Why the F*** is Townsend Bell using #99?

[RichK]

This may be covered in another forum I don't follow, and I don't follow the IRL closely - but I saw Townsend Bell running #99 during Qualifying at Indy today...WTF?

When the IRL paid for CART's intellectual property, they bought the records & traditions, including (in my opinion) the stewardship of retired numbers.

It's extremely poor taste to use #99 on an Indycar - and ironic that the guy who took pole today is in the car Greg would've been driving.

[Chief]

Because Franchitti and any other friends of Greg are gutless and have no b@lls. The IRL is an insult to any fan of AOW.

CART, it's records of participation or any other respectful mention are gone...like they never happened. It runs across the board and is finger in the eye of all of us. :thumdown::flame:

[Fio1]

Didn't Schmidt use #99 when he drove? And, I believe Alex Llyod used #99 the last few years.

Anyways, tradition obviously doesn't mean f*** all in Eral land, so there is your answer. Besides, isn't Nascab allowing #3 to come back too? :rolleyes:

[oddlycalm]

Anyways, tradition obviously doesn't mean f*** all in Eral land, so there is your answer.
The only tradition that exists for them is Hulman era IMS tradition. Talking to people from Brainfart on down to the gomers in the stands about Greg Moore would be like talking to a pygmy bushman about the Hubble telescope and the Boeing 787. All you'd get is a blank look and a confused smile. None of it happened at IMS and they didn't see it so it doesn't exist in their world.

oc

[pchall]

:gomer: retribution for CART/CCWS assigning #14 to somebody besides Jabba the Foyt.

[BarillaGirl]

This may be covered in another forum I don't follow, and I don't follow the IRL closely - but I saw Townsend Bell running #99 during Qualifying at Indy today...WTF?

When the IRL paid for CART's intellectual property, they bought the records & traditions, including (in my opinion) the stewardship of retired numbers.

It's extremely poor taste to use #99 on an Indycar - and ironic that the guy who took pole today is in the car Greg would've been driving.

Oh, that's just painful to think someone's using that number. That was a horrible, horrible day. RIP Greg Moore.... :(

[Don Quixote]

The pox on all of them. This is either total blind ignorance or intentional disrespect. Either way, it is unforgivable. Townsend Bell better grow a pair and change that number. :flame: :thumdown:

[trish]

At the end of the day, why care?

[Insomniac]

Someone already pointed out that CART/ChampCar unretired AJ Foyt's #14. The IRL never retired #99.

I know there is a lot of love here (count me among them) for Greg Moore here, but I don't think it is disrespectful to him that the IRL didn't retire his number. (On a side note, what numbers are actually retired?) Most of the drivers obviously would not race with #99 so it really hasn't been an issue.

Bell should really be asked the question. Personally, I think if he's OK using the # (maybe he used it growing up) then that's good enough. If he picked it arbitrarily/randomly then someone could've told him there are better choices.

[TKGAngel]

A driver weighs in...


RHR: (http://twitter.com/RyanHunterReay/status/14520731747) ya #99 is Greg's. Always will be.


On a side note, what numbers are actually retired?

I tried to look on the IRL site, but no luck. Maybe the league needs to add a "search" function to their craptacular "beta" site. Bells & whistles are great, but there needs to be functionality behind the fancy. :irked:

[devilmaster]

Someone already pointed out that CART/ChampCar unretired AJ Foyt's #14. The IRL never retired #99.

I know there is a lot of love here (count me among them) for Greg Moore here, but I don't think it is disrespectful to him that the IRL didn't retire his number. (On a side note, what numbers are actually retired?) Most of the drivers obviously would not race with #99 so it really hasn't been an issue.

Bell should really be asked the question. Personally, I think if he's OK using the # (maybe he used it growing up) then that's good enough. If he picked it arbitrarily/randomly then someone could've told him there are better choices.

Greg still is my favorite driver.

That being said, in this bizzaro world of NAOW, there is no point on taking anyone to task on this. Greg never drove in the IRL, never drove IMS. He was a rookie in 96, first year of the split.

Numbers are usually issued by the series (at least thats how CART/Champcar did it). Whoops, the leegue issues it.

When we had a discussion about an ebay sale of the tub scott brayton died in, Ziggy or 'Bird chimed in with a good point about how they used to just hose out the car and some of the machines that men were killed in were driven again next year.

As much as I like Greg, i just think about this and go 'meh'.

[G.]

Greg still is my favorite driver.

That being said, in this bizzaro world of NAOW, there is no point on taking anyone to task on this. Greg never drove in the IRL, never drove IMS. He was a rookie in 96, first year of the split.

Numbers are usually issued by the series (at least thats how CART/Champcar did it). Whoops, the leegue issues it.

When we had a discussion about an ebay sale of the tub scott brayton died in, Ziggy or 'Bird chimed in with a good point about how they used to just hose out the car and some of the machines that men were killed in were driven again next year.

As much as I like Greg, i just think about this and go 'meh'.

I know of one instance that the $pon$or chose the car number. I'm sure it had to be "ok'ed" by CART.

Never been a fan of retired numbers in any sport. Echo meh.

[pchall]

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m257/philipliuvancouver/21587701.jpg

I've always believed that Moore could have been the next big thing in champ car racing. A talent and a face to push the sport forward. The afternoon he died was crushing for me. I remember lying on the floor despising myself for loving this cruel sport.

[RichK]

I suppose it's not so much about it being a retired number or not, I'm just surprised that Bell would run it. Obviously over time, Indycar racing would run out of numbers if they kept retiring them. But this sport, especially while racing at IMS, is all about tradition and respect for the bad-asses that came before. This just reeks of disrespect to me.

