Their best bet is to take it to a casino and put all of it on Red (or black, whatever they fancy). This way they know its either doubled or gone in a matter of seconds, instead of waiting 2 months for it to be all pissed away
Don't forget all the steel mill cities that WERE in PA, OH and IN. Ghost towns now. Furniture mills in NC, Carpet mills in the south, most overseas now.
Huh? NHRA and IRL are Apples and Mahi Mahi. NHRA has some pretty quick cars, but they don't turn right or left during a race, so no comparison. Serious shout out to Brownsburg, IN for attracting so many NHRA teams! IRL attracts really good crowds or at least to the races I've been too. Better racing and passing than F1 could currently wish for and some great personalities that the fans really like and they reach out to the fans. Sorry, but that is a recipe for success! IMHO, that's the turbo motor we'll be seeing come 2011. IT makes sense to take racing back to development that benefits Manf's in being able to sell on Monday. Big monkey wrench is Subuaru pulling out of WRC! Who would havwe thought that would happen? I will be very suprised if they take up open-wheel racing. Its not their "normal" market. First I heard this one, but afraid I have to agree. There are a few backmarkers that should consider this route. I'd almost go so far to suggest that AJ consider either stepping up investment in his team or just retiring and letting us live off memories...from the 60's and 70's.
I have been very pleased with the quality of racing in the IRL from a fan's point of view. Very close racing at 220+, position swaps for the lead and positions that mean something, on board camera shots that are awesome, road racing with names like Rahal, Andretti, Kanaan, Castroneves, Penske, etc... All we need is a Cosworth or 2 back in the field. Throw in a dash of international tax fraud and it's almost 1978 again!
Sad to say, but they have been replaced in this global economy by bank transfers and plastic. Helio's sister however, I think she still deals in briefcases full of cash.
I'm afraid we may have seen the last of Helio racing in IRL. I expect the IRS to make an example of him. I wonder how much he's guilty by actually doing, or a victim of trusting his sister to be doing the right things while he focused on driving cars and winning races??? Even if he does get off, who is going to have a ride for him? Penske can't wait and work is Ryan H-R has the seat. I think with a team like Penske, he stands a solid chance of doing well.
Helio could hardly have been innocent in this, he knew how much $$ he was making. As for those briefcases, still some around, when they get put on the table, I've always got up and left. All I have to say on that. The powers that be need to control spending but not the competition, a decent driver development ladder should be in place and one which is not all about the suppliers getting rich. Bernie may have changed too many people away from the 'sport' to the 'business' model for motor racing, although it is and was always a money game in the end.
Funny thing, nobody is talking about Al Miller, his lawyer who was also indicted. Apparently the allegation is that Miller helped set it up. Don't know the facts, but if he did, Miller represents a few in motorsports, and if I was the IRS, I'd be looking at them. For starters: Colin Edwards, might not have done anything, but who knows? Art
I really have to disagree with that thought. Many were watching IRL before she showed up and will continue to do so when she leaves. Someone new will always be coming along. Yes, the media seized on her image and shoved it out to the masses. Good for the sport to get more fans coming in. Just becuase they might have watched their first race because of Danica doesn't mean they will follow only her. Case in point...I think the Cowboys were the first team I watched play football. I can't stand them. I've been a strong supporter of Danica, but have to admit I focus more on other drivers, just as I have in the past. Those that I watched that are now retired don't stop me from watching racing.
Now those are some stories I really want to hear. I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV. When I need something legal done, I hire a lawyer and fully expect them to do things correctly. Same for we call here at home, The Money Man, when dealing with investments. If I was lucky enough to race cars for a living, I'd hire lawyers, financial investors, managers and marketing people to handle my financial sucess while I focused on racing. Yes, I would know how much $$ was coming in, but I would trust that the "hired help" would make sure it was all invested correctly and I wouldn't worry about later ramifications with the gov't. If anything later went wrong, I'd be looking real hard at those that set it all up and managed the mess. That currently looks like Helio's sister and Al Miller. Always possible Helio followed that route, but we won't know for sure until the trial.
You can do this, but you better have spec fuels in use, or you are going to go back in time 25 years to when BMW ran rocket fuel (seriously) in it's turbo motors in the Brabhams. You will need some sort of equalizing so folks can use Turbos, and Audi can use biodiesel like they have with success in yurrup. and hopefully ban most electronic 'aids'. The one thing I hate about racing today is folks cannot seem to compete until a laptop is hooked up to a car and software is configured in the engine management system. That's not racing, to me anyway.
Looks as though it went to Will Power. I remember reading that his Aussie Vineyards sponsorship went away without the Austrailian race. Kind of interesting that Penske now has two Aussie drivers (even if Power's contract is just for preseason).
Funny - I heard it was going to be Justin Wilson. No matter, someone got the seat. ZUL8TR - the NHRA comment was in terms of TV audience and event attendance. IRL event attendance is atrocious, and the TV ratings only mildly better. Yes, apples to Mahi-mahi in terms of sport, but from a ratings point of view, they are both motorsport, and in these terms it's not even close. I do agree with you about Danica. She may be the (sort of) face of the series, but I don't see any more damage if she goes. May help NASCAR, but IRL / AOWR is almost as low as it can get. Whisky - you regulate turbos with pop-off valves. Inelegant, but awfully hard to cheat around - regardless of the accusations made by Toyota and Honda back in 2001.
