George’s Business Problems
On Wind Tunnel Sunday evening, H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler provided some more insight into his recent visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The former CEO of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., said he hadn’t been able to attend the Indianapolis 500 in the past due to his former job. It was the first time in 40 years he had had the opportunity.
As to his working with the Indy Racing League, he “may help them do some things”, as he is a friend of Tony George, IRL chief. According to Wheeler, “Tony will get this thing straightened out.” The “thing” he refers to is the Hulman-George family’s edict to Tony to reorganize the family businesses to make money.
He also shared that during his tenure at Charlotte he called Tony every race day (Indianapolis 500 and annual 600-mile race at Charlotte).
NASCAR versus IndyCar
When asked about Danica Patrick joining the NASCAR ranks, Wheeler referred to inviting Janet Guthrie, the first female to drive in the Indianapolis 500, to Charlotte for the World 600 in 1976. “There is nothing worse than an empty seat,” he believes. At the time, they were “killing us up at Indy”. But when Guthrie came to race, the promoter sold more tickets than ever. His belief is that Patrick can bring more revenue to the sport, too.
Patrick has brought notoriety to the Indy Racing League since joining the driver ranks. Her current contract negotiations put that added publicity in peril. Stock car racing has changed and a one-time appearance/promotion would be unlikely. Any move to NASCAR would be more long-term or permanent and perhaps detrimental to the IRL.
More Business Decisions
While Patrick decides whether to join another series, cost-cutting moves have been made and continue for the IRL. Earlier this year, the Indianapolis Star reported several jobs were eliminated at IMS. Laura George’s position was in that layoff. The wife of Tony George was noticeably absent from the family introductions at the Indianapolis 500 banquet. In past years, she has been recognized there and in the race program as an executive staff member.
A more recent move to save expenses was reported on Wind Tunnel. The second car team at Vision Racing, owned by members of the Tony George family, was shut down due to the Hulman-George family’s edict to increase finances. So was Vision really a league team rather than solely an entity of Tony’s family and a means for furthering Ed Carpenter’s racing career? That sheds more light on the pick up of Ryan Hunter-Reay following the end of his ride at Rahal-Letterman Racing, doesn’t it?
According to pit reporter Brienne Pedigo on the ABC broadcast of the race from Iowa Speedway, Ryan Hunter-Reay, former driver of the Vision #21, has been “loaned” to Foyt Racing. RHR said that he had been “enjoying his time with Foyt Racing” and he seemed happier than he had been in May. However, an early race crash ended his initial run with Foyt.
Footnote
IZOD, the clothing supplier for the league, was noted as the victory lane sponsor on the ABC Broadcast. The company had sponsored the #21 at Indy. Despite the announcement, a pizza company was noticeably advertised on the winner’s circle signage. Has IZOD been the sponsor on past broadcasts? Was it a shift of money due to the end of the car sponsorship? The teams regularly in the series have their sponsorships tied up for the season, unlike at Indy where teams come only for a piece of the high-dollar purse. Adding another car to a team is obviously cost-prohibitive, too, making another car sponsorship doubtful.
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