No official figure was announced, but the crowd of
"perhaps" 50,000 for the U.S. 500 yesterday is "thought to
be the fourth straight CART attendance drop" at MI Int'l
Speedway since "about" 110,000 attended the first U.S. 500
in May '96 (Steve Crowe, DETROIT FREE PRESS, 7/26). In
Milwaukee, Dave Kallmann calls the race one of CART's "most
entertaining and competitive events." CART driver Paul
Tracy, on the attendance: "I understand this place is a
little remote, but it's not for NASCAR. A month ago, they
had 140,000 people here" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 7/26).
In Detroit, Terry Foster writes under the header, "It Was A
Great Race, But There Weren't Many People To See It."
Foster: "The stands were so bare, I wasn't sure if I was
watching a high-stakes auto race or a [WNBA] Shock regular-
season game." Tracy, asked about his "solution to bring
CART back": "I don't know. I am not a marketer. I am just
the monkey they put in the car" (DETROIT NEWS, 7/26).
PEACE TALKS: In Chicago, Herb Gould reported that
engine manufacturers have "confirmed" the possibility that
CART and IRL "could compete against each other" in the next
Indianapolis 500, while "plans are made for full
integration" in 2001. Ford exec Greg Specht: "If we reach
agreement by Labor Day, we could have a [technical] package
by 2001. But there's a sense of urgency. Are we actively
pursuing it? You bet" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 7/24). In
Detroit, Drew Sharp wrote that while CART has "aligned
itself" with NASCAR's Craftsman Truck series in an effort to
broaden its audience, CART Exec VP/Marketing Carl Cohen
said, "There are no easy answers. But we are comfortable
with saying that the best remedy for everybody involved
might be for CART and IRL to get back together" (DETROIT
FREE PRESS, 7/24). In Indianapolis, Robin Miller, on a
CART-IRL reconciliation: "Nothing is scheduled yet ... but
that's not to say there isn't cause to be more optimistic
than ever. ... While nobody will discuss specifics, it's
fairly obvious that progress is being made because of the
frequency of meetings, the attitude of CART's engine
manufacturers and the people involved" (STAR-NEWS, 7/25).
