Post Press Conference

[Sean Malone]

Not to get all sappy,,,, but the missus and I broke out our photoalbums of our trips to the races over the last two decades. These things have been in a box for a good while and looking at forgotten photos of Sullivan, Emmo, Mario's fairwell tour, Nigel's big debut, young Villenueve (who I despised after that bone headed t-bone in Pheonix but then came to love), Vasser's championship year, a superstar Alex Z, the hotshoe JPM, SHORTY!, Seabass...damn good memories.

One thing that really struck home though is that as admittedly as my interest has waned over the last four years, I was and still am a die hard Champ Car fan. I have a pic of me opening up a present on xmas morning. It was one of those CART jackets with the big embroidered logos on the back and sleeves. You would have thought I was 7 and got my first real bike.

I remember one year at Cleveland we were drinking beer on that submarine down from the track and I noticed down below a guy in a race suit riding a mountain bike around in circles. I yelled down.."hey Robby, buy me a beer!" He put his kickstand down, came up top and chatted with us for a good 20 minutes. No, he didn't drink and he didn't buy me a beer (he didn't have his wallet).

Another year we met the left front tire changer on Parker's car (we were staying a the holiday inn outside of the city where he and his team were.) at the hotel bar and he said, "hey, lets go party at the flats! You fly, I'll buy!".
We spent a couple of hours exploring this mutli-tiered club built in an old factory and each room was it's own party. the place was slammed. Somehow we ended up at strip club where my wife thought it was hilarious to give dollars to the girls (it was her first time). :)

We closed down the flats, made it back to the Holiday Inn and went to the hotel bar to have a few night caps. THe Kool team was there. I remember asking the guys (in a very slurred voice) "what do you guys think of this split" and they all said "means more jobs for us" I couldn't argue that.
This was 3 in the morning, we were trashed and our new friend kept on going. His name was Gary or Greg. 6.5", curly hair, he looked just like Boris Said. The next day he got us into the VIP tents etc. Quit a weekend. And he had to be at the track at 6 the next morning!!!

My wife will never forget what brought her into this sport...we arrived on a Friday to Cleveland just in time for practice. Papis was the first out and we happened to be standing right next to his pit wall. He fired it up and smoked the tires longer than I've ever seen. My wife had a permanent smile on her face the entire evening for ol' Max. We'll never forget that burnout. Oh, and my wife is adamant that she will never follow a Tony George led series.

Yes, the last few years have helped ease the pain, but once that announcement comes tomorrow rest assured I'll tip my hat to the race series I loved. The countless hours on internet message boards, the races, the cars, the drivers the memories.

What a ride it's been.

I'm going to scan some of my pics of interest over the years and post them up this weekend. We should all do that.

RIP Champ Car. Gone but not forgotten.

[Winston Wolfe]

Same here, Sean....
I checked through some of my pics and have some dating back to LBGP from 1986 when the place was PACKED and I had nothing but GA tix, cuz I couldnt afford anything else... but I was young enough to climb fences and wait until security was looking the other way and I got places.
Laguna, Fontana, Portland, and every year at LBGP since 1991 and there are pics for every year. The early days at Fontana were amazing and the pics I have of the grandstands show they were PACKED.... DeFerran going 241... Losing #99.... watching that kid, Montoya tear it up that next year.... man, lots and lots of good memories and I am truly pissed that it all just seems to be going away to something that I just dont want to follow any longer, and I just have no interest in....
If I can figger out how to get some of these pics scanned and posted, I'll give it a shot as well...

[Sean O'Gorman]

I'm surprised this thread hasn't gotten more responses.

I miss the days when it was still a huge deal around here. The local ABC affiliate would air live from Burke all three days, I remember watching the 6:00 news the day after the '96 race, and all the stories were about CART, except one in the middle about a killing in Cleveland. Now its more like the other way around.

I think '96 was tops for me, as I went to three races (US 500, Cleveland, Mid-Ohio). I went to three in 2002 also, but by then, CART was being overtaken by autocross when it came to my interests. The week of the Cleveland GP, Alex and Jimmy were signing autographs at the new Target in Parma, and I was second in line, making my mom wait two hours so that I could get stuff signed. Ironically, the guy in front of me did the same, except I think he was about 30. :laugh: We did the same thing four years earlier, my mom and my late aunt took my cousin and I to Lenscrafters for Rahal's autograph, and KMart for Mario and Michael's. I still remember us making fun of what a douche Michael looked like on the hero card. My aunt was a huge Rick Mears fan, and her and my uncle even had a GMC Jimmy that was painted up like a PPG CART vehicle replica.

