View Full Version : France's boot on TG's neck?
oddlycalm
08-04-03, 04:48 PM
I was just curious what would happen if ISP announced they were not renewing their contracts for the 8 IRL dates due to poor attendence and NASCAR decided not to renew of the BY400 for whatever reason they decided to make up...?
Let's see, this would leave TG, and the IRL, exactly where? And the I500...?
oc
Don Quixote
08-04-03, 05:03 PM
Add to this the ex-CART teams and engine manufacturer's passing on the I500 for what ever reason.
Napoleon
08-04-03, 05:10 PM
Originally posted by oddlycalm
I was just curious what would happen if ISP announced they were not renewing their contracts for the 8 IRL dates due to poor attendence and NASCAR decided not to renew of the BY400 for whatever reason they decided to make up...?
This is a two part what if. i will take the second part first. There is no reason for France to not renew the BY400, unless IMS pays less to France to get that date then anyone else and there is someone out there willing to pay more. Without that there is no logical reason anyone can put forward to support the proposition (and saying he would do it to destroy the IRL, IMO, is not a logical reason).
As to the first part that is not likely. What is more likely is that they simply only offer to pay them a fee that keeps ISC rolling in the money (and with the linked ticket package you have to buy at most tracks I am sure that they are turning a profit unless TG suddenly wants to get the IRL out of the red).
France wants to buy the Brickyard. Right now he is loading bullets in the gun. When the time is right, he'll point the gun at the Hulman's head and make them an offer they can't rufuse.
Might take a while. Wouldn't surprise me if it didn't happen until both France Sr. and the old Ms. Hulman are both dead, but it will happen.
devilmaster
08-04-03, 07:24 PM
Originally posted by FTG
France wants to buy the Brickyard. Right now he is loading bullets in the gun. When the time is right, he'll point the gun at the Hulman's head and make them an offer they can't rufuse.
Might take a while. Wouldn't surprise me if it didn't happen until both France Sr. and the old Ms. Hulman are both dead, but it will happen.
Bingo.
Steve
Spicoli
08-04-03, 07:45 PM
France's aren't stupid.
Divide and conquor. History is full of examples.
Railbird
08-04-03, 08:31 PM
why buy the cow when the milk's free?
Two dates at IMS?
hell they're already having to spend promotional bucks to sell out the one and Nascar already has the highest rated race at 16th and Georgetown.
IMO the next challenge for TG and the boys will be the next TV contract.
devilmaster
08-04-03, 08:57 PM
Originally posted by Railbird
why buy the cow when the milk's free?
Bruton losing the Memorial day race, for one.
I mean, the whole idea is a stretch. But IMO, its a plausible one. IMS as a track is a big money maker. I'm sure the Frances would love to have it.
Steve
Originally posted by FTG
France wants to buy the Brickyard.
And the first thing IMS will do is reconfigure 1-2 and 3-4 and double the banking so their silly "stock cars" can actually put on the kind of stupid show NASCAR fans jones for.
RaceGrrl
08-04-03, 10:08 PM
The second thing they'll do is appropriate the month of May and make the Indy 500 a Cup race.
Racewriter
08-04-03, 10:35 PM
Originally posted by Railbird
IMO the next challenge for TG and the boys will be the next TV contract.
Yep. They say it's renewed through 2007, but I'm wondering if there isn't an out clause somewhere. By '07, we'll see 0.3's on network at the current trend, and 2.5 for the 500.
Originally posted by Racewriter
By '07, we'll see 0.3's on network at the current trend, and 2.5 for the 500.
And the Lemmings will still claim that the product is great, it's just matter of promotion and marketing. And when 24 cars attempt to qualify for Indy, the same Lemmings will still insist that Indy is as great as ever.
Napoleon
08-05-03, 06:22 AM
The theory that France would do it to buy the IMS makes not sense at all. Railbird put it best. For France to put IMS in a position where it had to sell he would have to cancel 9 paying dates at his tracks, which he would replace with one paying date (the BY400) at some other track. In the interem, before IMS would be forced to sell, the 500 would have to loose so many paying customers that the combined IMS/IRL operation began to lose money. If that happens it means that OW is completely finished in this country. France would end up with IMS with only one (potentially) profitable date the new BY400, and no viable OW series to take additional dates.
That is not good business. Only morons like TG make stupid moves like that.
France could make more more selling beer at the Brickyard (which he would do if he bought the track), than he could make from 9 IRL dates.
He can move the BY 400 to another track that he owns, and make just as much money. (Because he keeps the beer sales at his tracks, he doesn't at Indy.)
The Hulmans, on the other hand, couldn't survive losing the 9 IRL dates and the Brickyard 400.
It's like saying "Tony Soprano has my cajones in his hands, but I'm sure he won't squeeze."
Sean O'Gorman
08-05-03, 10:47 AM
I have yet to see anything other than wild conspiracy theories that would prove that the Frances are out to get IMS.
Originally posted by SOG35
I have yet to see anything other than wild conspiracy theories that would prove that the Frances are out to get IMS.
That's OK. You're in good company. Tony George can't see it coming either. He thinks the Frances are nice people who just want to help him realize his "vision."
oddlycalm
08-05-03, 07:04 PM
Originally posted by FTG
The Hulmans, on the other hand, couldn't survive losing the 9 IRL dates and the Brickyard 400.
It's like saying "Tony Soprano has my cajones in his hands, but I'm sure he won't squeeze." :rofl: Well, that is certainly one analogy...
What the Frances might do is pure speculation, and is really a separate issue. The fact is, they can do anything they want. What we know for certain is that TG has put himself at the mercy of his competitor, which is about as lame as business strategies ever get. He's loaded the gun and put it to his own temple.
The truth is, the Frances don't need to do anything. Simple inaction is enough to put TG out of business as a track owner and put an end to professional formula car racing on oval tracks, period. All they have to do is stop returning his calls. By contrast, TG is in the position of having to perpetually run back to France & associates and get them to renew contracts in order to simply continue in business. But of course the Frances have shown repeatedly over the years what benevolent and charitable folks they are... :rolleyes:
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