Tony George leaves the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Racing League with a mixed legacy. Those who blame him for all the ills of open wheel racing have short memories of the mess the sport has been in since the formation of CART and the days of popoff valves. (Remember Bob Collins' classic column about his new organization: Fan Against Racing Temper Tantrums -- FARTT)
George suffered from an aloofness that did not play well with fans or racing insiders. But he was an outstanding caretaker and a gutsy risk-taker, whose vision, however flawed, lead an IMS organization mired in its past, into the 21st Century.
Here's my grades on Tony George's tenure at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
Caretaker: Grade A+. The new Pagoda is a brilliant symbol of the modern track. George added the plaza which hosts autograph signings and live music, turned a rundown 27-hole golf course into the world-class Pete Dye designed Brickyard at the Crossing, and added the road coarse, new stands, and beautiful spectator mounds. The facility is stunning and by far the world's finest race course.
Fan innovations: Grade A. Carb day was moved to Friday and became a full-day kickoff to race weekend, with not only final practice, but the pit stop competition, the Independence 100, and a big concert. At all events, there are more things happening than the race, and much more fun for non-gearheads
New Events: Grade A. NASCAR, GP & MotoGP have brought millions to city. The glitches have not been the fault of Tony George or the Speedway. GP's failure was on the Michelin engineers and Bernie E. Until last year, the Brickyard was a HUGE success. Whatever went through the Goodyear tire engineers' head after 15 years of racing at Indy is beyond my understanding, but the Speedway cannot make tire companies bring the correct tire. Hopefully the event will bounce back. And MotoGP is a stroke of genius -- it was a big hit, and will grow into one of the nation's leading motorcycle events
Race Innovations: Grade B. Qualification crowds will never be like the 150,000 that crowed the first day in the 1960s & 1970s. Race records are not falling every year - otherwise we would be looking 300 mph laps. And with NASCAR on television every week, and an entire Speed network on cable, speed junkies no longer need to get their first racing fix of the year at the first weekend of qualifying. But give Tony credit for approving an innovative approach that is drawing more interest and attention. Also give him credit for changing traditions when needed, such as changing the time of the race to accommodate better TV ratings.
Indy Racing League: Vision: Grade C-; Execution Grade D. The BIG one. This is the great detractor from Tony George's legacy.but he is often unfairly blamed for all the problems of open wheel racing when in fact those problems existed before he ever took over. The problems -runaway cost, limited fields, unknown drivers whose names fans can't pronounce -were there before the split
George's vision was for an oval track series, with American drivers with whom fans could identify, and with controlled costs so that drivers would get rides based on talent, not sponsorship clout. But it was a vision that never came to be. Jeff Gordan had already left open wheel, Tony Stewart followed, and then a steady stream of racers who cut their teeth in open wheel headed to NASCAR -- Carl Edwards, Casey Kahne, Casey Mears, Ryan Newman -- then worse, Indy champions Sam Hornish, Juan Pablo Montoya, Dario Franchitti, and worst of all Sam Hornish. Drivers like Milka Duno buy their rides into the 500, while true talents like Paul Tracey and Buddy Rice struggle for any type of ride.
George's impatience & power play badly hurt the sport, the prominent place of the 500, and the image and appeal of open wheel racing. As someone commented to me, he "George Bushed it" Instead of working patiently and building a consensus among the important players, he played cowboy, or better yet, spoiled little kid. If they wouldn't play by his rules, he'd take his ball and go home. With more maturity, more patience, and with persuasion backed by his position as the economic engine of the sport, George likely could have redirected the sport without nearly destroying it.
The failure to get a title sponsor for the series is also a huge black mark. This series can never evolve without the financial backing and notoriety that a title sponsor can bring. It is also a signal to the corporate and advertising world -- no sponsor means no one has enough faith in this series to put their money and name behind it.
The only thing that saved this from an F was the post-2000 development of the IRL into the most competitive, exciting and closest racing series anywhere, and the explosion of Danica Patrick onto the racing scene.
Indy Lights Series: Grade B+. Indy car racing now has a competitive and enjoyable support and developmental series. Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal, Scott Carpenter and others have made their way up through Indy Lights. Just as important, its a breeding ground for new car owners and new teams. Gils Ferran is the latest to start with Indy Lights with plans of starting his own Indy car team. It's grown to be a very strong asset to the IRL.
Team Owner: Grade D+.Tony George deserves some credit for getting Tomas Schechter into the 500 and for Scott Carpenter's solid drives at the Speedway. But after 5 years, Vision Racing is still primarily a back marker and has yet to post a win.
The final word on Tony George's Speedway legacy is left to be written by others. But for the sake of racing fans, and the City of Indianapolis, I hope the new leadership builds on the things which Tony George did very well, and is able to learn from his mistakes in those areas where improvement is needed.
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