WhyteRaven74: Jensaarai: The split was really starting to take its toll.

Tony George really knew how to shoot himself in the foot.

Tony had valid points. American viewers were dumping CART for NASCAR due to lack of American drivers, and the team owners were driving the sport into the ground with uncontrolled costs. Something had to be done. But instead of working together with USAC, it became a pissing match. I LOVE that Bryan Clauson is getting a shot this year. If those opportunities had been there prior to the split, it may not have happened.

Grables'Daughter: Mrtraveler01: WhyteRaven74: Jensaarai: The split was really starting to take its toll.

Tony George really knew how to shoot himself in the foot.

To be honest, I only follow IndyCar during the Indy 500. So what exactly is this "split" you guys are referring to?

Wikipedia sums it up very well:

In 1994, Speedway owner Tony George announced plans for a new series, to be called the Indy Racing League.[55] The Indy 500 would serve as its centerpiece. Opinions varied on his motivations, with his supporters sharing his disapproval of the race's lack of status within CART, the increasing number of foreign drivers (as American drivers were gravitating towards NASCAR), and the decreasing number of ovals in the season series. Detractors accused George of throwing his weight around and using the race as leverage to gain complete control of the sport of open wheel racing.

In 1995 and in response to a change in schedule by the CART series that put several races in direct conflict with Indy Racing League events, George announced that 25 of the 33 starting positions at the 1996 Indy 500 would be reserved for the top 25 cars in IRL points standings (similar in practice to NASCAR's Top 35 rule introduced years later). The move effectively left only eight starting positions open to the CART-regulars that chose not to participate in the IRL races. CART's reaction was to refuse to compromise on the schedule conflicts, skip the IRL races required to accumulate the qualifying points, boycott the race,[56] and stage a competing event, the U.S. 500, on the same day. Veteran Buddy Lazier won a competitive but crash-filled 1996 Indy 500. Two CART teams, Walker Racing and Galles Racing, competed in the Indianapolis 500 to fulfill sponsor obligations and were welcomed without incident. The U.S. 500 was marred by a massive opening-lap pileup. The competing U.S. 500 failed to establish itself as a major event, and was cancelled after only one running.

I figured it had something to do with CART. I was relatively young in 1994 so I didn't remember the split between IndyCar and CART. They were already apart when I started to follow them in the late 90's.

Thanks!

expobill: doesn't anyone else see mikaloyd: Whats going on in this thread hobags?

im headed out.....how are we ?

Cool as ice and twice as white

Zombie Jim Nabors?

Go Tony Kanaan!

WOOOT!! I love the sound of the engines starting!

WhyteRaven74: fatalvenom: He lives around here and I saw him at a local eatery last week, he doesn't look that old in person.

Sweet, so it's not just the TV makeup making him look young.

Nope, he looks like he's in his mid-60's.

Tsrwedge: Jensaarai: Okay. Race becomes official when there aren't any hamster-powered Lotus crapwagons out there. Or when Katherine Legge's car breaks. If EJ Viso makes it through this race without wrecking, he no longer makes races official.

So if Beaux the badass holds to his word, probably before lap 10?

Depends on how they handle the heat compared to Chevy/Honda.

I know people think Guy is a giant douche. But He's a local. I've met him countless times before and after he was on TV, and he's always been nice.

Gotta love a 630hp pace car.

Thought they got rid of the celebrity pace car driver after 1971?

Grables'Daughter: Dumb-Ass-Monkey: I know people think Guy is a giant douche. But He's a local. I've met him countless times before and after he was on TV, and he's always been nice.

It's just that he's such an Attention Whore.

Did you just divide by zero?

Quit stalling and start this thang

good_2_go: nstutsman: Damn. No Jim Neighbors... chagning times...

@brantjames
I think a Tupac-style Jim Nabors hologram would be quite spectacular

But only if he started with "SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE!".

I'm calling it now. Jean Alesi wins.

Grables'Daughter: SweetSunny: rickythepenguin: i don't like anything ahppening during Taps.

Agreed. That was inappropriate.

I missed it.

What happened?

Showed the Josh Whedon memorial race car out on the track during Taps?

good_2_go: Isn't Jamie Little due soon?

Jamie doesn't look so, little...

::puts on sunglasses::

good_2_go: I would rather they had onboard camels.

I caught that too...lol

Begun, the number-of-cameras-in-the-cars Wars have...

Grables'Daughter: SweetSunny: rickythepenguin: i don't like anything ahppening during Taps.

Agreed. That was inappropriate.

I missed it.

What happened?

Wheldon's car was wheeled around the track.

BOOGITY BOOGITY BOOGITY!!

Dat sound.

turbokat: good_2_go: nstutsman: Damn. No Jim Neighbors... chagning times...

@brantjames
I think a Tupac-style Jim Nabors hologram would be quite spectacular

But only if he started with "SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE!".

*snert*

Grables'Daughter: good_2_go: I would rather they had onboard camels.

A camel would have to ride with each driver?

That would be odd.

Agreed. Seems cramped in those cars already.