An open letter to Tony George
IndyCar, IndyCar commentary — By Steph Wallcraft on October 19, 2012 12:32 pmDear Tony,
You and I don’t know each other. And, to be perfectly honest, if we did it’s doubtful we would be very good friends. We disagree pretty wildly on what open-wheel racing should look like in America.
But the message I hope to deliver here isn’t intended to be political or drawn down party lines. For the purpose of this discussion, I’m going to pretend your last name isn’t George and that I know very little of the background behind what happened in open-wheel those many years ago because it will make for a more fair delivery of the ultimate point.
Actually, I was sort of hoping to avoid having to make the argument at all. I naively thought the persistent rumors of the past few months might go away on their own. But they instead have come to a head in recent days, and this may be the final opportunity for voices from outside the inner circle to be heard.
Look, Tony — it’s no secret that INDYCAR has turned into the exact thing you tried to turn it away from in 1996. There are undoubtedly voices of support behind you telling you that your way is the only true way and that you need to be the savior and rescue INDYCAR from the scourge it has become.
And there are voices on the other side, too, who think that the current version is the right way and that it’s the only format that can work financially in the long-term.
But there are voices far louder than both of those sides, and their message is loud and clear. You may be so busy pulling takeover proposals together that you’re not hearing it.
It’s saying this: If the political in-fighting in INDYCAR doesn’t stop, we’re out.
This is no longer about who’s right or wrong, Tony. This is about keeping open-wheel alive in North America. If a large percentage of the people who have stuck it out through it all and still watch INDYCAR will be driven away by messing with its management structure yet again, there will be precious few people left to support you no matter what you decide to do with it.
Sometimes, Tony, if you truly love something, the best thing to do is to let it go.
No one doubts your passion here. INDYCAR — and the IRL before it — is your baby. We get that.
Sometimes, children grow up and become things that we didn’t necessarily envision they would be.
As long as the child isn’t destitute (which this one is not — INDYCAR is demonstrably on an upswing and is close to breaking even for the first time in many years), the solution to that is not to take over and control every aspect of the child’s life. That’s only going to result in a revolt and do more damage than good.
Instead, loving parents do better if they use their position to make suggestions and gently guide their progeny to a better outcome from the periphery.
Think of yourself as a loving parent, Tony. The child has flown the nest. It isn’t doing exactly what you wanted it to do, but it’s standing on its own two feet and doing well.
If you insist on wresting back control, the child will lose its footing, likely irreparably.
Please, Tony, if you love INDYCAR as much as we all know you do: let it go. And let it continue to grow.
Tags: Tony George, Verizon IndyCar Series - Administration
Wow, you go girl.
I would have used a few cuss words, I know I have before when discussing TG.
Well said Steph!
Well-worded… MUCH better than I would have done. And I agree 100%.
Well put Steph!. Great Job
Well said stuff. Way nicer than i could have said it.
Well done, Steph!
Either TG or the board of Hulman & Co. need to understand that fans won’t take much more of this.I consider myself a die-hard, but if this goes through – I think I’m done.
Unfortunately we are fans, the racers are competitors. Tony George is a spoiled rich kid who is pouting, and wants his toy back. It’s Entitlement.
Echos a lot of my sentiments without the F bombs and questions about parentage. Thank you!
Willing to hear ONE THING about his plan before condemning him to racing’s equivalent of Skull Island over here.
if he comes back or not.. there are still WAY TO MANY ROAD/STREET COURSES. And the man should be heard before all of condem him.
All well and good, and by no means am I a fan of the man, but let’s get real here…
It’s a fact that over the years, Tony has put far more time and effort into the family business than any of the sisters.
Why should anybody expect him to go away and not retain an active hand in his inheritance–for the sake of his kids–if he truly believes that the current path forward isn’t the best for his interests? He obviously has seen the financials to which none of us are privy.
Sure, his ideas might be wrong and his vision shortsighted, but he has every right to remain involved and vote his ownership shares on issues that affect the future of Hulman & Company…in fact, he has a duty to his immediate family to act in what he views as their best interests.
At first, as a supporter of R. Bernard from the get-go, and as one who hoped open-wheel could recover from the Civil War initiated by T. George, I heard of his possible resurgance with doubt and disdain. As some have said, this could be the last straw for many die-hard supporters.
Then my second thought was–I wonder how he would change the series? It’s not like the millions of Champ Car fans ever returned to support the “reunited” series and the tv ratings are so dismal they could hardly be lower. I still am of the mind that Bernard has the series headed in the right direction, but I’m not willing to say–without hearing George’s plan–that I would cease to be an Indycar fan if George bought it back. Maybe…maybe not. So I’ll take a “let’s wait and see attitude” about the whole enchilada.
First and foremost, if for some reason the sisters decide to sell the series (highly unlikely IMHO), it should be a condition of the sale that the Indy 500 is NOT part of the sale.The 500 should exist of and for itself, and not be a financial supporter of the series. The Indy 500 is part of the Hulman family legacy and it should remain so. If the series cannot survive on it’s own without the 500, then it should probably be allowed to die. TG’s grandfather understood this very well. It would be wise to remember it.
yes steph you are right. and you see how its a mess as it was in cart and champ car world seris. so as you and the old cart followers have come along and messed it up again i want you to remeber two things
1– way back in 1979 it was a group lead by dan gurney, jim hall and roger penske who started the first split. and not tony who you and they love to bash.
2–number two remeber as they beg for oval events to go along with the junk street events tony at least keep kentucky ,kanas and chicago on the schudlue.
my point is dont be so fast bash tony before you look over the whole story. maybe the next time the good old boys who ran cart will listen to the concerns of others instead of laughing at them and just keep on going .
TG needs to disappear. Bottom line. I think all the previous comments have expressed enough disdain. What I don’t understand is this notion to have more oval then road/street courses. Are u guys just old or high? Look at the INDUSTRY of motorsport.the whole world not just here in the states. We’re the only ones who covet cars turning left for 3 hrs. European and Asian countries scoff at us and we have this persona of fat, uneducated, hicks who yell “Boogty boogty boogty!” When the green flag drops. Ovals are fine in moderation. The schedule needs a balance of 50/50. But if TG tries to create NASCAR without fenders again, I’m out. F1 and Ecclestone is about to take the Long Beach GP in 2014 which gives them the three key market areas in the US. So once we get to see what real technology and speed look like in NY, TX and CA, INDYCAR will have a tough time regaining any footing. I love INDYCAR and F1 but F1 is head and shoulders above in terms of anything on the planet (hence the reason its the 2nd most popular sport IN THE WORLD) so any faltering from indy with the F1 invasion on the docket in ’14 its gonna be nothing but babies and memories from here on out. Exile TG!!