The 500 Futility Thread

[pchall]

Thunder Alley starts in a couple of minutes on THIS. Better racing for sure. ;)

[grungex]

I was sipping a beverage to self-medicate, so it's not all bad. :D

Ditto, plus I fell asleep, so it's all good... :p

[Insomniac]

No. He managed to get up to 4th, but fell back to 10th or so on the next stint, and wasn't in the top 10 after the next stop.

-Kevin

That stinks, but oh well. Unless it's a super team, it's a tough road. Has he burned the bridge with Ganassi yet?

[dando]

That stinks, but oh well. Unless it's a super team, it's a tough road. Has he burned the bridge with Ganassi yet?

I just can't see him sucking up to Cheep for a ride, but crazier shizzle has happened.

-Kevin

[Napoleon]

Was there a race yesterday? Rode my bike and read some in they yard and must have missed it.

[Insomniac]

I just can't see him sucking up to Cheep for a ride, but crazier shizzle has happened.

-Kevin

I guess it comes down to what you want. If you're just out there to get a paycheck to go in circles, then any team will do. If you want to win, it has to be a super team. When was the last time Penske, AGR or TCGR didn't win?

Edit: Justin Wilson/NHL (Detroit 2008), Graham Rahal/NHL (St. Pete 2008), Scott Sharp/Rahal-Letterman (Kentucky 2005), Tomas Scheckter/Aguri-Fernandez (Texas 2005).

So every race in 2006, 2007 and 2009 so far. All but 2 in 2005 and 2008.

[dando]

I just read in the local fish wrap that Rahal's shop is up for sale. :eek: My how the mighty have fallen. Rahole dumped a bunch of jack into the new shop from the MPH IPO. They are apparently looking for other locations for a shop. Hopefully it'll be nearby so I can continue to flip it off as I drive by. :gomer:

-Kevin

[Michaelhatesfans]

Jeebus, to think I could have been drinking beer or reading a book instead...

It's not like you guys weren't warned.:shakehead

[stroker]

It's not like you guys weren't warned.:shakehead

Well, YEAH, that's why I'm so f*****g pissed with myself!

:irked:

[TKGAngel]

Final damage report from the race: TK has two and a half broken ribs and a busload of bruises, while Meira has two fractured vertebrae and is done for the year. PT is in discussions to replace Meira at Milwaukee.

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-kanaan-hurting-meira-out-for-09/

[EVL29]

Unless he's paying for the ride,I'd expect Squattro to get the gig.

[JLMannin]

Final damage report from the race: TK has two and a half broken ribs and a busload of bruises, while Meira has two fractured vertebrae and is done for the year. PT is in discussions to replace Meira at Milwaukee.

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-kanaan-hurting-meira-out-for-09/

On TV this morning they mentioned that Tracy is in negotiations to fill in for the rest of the season . . . . Tracy driving for Foyt?

I thought PT had a contract to drive in the two Canadian races later this season.

[chop456]

Fractured vertebrae an IRL sled? I didn't think I'd live long enough to see such a thing. What's next - human sacrifice? Dogs and cats living together?

[Napoleon]

I just read in the local fish wrap that Rahal's shop is up for sale.

Seriously? It seems to me that kind of place is not of much use for any other business. Perhaps a body shop or repair shop, assuming that it has enough outside parking for it (but my memory is that it is on a small parcel). I can't imagine that it is on a big enough parcel for a dealership, and in any event this would have to be the worse time ever to sell something for that type of use.

He Dando, do you know the address, permanent parcel number or the acutal owners name so you can go to the Franklin County Recorder's Office website and figure out if he has a mortgage on that place?

[Methanolandbrats]

It would be really expensive to disinfect it too.

[stroker]

It would be really expensive to disinfect it too.


I would think an exorcism would be more appropriate.

[cameraman]

It would be really expensive to disinfect it too.

Nah, at that point you just bag the whole building and pump in the gas...

[Methanolandbrats]

Nah, at that point you just bag the whole building and pump in the gas... I dunno, this might be a special case. :yuck:

[Don Quixote]

Uh-oh. A little bird told me the overnights were 4.2. If true, the final may be less than 4.0. :eek: :tony:

[nrc]

Seriously? It seems to me that kind of place is not of much use for any other business. Perhaps a body shop or repair shop, assuming that it has enough outside parking for it (but my memory is that it is on a small parcel). I can't imagine that it is on a big enough parcel for a dealership, and in any event this would have to be the worse time ever to sell something for that type of use.

He Dando, do you know the address, permanent parcel number or the acutal owners name so you can go to the Franklin County Recorder's Office website and figure out if he has a mortgage on that place?

