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©1998 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. Roger Penske said again at CART'srace near St. Louis that he would consider returningto the Indianapolis 500 if his team could race itsown car and engine. Penske often says as much, and Tony George, founderof the Indy Racing League, always responds by sayingthat would counter IRL rules. Penske would have torace an IRL chassis — which anyone can buy —powered by a motor available to anyone. The international stars of Championship Auto RacingTeams Inc., aren't about to dislodge the new stars ofthe IRL's down-home 500 because men like George andPenske are in total disagreement. The stars on both sides are sick of the question ofCART and the IRL joining forces, although it'sacknowledged that splitting the television audiencecomes at great cost to open-wheel racing's stature asa major sport. "It's a political thing," Al Unser Jr. said. "Asmuch as I'd love to be driving in the 500, I don'texpect that to happen any time soon." "I can't see (any merger)," Scott Goodyear said."The two sides have grown too far apart. The IRL isgaining ground, every year more and more teams havecorporate sponsorship." The incompatibility of cars and engines would be aroadblock even if the IRL and CART recognized thewisdom of a merger. As Leo Mehl, George's top IRLexecutive, points out, 100 IRL cars will be in thehands of teams by the end of 1999. "At $250,000 each, that's $25-million worth ofrolling stock," Mehl said. "Why would we makeobsolete this investment?" One solution would be for CART to facilitate itsteams racing in the 500. CART could do that byleaving its own schedule open through mid-May. Insuch case, Penske no longer would need to be in St.Louis on Memorial Day weekend. He might well buy IRLequipment and return to the Speedway with Unser Jr.Certainly several other CART teams would do the same. Trouble is, that would enhance the 500 whilediminishing CART's stature. And CART isn't preparedto concede the war that George initiated three yearsago. CART also is considering the possibility ofcountering Indianapolis by building a premiere eventof its own. That was its original approach in 1996,the first year of the IRL 500, with the U.S. 500 atMichigan Speedway. Subsequently it was decided topromote CART's championship as being bigger than anysingle event. CART chief executive officer Andrew Craig hasadmitted a flagship 500-miler is under considerationonce again. But what would it take to match or evenovershadow George's 500? There's the criticalquestion. A $10-million purse — $5 million to the winner —each fall at Penske's magnificent California Speedwaywould tell the public the Indianapolis 500 is nolonger the sport's greatest spectacle. It'd be a hazardous gamble on CART's part, though.Any attempt to overshadow Indianapolis by outspendingGeorge carries the risk of his upping the ante. George's business plan is simple and flexible: Nomatter how much it costs, keep the IRL growing. Inthe long run, the 500 will be the better for it, andthe Penskes and Newman-Haases and Patricks will haveno choice but to return to play by the rules. Weekend Rumors Team Marlboro Penske will sign Greg Moore for 1999,according to Chris Economaki's column in NationalSpeed Sport News. The sage Economaki prints plenty of rumors, but alsogets a lot right. Michael Hurst, an adviser to Mooreand his father, Ric, said only that interest in the23-year-old phenom increased drastically on bothsides of the Atlantic in the wake of his winning moveon Alex Zanardi in Brazil. Frank Williams, JackieStewart and Craig Pollock are among Moore's fans inFormula One. If Moore succeeds in edging Zanardi for CART's FedExChampionship and the right seat opens up in FormulaOne, expect him to seize the moment. If not, the question then becomes which CART teamhe'll drive for in 1999. You wonder how Player'scould let an asset like Moore slip away, assuming thetobacco company gets the exemptions from the federalgovernment that will allow it to continue sponsoringthe Forsythe team. Another question: Why would Mooreconsider moving to Penske, given its recent record? Team Penske has signed Roberto Moreno as a testdriver to hasten development of its radical andrecalcitrant car. A case can be made that Moreno is abetter racer than fellow Brazilian Andre Ribeiro, whoreplaced Paul Tracy at Penske this year. Moments that Matter John Menard, on Tony Stewart's bratty behavior afterblowing his engine early in the Indianapolis 500:"He's a very emotional young man. Hopefully, JoeGibbs will appeal to that and get him to a new levelof maturity." Stewart, driving a partial Busch Grand Nationalschedule for Gibbs this year, as well as the full IRLslate for Menard, is to move up to Winston Cup in1999. Team owner A.J. Foyt took it out on an engineer'slaptop computer after Kenny Brack ran out of fuelwhile leading the 500. Foyt picked up the laptop andslammed it down on the top of a tool chest. The Texanis mellowing — formerly, he would have slammed theengineer himself. Barry Green, speaking on his Team Kool Greenfailing to complete the first lap of the Motorola 300because Dario Franchitti spun into the wall and Tracywas caught in the aftermath: "It was a case of badluck — a lot of it self-inflicted." Franchitti: "The car had been nervous all weekend...I turned into Turn 3 and the car got loose underbraking. There were two or three slides and I caughtthe first ones ... We weren't up to racing speed yetbut the cold tires and the bump in Turn 3 were anunlucky combination." Tracy, guessing someone had touched his teammate tostart his spin, named his buddy, Robby Gordon, as hespoke out against risky racing: "Off the start Robbywent really high and passed about four cars. It was abrave move, the kind of move I'd have made myself acouple of years ago. But there's no room for it theway our racing is today." Source: Canada Online, used by permission | ||
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