Not only are the drivers and owners uneasy over this, but it also forces the fans to make a decision they never wanted in the first place.

Indy or Michigan?

Al Unser Jr. is not at all happy about this situation. "For me, personally, the Indy 500 is life," Unser said. "But I would want the best in the world to be there."

"It's unfair what they're doing in the reserving of 25 spots for the IRL contenders," Unser said. "That takes away from the Indy 500 and what its tradition is. Had those 25 spots not been reserved for the IRL starters, there is a chance the best in the world would be there. They would feel welcome to come in an open, competitive situation."

"They wanted to use the Indianapolis 500 as a tool to get the IRL series started. I can understand that. I can see both sides of it. But to continue to do so would be a big mistake for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway."

"All of the car owners of CART love the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, what it means and all that kind of stuff," he said. "I hope it's solved and I hope the speedway realizes this is the most competitive series in the world. But they may not. They may have their own agenda."

Michael Andretti, who just won the most recent race at Nazareth is just as unhappy as Unser.

"Am I disappointed that I won't be at Indy? Yes. I'm losing one more chance to win that race," Michael Andretti said. "Had I won it, maybe it wouldn't bother me as much."

"I think it's going to take basically an embarrassment at Indy to bring Tony back to the table. The way it looks, he's not going to have much of a field. The bottom line right now is that we go our way and he goes his. We will be at Michigan, and that's it."

Mauricio Gugelmin's desire is to just race with the best. "There's certain things I'll miss about Indy, like the fans yelling and cheering the drivers as you walk from the pits to Gasoline Alley," he said. "But the racing is what is important, and the U.S. 500 is where the best racing will be."

Paul Tracy also pooh-pooh's racing at the historic 2.5-mile oval.

"It doesn't really bother me," he said. "I've never won the race and I don't have any family heritage there. It's just another race track to me. I don't watch the Super Bowl to look at the stadium."

"I want to watch the best drivers, the best players playing the game. It doesn't really matter where we race as long as the best guys are there. ... It doesn't matter if we're racing in a ditch as long as I know I've beaten the best."

Rick Mears, a four-time winner at Indy is now a team consultant with Marlboro Team Penske. Mears has lived and breathed Indy all his life.

But he said that he is looking forward to the U.S. 500.

"I've got feelings about it, but I don't think my feelings would be any different if I were driving today," Mears said. "I always tried to keep Indy as another race on another track. That was to keep my nerves down, keep calm and not make mistakes -- that sort of thing."

"Indy is Indy, but if I was driving right now, I'd just want to be where the best guys are because it wouldn't be satisfying to win the race if they weren't there. In that respect, I'd be looking forward to going to the U.S. 500."

"If you're a real racing fan, then you'll want to go to a real race," Mears said. "Now, if you want to go the party, maybe it's another story."

Roberto Guerrero will be at "the party" and could really care less who he races against, just as long as it's at Indy.

"It still would be great. It would be awesome," he said. "When Jacques Villeneuve won last year, I don't think they put next to it, 'But Al Unser Jr. and Emerson Fittipaldi weren't there.' If you win the Indy 500, you win the Indy 500. I don't care how or when."

Scott Pruett who recently completed a test session at Portland had these comments about the 80th running of the Indy 500.

"The tradition and heritage should remain the fastest 33 make the race," said Pruett. "Anything else is nothing but an exhibition."

Andrew Craig, IndyCar's president and CEO, is only looking in a forward direction. To expanding the IndyCar series in the future.

"Clearly, there are some markets we need to be in that we're not in right now, particularly in the South and Southwest," Craig said. "We need more races. If we have an open month of May, our potential to do that is increased dramatically."

"You'll see us go to 17 or 18 races fairly soon. And who knows? We might go to 20."

Craig also believes that the sport of racing should not be just one race, at one track.

"Winning the championship should be the ultimate prize," said Craig, "Life shouldn't revolve around one event in one location in one month."

"It should revolve around the idea of being a champion of a series in the same way winning a game on the way to the Super Bowl is not as important as the ultimate prize."

So, we have the big names in the sport going to Michigan and 20 new rookies running the Indy 500, in addition to their elder veterans.

A month with two big races on the fastest oval tracks in the world. One would think that the fans would be elated at an additional race in the month of May.

Most are not.

RACER Magazine recently reported that the letters from the fans they receive are 7 to 1 against what Tony George has done with the IRL and the Indy 500.

Will there be empty seats at the Indy 500 this year?

We will all find out on Sunday, May 26, 1996.

Where will you be on that Sunday? What race will you watch on TV?

Write us at SpeedCenter and let us, and the world, know your feelings.