CART Chair & CEO Andrew Craig Saturday announced his
resignation to pursue other business opportunities. CART
team owner Bobby Rahal will serve as the league's interim
President & CEO. Craig, who joined CART in '94, will remain
as a consultant for one year. In other news, James Hardymon
has been elected CART Chair of the BOD. He was previously
Chair & CEO of Textron, Inc (CART).
RAHAL'S EMERGENCE: In Detroit, Angelique Chengelis
cites Rahal as saying that Craig "approached the CART board
'several' weeks ago to discuss his future." Rahal: "Andrew
wanted a clear sense of what the future was going to be. It
was clear there was real clear picture. Nobody was ready to
give (an answer). All of us weren't quite sure at the time.
As a result, Andrew resigned. People say, 'Well, why now?'
I don't know if there's a good time or a bad time, it's just
time" (DETROIT NEWS, 6/18). Rahal told the L.A. TIMES' Shav
Glick: "Our first priorities are to set our 2001 schedule
and improve our TV ratings, which haven't been what we had
hoped for. There are no easy answers, but we need our TV
partners to contribute if we are going to improve" (L.A.
TIMES, 6/17). More Rahal, on his new role: "I think I'm
just happy with interim right now. I think I need to just
focus on the here and now, not worry about the ultimate end.
There's a lot of work to be done." In Detroit, Steve Crowe
wrote, "Many blame CART's failure to capture the American
sports fan's fancy on the dearth of Americans racing in it.
Only two of the 25 drivers entered in Sunday's Detroit Grand
Prix -- Jimmy Vasser and Michael Andretti -- were born in
the United States" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 6/17).
MORE RAHAL REAX: In Columbus, Tim May called Rahal's
appointment a "swift move that caught him by surprise."
Rahal said, "I think the biggest thing that I bring is
passion. This sport has been my love, it's been my life,
and I want to see CART get to the heights I know it can
reach. ... I think we've spent a lot of time apologizing for
things recently when we should be talking about our
strengths. This is the most diverse and competitive major
racing series in the world" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 6/17). In
Cleveland, Amy Rosewater wrote that with Rahal "taking over
for" Craig, sponsors "see the series is making a change to
get back on track" (PLAIN DEALER, 6/18). Also, Craig said
of potential "conflicts of interest" between being a team
Owner and CART CEO: "I won't allow that to be the case. If
I benefit, so will everybody else" (USA TODAY, 6/19).
TONY'S TAKE: IRL Founder Tony George said of Craig's
resignation: "The decision made by the CART board [Friday]
bears no impact on how the [IRL] will manage the Northern
Light Series" (Mike Chambers, DENVER POST, 6/17). More
George, on Craig's "absence": "I don't think it helps or
hurts. The CEO has never been the root of the problems in
CART, and I'm not sure necessarily that the next CEO will be
the solution to their problems, either" (INDY STAR, 6/17).
MOTORIN' OUT OF DETROIT? In Detroit, Crowe wrote that
IMG Senior Corporate VP Bud Stanner and CART President of
Racing Operations Hal Whiteford "reiterated their intent to
leave" Belle Isle after the 2001 event. But both groups
"vow to continue seeking an alternative site" for 2002 (FREE
PRESS, 6/17). Two venues "under consideration" are the MI
State Fairgrounds and the Pontiac Silverdome (AP, 6/17).
But in Winston-Salem, Mike Mulhern wrote that the
"viability" of a new track at the MI State Fairgounds just
60 miles east of MI Int'l Speedway (MIS) "would seem
questionable" since MIS is owned by ISC (W-S JOURNAL, 6/17).