Later in '96, my dad took my brother and I to Mid-Ohio on a Thursdays for a test day, and let us run around the paddock all day chasing autographs for my US 500 program. I think I got a good 3/4 of the field, along with a handful of owners. I'm sure that Jim Hall didn't get alot of 13 year olds asking for autographs, but I'm one of them. I remember being at Cleveland earlier in the year looking for Jeff Krosnoff and missing him, but not worrying because there was always Mid-Ohio next month. :(

My interest waned from 2001 on (ironically the same time I found 7G), and got to the point where I skipped the 2007 race because I no longer wanted to support a series that strayed from its roots. I think I got home from autocrossing around 1:00 PM, but had no desire to even turn the race on TV.

If I would've known that would be the last time I could see Champ Car, I would've gone. I still hold out hope that maybe the IRL will turn into something that resembles the series I grew up watching.

[Sean Malone]

I'm surprised this thread hasn't gotten more responses.

I miss the days when it was still a huge deal around here. The local ABC affiliate would air live from Burke all three days, I remember watching the 6:00 news the day after the '96 race, and all the stories were about CART, except one in the middle about a killing in Cleveland. Now its more like the other way around.

I think '96 was tops for me, as I went to three races (US 500, Cleveland, Mid-Ohio). I went to three in 2002 also, but by then, CART was being overtaken by autocross. The week of the Cleveland GP, Alex and Jimmy were signing autographs at the new Target in Parma, and I was second in line, making my mom wait a two hours so that I could get stuff signed. Ironically, the guy in front of me did the same, except I think he was about 30. :laugh:

Later in the year, my dad took my brother and I to Mid-Ohio on a Thursdays for a test day, and let us run the paddock all day chasing autographs for my US 500 program. I think I got a good 3/4 of the field, along with a handful of owners. I'm sure that Jim Hall didn't get alot of 13 year olds asking for autographs, but I'm one of them. I remember being at Cleveland earlier in the year looking for Jeff Krosnoff and missing him, but not worrying because there was always Mid-Ohio next month. :(

My interest waned from 2001 on (ironically the same time I found 7G), and got to the point where I skipped the 2007 race because I no longer wanted to support a series that strayed from its roots. I think I got home from autocrossing around 1:00 PM, but had no desire to even turn the race on TV.

If I would've known that would be the last time I could see Champ Car, I would've gone. I still hold out hope that maybe the IRL will turn into something that resembles the series I grew up watching.

Good post Sean. maybe OC'rs are thumbing through their albums and harddrives looking for the right pictures to post. I'm hoping to get some up this weekend.

[Sean O'Gorman]

I have a shoebox of photos at my parents house from Mid-Ohio, ranging from '87 (about the furthest back I can remember any race) to '92, I don't know if there is anything in there worth scanning though. Alot of it was old IMSA pics.

[dando]

I'll never forget my first race in person...the real US 500. :thumbup: I'll also have to dig through my photos from the '98 or '99 race @ MO when my wife bought me a Super Photo Pass for the race. Boy did I look like a dork out there with my point and shoot camera. :gomer: :saywhat: I almost bought a Rebel SLR (film) for the race, and I'm glad I didn't since digi cams took over a year or two later. Oh, and I'll hafta dig up my pic of the missus and me with Mad Max @ the dinner we wonned when Miller auctioned off a ton of special events for charity back in '99 or so. Bestest $100 I $pent evar. :)

-Kevin

[cameraman]

I didn't get to very many Champ Car races, too far & too expensive. I did manage to swing the occasional overcrew pass so the times I did go were well worth it.

[extramundane]

Good post Sean. maybe OC'rs are thumbing through their albums and harddrives looking for the right pictures to post. I'm hoping to get some up this weekend.

