Phoenix Pro/Con in AZ Republic

[rabbit]

Pro: Dale Jensen (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0608jensen-yonover.html)
Con: Sen. Robert Blendu (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0608blendu,robert.html)

[KLang]

It seems Mr. Blendu is in Nascar's pocket.

[racer2c]

The "least favorite motorsport"? You mean we're even below lawnmower racing? :cry:

Funny how many times he write "failed street race".


It has a 20-year history of failures - paralyzing traffic, hindering offices and neighborhoods with noise, reneging on multi-year contracts, draining millions of taxpayers' dollars and ultimately delivering embarrassments to cities and regions.

Doesn't he post on TF?


That the most vague, obviously intended POS spinning that I've read in along time.

They don't care about the strip clubs on every corner or the fact you can buy and sell handguns in the news paper, but he's hell bent on saving the city from the "failed street races". What a martyr. &*^%%)(*)!
:thumdown:

[nrc]

The promoters of the Phoenix race are asking for $3.3 million in subsidies from Las Vegas taxpayers to try and make a race work in that city. Is this actually the same promoter in both places?

[KLang]

Is this actually the same promoter in both places?

I can't find anything that says Sutton is involved in Phoenix. :confused:

[oddlycalm]

CCWS is poking a big finger right back in NASCAR/ISC's eye. Sounds like the Frances are either going to make nice very publicly or litigation will ensue. Excerpts from the Autosport story.


The Champ Car World Series is demanding that the International Speedway Corporation publicly express support for a Champ Car race on the streets of downtown Phoenix, following the ISC and NASCAR's perceived attempts to quash the proposed event.
-snip-
The row blew up when Brian Sun, lawyer for the Champ Car World Series, on the 26 May sent a letter to Brian France (Chairman and CEO of NASCAR, which is owned by ISC) and James France (ISC's CEO) accusing their companies of "engaging in a serious of tortious, anticompetitive, defamatory and unlawful business practices".

In particular, Sun accused Sperber of sending a letter to the mayor of Phoenix that was "riddled with inaccuracies, inapt analogies and, false assumptions".

"Even more egregious is the intentional and malicious attempt by NASCAR and the ISC to induce Mr Dale Jensen and Mr Brad Yonover [co-managers of AZGP] to breach their contractual agreement with Champ Car.

"Specifically, Mr Sperber approached Mr Jensen and Mr Yonover on May 10, 2006 and announced that NASCAR and the ISC were opposed to the Phoenix race and stated, in no uncertain terms, that NASCAR should be the only professional racing organization operating in Phoenix.

"Knowing of the contractual relationship with Champ Car, and in the presence of others, Mr Sperber then attempted to induce Mr Jensen and Mr Yonover to breach their agreement with Champ Car by, in part, offering them a NASCAR event."

[tantra]

The great 'world class city' of Phoenix?
The recent dust storm revealded (or obscured) the city as being a man-made oasis in the middle of a very unhospitable geographic area of our great nation.

Seems some folks got a bit full of themselves since I visited there in the 60's.

I don't think that CCWS putting on a show will distroy the peaceful and picturesque 'rising from the ashes' Phoenix, unless of course, yet another dust storm makes it impossible for anyone to go out-of-doors to attend the races.

[Tifosi24]

I haven't had a chance to read the proposed law in question, but I think someone said it bars racing on non-permanent circuits when db is over 90? For that reason I don't see it flying because Arizona has a large desert truck racing community and in the northern part of the state there is a rather popular international rally (Prescott Rally is a part of the USRC). I have not seen desert trucks in action, so I can't comment on how loud they are, but a normally aspirated rally car is over the 90 db restriction when it is humming along.

[oddlycalm]

The big news to everyone should be the lengths to which NASCAR will go to make certain they are the only game in town. Those that laugh off tales of NASCAR's tactics as the fantasies of conspiracy wackos needs to read the detailed account of how this went down. Anyone that doubts that NASCAR/ISC will resort to any and all tactics is naive. It's absolutely clear that what happened to Champ Car at ISC tracks was no random accident, and they are not interested in a revived CCWS, particularly in a major market they have all to themselves.

oc

[cameraman]

"Even more egregious is the intentional and malicious attempt by NASCAR and the ISC to induce Mr Dale Jensen and Mr Brad Yonover [co-managers of AZGP] to breach their contractual agreement with Champ Car.

"Specifically, Mr Sperber approached Mr Jensen and Mr Yonover on May 10, 2006 and announced that NASCAR and the ISC were opposed to the Phoenix race and stated, in no uncertain terms, that NASCAR should be the only professional racing organization operating in Phoenix.

"Knowing of the contractual relationship with Champ Car, and in the presence of others, Mr Sperber then attempted to induce Mr Jensen and Mr Yonover to breach their agreement with Champ Car by, in part, offering them a NASCAR event."

If Sperber really said and did what is described here, well, he is an idiot who is going to get his employer into a legal morass.

[NismoZ]

Well. well, welll...It appears the good Senator has quite abruptly changed his position, admitting to being "fed rhetoric" about how the proposed event would cut into the profits of the NASCAR race. Amazing what understanding more about a $300 million investment in downtown Phoenix could do, and the liklihood of finding himself on the wrong side of a nasty lawsuit! He now supports Jensen, saying "as far as I'm concerned he can race frogs if he wants to!" :D Arizona Republic. (makes me wonder though about a Senator who is given a position statement and told "Here, go read this to the press" originally knowing so little about the situation. :shakehead )