerns. One is that they restore Indy
> qualifying to its traditonal format, get rid of that Mickey Mouse 12
> per day crap. Won't be needed when there are 35 to 40 entries.
> Probably stuck with it this year, but hopefully tradition will be
> restored next year. The other is that I really hope Paul Tracy gets a
> ride for the season. Not that I've ever been a big PT fan, but the
> guy is really exciting and makes stuff happen. The past couple of
> years I've been watching CCWS races mostly because of him.
>
> Loved his "twinkle toes" crack about Helio. Get him in the 500, do
> some grudge promotion, and ratings will soar.
Good points and I too have big hopes for the future. I am very excited
about this year, even if the CC teams don't do too well, it will be
fun watching the battles.
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