Evidently they want to sell the place to raise some cash and they hope to lease it back to maintain operations. A smart buyer should be wary. The promise of leasing back won't do much good if they go bankrupt. Then they're stuck with this pretty specialized use facility.
http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/02/23/newscolumn2.html

The auditor's site shows two parcels for that address.

http://franklincountyoh.metacama.com/do/selectDisplay?parcelid=05000318380
http://franklincountyoh.metacama.com/do/selectDisplay?parcelid=05000318390

[Methanolandbrats]

Evidently they want to sell the place to raise some cash and they hope to lease it back to maintain operations. A smart buyer should be wary. The promise of leasing back won't do much good if they go bankrupt. Then they're stuck with this pretty specialized use facility.
http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/02/23/newscolumn2.html

The auditor's site shows two parcels for that address.

http://franklincountyoh.metacama.com/do/selectDisplay?parcelid=05000318380
http://franklincountyoh.metacama.com/do/selectDisplay?parcelid=05000318390Yes, when dealing with Baldy Rahole, it's best to guard one's starfish.

[Napoleon]

The auditor's site shows two parcels for that address.

http://franklincountyoh.metacama.com/do/selectDisplay?parcelid=05000318380
http://franklincountyoh.metacama.com/do/selectDisplay?parcelid=05000318390

OK, I had to register with the Franklin County Recorder since they don't have unimpeded internet access to their records. Unfortunately they use the recording system that absolutely sucks since it is hard to blow up the documents and they display funny, etc. etc., but as far as I can tell he has two mortgages outstanding one for $2.2m and one for $3.0m. One appears to be on a single parcel and the other I can not tell. Rahal has gone in on both of them in recent years and had the amount of the loans bumped up.

[dando]

Evidently they want to sell the place to raise some cash and they hope to lease it back to maintain operations. A smart buyer should be wary. The promise of leasing back won't do much good if they go bankrupt. Then they're stuck with this pretty specialized use facility.
http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/02/23/newscolumn2.html

The auditor's site shows two parcels for that address.

http://franklincountyoh.metacama.com/do/selectDisplay?parcelid=05000318380
http://franklincountyoh.metacama.com/do/selectDisplay?parcelid=05000318390

Their plans may have changed according to the Dispatch blurb from Monday:


Suddenly no gas

The Rahal Letterman team had helped driver Oriol Servia rise from a start in 25th to as high as 10th before the engine lost fuel pressure on lap 102.

"We had a great car; we were running 10th and moving forward," Servia said. "We were fast and the car was a pleasure to drive. I was having my dream race out there today."

Meanwhile, team co-owner Bobby Rahal confirmed the team's shop in Hilliard is for sale. It is located in a prime location in the expanding suburb, and the team plans to explore options for another shop in central Ohio.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/05/25/indy_notebook_0525.ART_ART_05-25-09_C5_5ODVIBG.html

What's so prime about that location is beyond me...especially for two highly specialized buildings. Perhaps Scioto Valley wants more hot tub storage space. :laugh:

-Kevin

[Napoleon]

What's so prime about that location is beyond me...

Are you kidding, it has great visibility from the highway.

[dando]

Are you kidding, it has great visibility from the highway.

I know that (I flip it off constantly :gomer:), but access to the complex heinous. You really have to know where you are headed to get there. Plus, the real estate situation in Hillyards is very soft right now. The other point is that the buildings are highly specialized, which would require major changes for other uses.

EDIT: Here's a map for those not familiar with the location:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=lyman+drive+hilliard,+oh&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&split=0&gl=us&ei=k3YdSsSXIMzOjAfE7uyNDQ&ll=40.046376,-83.12876&spn=0.002838,0.004828&t=h&z=18

Rahal's complex is the buildings @ the top (north), and below it is a hot tub/pool/big boy electronic toys store.

-Kevin

[pchall]

Are you kidding, it has great visibility from the highway.

LOL. Then you might have seen me flying control line stunt on a Saturday morning with a bunch of other old farts in the parking lot of the nearby office park in the late 90s. The sound of a Fox .35 in the morning is rivaled only by a Cossie DFV. :)

[High Sided]

Uh-oh. A little bird told me the overnights were 4.2. If true, the final may be less than 4.0. :eek: :tony:

3.9 lowest since 1986
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2009-05-26-indy-500_N.htm

Nascar 600 ratings
Overall, the non-race segments rated just -12% lower than the race segments (2.9/7 vs. 3.3/8)
from jayski.com

[nrc]

3.9 lowest since 1986
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2009-05-26-indy-500_N.htm
"The lowest rating since the 500 got live start-to-finish TV coverage in 1986."
So effectively, it's the lowest ever.

Funny that's lower than the 1995 Michigan 500 which scored a 4.0. Yeah, that needed fixing.:shakehead

[Don Quixote]

Don't worry, Tony's still in charge. :tony:

[trish]

Is that really the final rating?

[SteveH]

Is that really the final rating?

emphasis on final mwahahahaha