USA Today 5/23/03

[ChrisB]

This is the one day of the year when I buy a USAToday... for the Speed Weekend racing section.

I'll get right to the point... there is a special advertising section (which at first glance I thought *was* the racing section) which seems to have been bought by Nascar which promotes Charlotte at Indy's expense. It has a huge pic of the track with the caption: "Memorial Day Racing Weekend No Longer Owned by Indy" with an article beneath it titled "Coca-Cola 600 has leg-up on Legendary Indy 500" ...and the article goes on to talk about how Nascar is rising and all of Indy's troubles.

I find this surprising considering what seems like an amicable partnering between the Hulmans and Frances with the BY400 and all the IRL races at ISC tracks... that Nascar would make such a high-profile slam like this at the Indy 500.

The actual Speed Weekend supplement to the Sports section is overwhelmingly a majority of Indy-related articles with Nascar getting relatively less attention. I've always wondered... does the IMS directly/indirectly pay for this section (kinda like a thinly disguised special advertising section of its own) ...and Nascar responded by taking out it's own section this year?

Otherwise, Dave Blaney is pictured on pg 8F of the racing section in a Nascar article.

And the big picture on the front page of USAToday? No surprise... Annika!

[racer2c]

The NASCAR Mafia has it own interests, and only it's own interests in mind.

Resistance is futile.

[Jag_Warrior]

Something tells me their partnership is amicable because the Frances tell Tony what to do... and he does it.

They tell a Gomer Pyle joke and tell him to laugh... Tony doesn't laugh. "Hey boy, you wanna use our tracks to race them thar Nancy-boy cars or not?" Tony begins laughing.

[FTG]

I think the IRL will eventually be renamed

NASCAR Indy Division

Its popularity will probably increase.

[nrc]

I've said for years that Tony's strategy was would relegate his series to being NASCAR's weak sister.

Looks like NASCAR sees an opportunity to put the boot in and they're taking it. What's Tony going to do, pull their Indy race? Har.

Of course the take on this in Lemmingland is predictably laughable. NASCAR fears Indy.

[Napoleon]

Originally posted by nrc
Of course the take on this in Lemmingland is predictably laughable. NASCAR fears Indy.

Why does that scene from Monty Python where the knight has had all his limbs cut off, yet he is still claiming the other side is afraid come to mind.

[mapguy]

Originally posted by Napoleon
Why does that scene from Monty Python where the knight has had all his limbs cut off, yet he is still claiming the other side is afraid come to mind.


It's only a flesh wound.

[Spicoli]

Originally posted by Napoleon
Why does that scene from Monty Python where the knight has had all his limbs cut off, yet he is still claiming the other side is afraid come to mind.

"Uou've got no arms and legs. What you gonna do - bleed on me?"

[ChrisB]

I've said for years that Tony's strategy was would relegate his series to being NASCAR's weak sister.

One might argue that a (mostly) road-racing Indy/Champ series relegates it to being F1's weak sister... but it doesn't... the difference is that unlike Nascar, F1 has very little presence here.

What's Tony going to do, pull their Indy race? Har.

In 20/20 hindsight, TG was probably in a position during the BY400 negotiations circa '93 to insist that Nascar not run on Memorial weekend as a condition of getting the BY400... but with the kinds of dominant numbers Indy was getting 10 years ago, pre-split, who woulda thunk?

[oddlycalm]

Originally posted by nrc
I've said for years that Tony's strategy was would relegate his series to being NASCAR's weak sister.

which is a lot like being BiF's sister :D