CART President/CEO Andrew Craig announced yesterday that
ticket applications are being taken for an alternative race to
the Indy 500 for Memorial Day Weekend at the Michigan Int'l
Speedway. The statement erases "any doubts" that CART isn't
serious about holding a competitor to Indy, according to Shav
Glick in this morning's L.A. TIMES. Glick notes that there are
no talks in the works between the IRL -- which runs Indy and is
reserving 25 of the 33 qualifying spots for IRL competitors --
and CART, which controls the traditional Indy Car series. Craig
said Wednesday that any CART members who race in an IRL event
will be dropped from the series' board of directors -- which
contains all 25 CART franchise owners. Craig: "There is nothing
sacrosanct about the Indy 500. We will run on the same day and
we expect our fans to be at the real race." IRL Exec Dir/CEO
Jack Long sees little room for compromise: "We are moving ahead
with our own plans." Entries for the first IRL race, January 27
at Orlando, will be mailed today (L.A. TIMES, 10/19).
REASON AMID MADNESS? A.J. Foyt, a four-time Indy 500 winner
plans to field teams in both series and claims neutrality,
"leaves little doubt" where he will be on Memorial Day weekend.
Foyt: "The Kentucky Derby is just a horse race, right, and
there's lots of other horse races. But the day it's run, you
don't hear nothin' about any of those other horse races" (USA
TODAY, 10/19).
