On last night's "RPM 2Night," ESPN2's Robin Miller said
that he believes that "a full onslaught" of CART drivers
will participate in next year's Indy 500. Miller: "I
imagine everybody's going to come" (ESPN2, 11/11). But in
Las Vegas, Jeff Wolf writes that the IRL "might pay a heavy
price" for CART's Indy 500 participation. Wolf: "For every
CART team that qualifies, ... an IRL team will be left out
of the show and lose considerable revenue. A CART
conspiracy? Maybe" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 11/12). In
Allentown, Paul Reinhard: "If CART teams come to Indy and
steal the show, then leave the next day to do their own
thing, [IRL Founder Tony] George risks the possibility of
not being able to promote the Indy 500 winner as a regular
in his own series" (ALLENTOWN MORNING CALL, 11/11).
A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT? In Las Vegas, Wolf also writes
that SMI's agreement with the IRL calling for the
organization to rent SMI's tracks in Atlanta and Las Vegas
to run events at those venues next year "ensures SMI cannot
lose on the deal. Such a concept was previously unheard of
among major racing circles, but the IRL could ill afford to
lose those tracks. ... The problem now appears to be that
other tracks ... will want the same no-loss guarantee" (L.V.
REVIEW-JOURNAL, 11/12). Reinhard writes that the deal
"sets a dangerous precedent. ... Isn't it possible that
other track owners who have been similarly hurt with IRL
shows, might not seek the same kind of relief" (ALLENTOWN
MORNING CALL, 11/12).
