Interim CART President & CEO Bobby Rahal said on
"Inside CART" there is "certainly a difference in manner and
style between myself and my predecessor, (former CART CEO
Andrew Craig)." In taking over the top post, Rahal said, "I
think as a company we have to be much more responsive to our
customers, which are our fans, our sponsors, our promoters -
- the people that we rely on for our existence" (ESPN2,
6/27). Rahal: "As an organization, we're perceived as being
arrogant, which I don't believe is truly the case. I view
the first challenge we've got is the restoration of our
relationships, restore the damaged ones and grow new ones.
We've started the process and we'll continue, whether it's
Firestone, Philip Morris, ABC or ISC" (INDY STAR, 6/28).
Meanwhile, Rahal announced a two-year extension of CART's
contract with the Portland Rose Festival Association for a
race at Portland Int'l Raceway (Portland OREGONIAN, 6/26).
CART'S "BLOODLETTING"? AUTO WEEK's J.P. Vettraino
reviews CART's recent decision to part ways with Craig at
the corporate board meeting, and writes that some board
members "advocated a more profuse flow of blood." CFO Randy
Dzierzawski "was also on the block, until the board
concluded that sending the CFO packing after the CEO,
without a replacement, might be too much for Wall Street to
handle." Vettraino: "It's easy to identify CART's problems.
But the fact remains that the company's annual revenue
tripled during Craig's seven-year tenure as CEO." But Rahal
"has the respect of sponsors, manufacturers and drivers, and
he should assuage jitters among analysts on Wall Street.
He's proven his business acumen" (AUTO WEEK, 6/26).