I just saw my Toronto 1994 & 1995 pics the other day and naturally I can't find them now. :irked:

[Sean Malone]

I just saw my Toronto 1994 & 1995 pics the other day and naturally I can't find them now. :irked:

It's the thought that counts. :thumbup:

[TravelGal]

It's a beautiful thread. I love reading it. But I can't bear to look at any of my Champ Car memorabilia right now. A little too close to bone for the moment. :cry:

I did, however, recently find a picture I took of Jimmy at the last Long Beach fan preview (remember *those* days?!). He's standing alone in his fire suit, looking off into the mid-distance. It's one of those shots that holds your attention and you don't know why. Even non-race fan friends of mine have commented on it.

Sigh.............................................. .....................................

[cameraman]

I got the world's worst close up picture of Max Papis eating a banana in the pits during the GA race last year. It was digital, I could post that if you like.

[ferrarigod]

I got the world's worst close up picture of Max Papis eating a banana in the pits during the GA race last year. It was digital, I could post that if you like.

i think i'll stick to the maria sharapova banana pictures. thanks though.

[pchall]

I got the world's worst close up picture of Max Papis eating a banana in the pits during the GA race last year. It was digital, I could post that if you like.

This place does need a bit comic relief. Actually, make that a comic enema.

[Sean Malone]

This place does need a bit comic relief. Actually, make that a comic enema.

I''ve wanted a New Orleans funeral since I was kid. Probably won't get one, but I like the celebration of the passing better than the mourning.

:thumbup:

[dando]

This place does need a bit comic relief. Actually, make that a comic enema.

What we need is a good Foytility thread... :D

-Kevin

[miatanut]

I'm surprised this thread hasn't gotten more responses.

The on-again, off-again nature of this deal has made it a bit hard to take seriously until today.

For me, CCWS was kind of like a brain-dead patient on life-support, which the family wouldn't cut off. It was getting harder and harder to watch. My favorite series died in '03 and for a while it looked like the new ownership might be able to turn it around, but then it went back into decline.

I have fond memories of 28 cars charging into T1 back in the CART days. Of the way the Cossies, Chevys, Hondas and Toyotas would make the hair on the back of my neck stand up when I first got to the track. The major "sonic boom" those old 950 HP engines made during shifts. Yes, all gearhead stuff. I also loved the BBQ when the race crowds were huge and attracted really good BBQ vendors. I'm a big fan of BBQ!

I will fondly remember the sport when it was at its peak. For CCWS itself, I'm just relieved that the nightmare is finally over. Nothing for me in the current regime except for the hope it will change.

RIP CART!

[KaBoom21]

My first race was in 1993 at MIS. Stood right next to fence (when you could get away w/ doing that) and when the cars came down the straightaway, it was like a massive hit of nitrous oxide. I was giddy. And I was hooked.

Met Walter Payton there, was in Turn 1 for the US 500 ill-fated start :eek:, was talking to my buddy and looking down the track when Fernandez' tire went into the stands and killed 3 people a few years later.

Lived in Indy for 3 years from '97-'00 and roadtripped to MO, RA, TO, Cleveland each year. Most of these races I was solo, but met and hung out w/some really great people. Man, the crowds/buzz at some of those RA races were great.

Parker, Beekhius, GG, Varsha - all very personable at the track or Seibkens.

Going to races and then watching them on tape the next evening.

I was a big GM fan. Watched his crash at Fontana and knew the worst had just happened. I took it pretty hard and I don't think it was ever quite the same for me. Everyone was mourning Payne Stewart and Walter Payton's deaths and I'm like "what about Greg?"

I don't think I saw a single race on TV last year.

Just added Speed to my cable package so I'm all set for ALMS and F1, but CART/Champ Car was my series. [/Malbec-induced stream of consciousness]

[DagoFast]

I've got programs from races I went to in the 60's and 70's till now. Old snapshots of cars from back then till digitals at LB last year. I got to see every Unser but Jerry and every Andretti except Marco. The two 4 time 500 winners down to all the guys that should have gotten at least one. Ruby, Gurney, Mansell and many more. And all the guys in between from Ludwig Heimrath Sr. and Jr. to McCluskey and Simon who gave it hell but came up short.

It was a great ride. But it's over.

I'll look back fondly but I won't be going any further. Not one thin dime from me to a Hulman/George, not now, not ever.