I'm glad to see RHR's comment.

By the way, #14 isn't retired. A Brazilian is sitting on Row 10 with it this year.

[Insomniac]

Numbers are usually issued by the series (at least thats how CART/Champcar did it). Whoops, the leegue issues it.

Ultimately the league issues it, but I'm almost certain they'll give you a number you request if they can. I believe CART/ChampCar was the same way.

[Easy]

By the way, #14 isn't retired. A Brazilian is sitting on Row 10 with it this year.

In a car owned by AJ Foyt. His entry can still run #14 and he can give others permission to use #14 should he choose to do so according to my ChampCar rulebook from 2005.

Its not Townsend Bell's decision to run the #99. Sam Schmidt Motorsports which would have requested the number and two alternates on their official entry form.

[devilmaster]

I've always believed that Moore could have been the next big thing in champ car racing. A talent and a face to push the sport forward. The afternoon he died was crushing for me. I remember lying on the floor despising myself for loving this cruel sport.

Could one say his death was the start of end? I've certainly wondered and thought about that.

And it wasn't just him alone. Although Gonzalo also died that year, it was the loss of Greg which overshadowed one of the greatest championship battles and put a major damper on the end of year gala. In my mind, CART never recovered. Perhaps if it wasn't the last race, teams would have had a chance to put it behind them as a whole instead of everyone going their own way.

I'm starting to ramble, (which is what I do when its Greg). So i'll leave it at that.

[Insomniac]

Could one say his death was the start of end? I've certainly wondered and thought about that.

And it wasn't just him alone. Although Gonzalo also died that year, it was the loss of Greg which overshadowed one of the greatest championship battles and put a major damper on the end of year gala. In my mind, CART never recovered. Perhaps if it wasn't the last race, teams would have had a chance to put it behind them as a whole instead of everyone going their own way.

I'm starting to ramble, (which is what I do when its Greg). So i'll leave it at that.

I think it's hard to say where the start of the end is, but I wouldn't count Greg Moore's death among them.

I'd say:

IPO (Owner's could sell their interest in the series prospering.
CEO Roulette (incompetent CEO after incompetent CEO)
Blowing $120M in cash in less than 2 years
CART being so much more superior to the IRL that they could invade Indy at embarrass the IRL
That not being enough, now Roger Penske had to beat the other CART teams so he started to participate in the other IRL events (eventually you had to do the whole season to win Indy)


Tangentially, Penske selling his tracks to ISC didn't help either.

[opinionated ow]

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m257/philipliuvancouver/21587701.jpg

I've always believed that Moore could have been the next big thing in champ car racing. A talent and a face to push the sport forward. The afternoon he died was crushing for me. I remember lying on the floor despising myself for loving this cruel sport.

I loved that guy. Such a champion, he was my favourite by a country mile. In a way I'm glad I was all of 12 when he passed to a better place. I think being young I didn't understand the implications or truly grasp the concept that he was not just gone from the track but gone from life. I live in dread for the day that a racer gets killed at a race meeting I'm at, or even worse should it be one I've made friends with over the years.

FWIW I have the same fears with my triathlon friends training on the roads. I HATE training on the road but sometimes I find that there really is no choice.

[Chief]

Could one say his death was the start of end? I've certainly wondered and thought about that.
Oddly enough I've thought similar things, though my starting point goes back a bit...:(

- July 14, 1996, Jeff Krosnoff killed at Toronto (the innocence and sheer joy of the sport for me ending in an instant)
- 1998 Fatalities at Michigan Speedway
- The late season horrors of 1999...

[ChampcarShark]

The only tradition that exists for them is Hulman era IMS tradition... None of it happened at IMS so it doesn't exist in the world.
oc


My pick for best answer. You just don's know what indy means. If it does not happen at indy it never happened. :shakehead:shakehead:shakehead

[Hard Driver]

I certainly thought that Greg was a fantastic driver.

But I am not sure why Greg's number would be retired but not Jeff Krosnoff, or Scott Brayton, or Tony Renna or any other driver who has been killed in CART or the IRL.

Personally, I actually would think that Townsend Bell might be one who would ask for a different number out of respect. But that is different than retiring a number. We can all still remember Greg Moore anyway.

[High Sided]

Sam Schmidt ran the #99 in his career, no problem for me if he wants his # on his car.
r.i.p. greg :(

edit... big thumbs down for townsends explanation for running the #99. (end of video)
zpaAjD02mIM

[Easy]

It was a fluff piece for his sponsor, what did you expect?

I really don't understand the angst at Bell for running the number his team chose.

[devilmaster]

But I am not sure why Greg's number would be retired but not Jeff Krosnoff, or Scott Brayton, or Tony Renna or any other driver who has been killed in CART or the IRL.

The easy answer (and honestly, perhaps, not the correct one) is that Greg had dominated the Indy Lights series in his final year, won races in CART (5), should have won at least 1 more (homestead, 96) and was considered to be a champion in the waiting once he got the right gear.

I think most would have agreed back then that there was a possibility Cart was only a stepping stone for F1. Sir Frank had asked about him on a number of occasions.

Anyways, i'm rambling again... the point is he was a great driver, a good talker for the sport and had the pedigree which one could say was better than the others mentioned here.

Is it fair? Perhaps not. What if Dario had died in that race instead of Greg? you get into a situation where you start to rank the drivers and that probably isn't good.

I'll leave it at that.

[High Sided]

It was a fluff piece for his sponsor, what did you expect?


maybe the # being Sam's number before he was injured and at least a mention of greg moore.

[Shadow]

Well, it could be a tribute to Wayne Gretzky.