I definitely can't quote TV rating numbers. Only Indy reference is I have been to ORP drag strip that hosts the Nat'ls every year and IMS with the 500. IMS seating is so much more than ORP could ever hope for. I would guess the 500 pulls a significant TV rating, but I am honestly clueless on stats. I'd kind of like to see the breakdown if you have a source to quote. I'd be great to see a comparison of F1, IRL, NHRA, NASCAR, ALMS, etc. If they could smatter that in with NFL, NBA, etc...now that would be an eye opener to all of us motorsport fans. Trends would be cool too. How did DanicaMania impact veiwership on all motorsports? What about dempgraphics of how many more females are now watching motorsports. I'm the first to admit it was my better half that got me into racing and even into watching football! She dragged me to my first Indy 500 and I have been hooked ever since.
Average NHRA attendance is about 110,000 per race. IRL was around 60,000, but Indy draws roughly 300,000. If you take out Indy, it's closer to 40,000 per (abysmal). I stand corrected on TV ratings - both are around 0.7. However, NHRA is rarely on network TV these days, where the IRL has choice races. Both are hurt by being on ESPN2, which has a limited viewership anyway. The real point I was driving to is that AOWR has dropped dramatically since the split from CART. CART in it's heyday rivalled F1, in terms of TV, attendance, and car count. Really was a bad idea from the start to split off, and it's likely beyond repair.
In reagrds to the whole IRL/CART mess...I for one get really tired of hearing people say that US open wheel viewership is down...that they won't watch. SEriously, if you want a US openwheel series, you have to participate. If the fans are watching, the sponsors will be there and that gives funded teams and that equates out to some good competition for the fans to watch. If I had my ideal world, I'd see more people supporting the IRL series and not complaining so much or living in the past. Support it so we can get to something that we can all enjoy again. This means increasing viewers so we can attract sponsors. Remove the current economic mess from the equation and I do believe it is possible to have a great open wheel series in the Americas! To that end, Hey Tony George...I'm available for consulting...I have some armchair ideas for you!!!
If IRl is down to 17 races and they aren't running Detroit, how about getting back up to Road America? ALMS is still going up there in '09. With a few schedule shifts we could have another IRL/ALMS weekend at Road America in 2010! (Wishful thinking, fingers crossed!)
I hear you, but I believe many have tried this. TG suffers heavily from "cognitive dissonance" - he doesn't really want to listen to other opinions, and that was evidenced by the split. I understand some of why he did it, but it was a bad idea - then and now. Here's what would help me watch it more. - Get turbo motors - ASAP. The sound of fart cans is bad enough on the public roads, I don't want to see it in racing - Kill the Dallara chassis - NOW. It's butt ugly and makes a Grand Am car look hot. - Get an equal split of permanent road courses, street courses, and ovals on the schedule. I want RA, Laguna, and Mid-Ohio. I actually like Watkins, so keep that. Not digging the Texas Motorplex crap and those NASCAR ovals. Fontana, great - as is Indy, but NASCAR this isn't - Stop bringing in shills like Gene Simmons. I love KISS, but he's not a spokesperson for motor racing. I'd much rather see Rick Mears or Mario be in that role. - Tony steps aside Not all of what he's done has been bad - Tony Cotman is a tremendous addition to the team. Now that the split is over, I want to get it back to the prominence it deserves.
Oh so don't get me started on this topic. UGh...What the F is this "I am Indy" s#i%?!? I really hope someone didn't actually PAY him to come up with that, but afraid someone probably did. Shoot...now the blood pressure is actually up...I'm going back to my Happy Place...
You miss the ENTIRE point of Marketing. WWE is ALL Marketing, albeit not as popular as it was 10-12-15 years ago. Nascar is what it is - whether you like it or not it IS the most popular motorsport in America. John Force is a PR person's and Marketer's DREAM, wish there were more like him. He beats the crap out of the stuffy F1 types that are totally full of themselves. AND he's accessable by the fans.
1) Tony George. Did EXACTLY the right thing. Do YOU want to pony up 20-30 MILLION to have a race that doesn't fill the stands ? I doubt anyone here would make that business decision (to have that race). GOOD idea to drop it. 2) I'd prefer turbos also, and in F1. 3) The Dallara looks no better or no worse than all the look-alike F1 cars. 4) You go where the FANS want you. 5) Gene Simmons is part owner of a MARKETING Company. True racing 'spokesman' ? No, but Mears, Andretti, et al are not Marketing companies. 6) Tony brought F1 back to the USA, put A LOT of money into it, it didn't work, Bernie wants MORE, or doesn't want to lower the price. The USA Government does not subsidize races like they do in third world countries. But Tony TRIED, which is more than any of us can say about any other circuit in the USA, they all can try for a race, none have.
