IndyCar President Tony George Resigns

By Richard S. Chang

Tony George, the controversial president and chief executive of the IndyCar series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, resigned Tuesday from both positions.

Tony GeorgeDarron Cummings/Associated Press The IndyCar Series founder, Tony George, greeting fans at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2008.

Autosport reports that the board of directors of Hulman & Company, which owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, held a meeting late Tuesday. Afterward, Mr. George resigned.

“Our board had asked Tony to structure our executive staff to create efficiencies in our business structure and to concentrate his leadership efforts in the Indy Racing League,” Mari Hulman George, the chairwoman of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Tony George’s mother, said in a statement.

For many fans of open-wheel racing in America, the resignation comes a dozen years too late.

Mr. George might be best known for creating the Indy Racing League (IRL) in the mid 1990s to rival the Championship Auto Racing Teams (or CART) series. Until then, CART had been the only open-wheel series in the country.

The IndyCar series was the premier IRL division. Drivers and racing fans split their allegiances between IndyCar and CART, and both series suffered. There just wasn’t enough fan support and sponsorship money to go around.

At the same time, Mr. George also increased the visibility of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Indy 500 remained one of the highlights of the race season and maintained a strong attendance. Mr. George also attracted Nascar and Formula One to Indianapolis. Last year, the MotoGP series added the oval circuit to its schedule.

But aside from the Indianapolis 500, the IndyCar series had trouble drawing fans. It also couldn’t hold onto its star drivers. In recent years, the IndyCar champions Sam Hornish and Dario Franchitti switched to Nascar; Franchitti returned to IndyCar after one year. Danica Patrick, the IRL’s highest profile driver, has been rumored to move to Nascar ever since her first season in 2005.

Prior to last season, the IndyCar series and Champ Car World Series (an evolution of CART) reunited under the IndyCar banner, but the series is nowhere close to what it was in the 1990s, when it attracted some of the best drivers in the world. Jacques Villeneuve was the 1995 CART champion before he joined Formula One.

Behind the scenes there were signs that Mr. George’s position was in jeopardy.

In May, there were reports that Mr. George had been ousted as chief executive of the speedway, which he denied.

At the time he said in a statement: “Our board of directors met yesterday, and we did discuss how to best confront challenges and exploit opportunities facing our businesses. But no changes in leadership or responsibility have been made.”

Mr. George will remain on the board of directors. He also owns the Vision Racing team in the IndyCar series.

Comments are no longer being accepted.

Larry July 1, 2009 · 4:39 pm

They couldn’t have done this 10-15 years ago?

Mike July 1, 2009 · 8:31 pm

So somebody grabbed the ball from his hands, so he couldn’t take it and go home again until everyone played his way? Is he going to hang with Mosley and talk about, uh, old times?

This guy destroyed the greatest race in America, and some say, maybe, the world. But, if the new, hopefully improved F1 sans Mosley gets it act together before it’s too late, I may reserve a flight to Indy for both the F1 and the 500 soon. I can hope, can’t I?

Steve July 2, 2009 · 4:38 pm

Mr. George will not be missed by true open wheel racing fans.

He divided a great, innovative, unique and premier series into two halves that together did not make one whole.

What he left us in the “re-unification” is a spec series that, by its nature and by the current racing market, will likely never be what it once was.

Many of us gave up years of seniority on Indy 500 seats in disgust and have not gone back. We’ve found other racing formats to sate our appetite.

The sport was never so ill served.

Sandy Laemmel July 2, 2009 · 9:12 pm

The statement in this article “until then, CART had been the only open wheel series in the country” is inaccurate. Although widely believed and reported it is also inaccurate that “the split” happened with the formation of the IRL. The spit happened in 1979 when Championship Race Teams was formed as a competing series to The United States Auto Club. CART never sanctioned an Indy 500. AAA was the original sanctioning body who was replaced with USAC when they got out of racing and into road side assistance full time. USAC sanctioned every 500 from then until the IRL was formed. There was and still are other open wheel racing series in the US.

Open wheel had already become second fiddle to NASCAR when Tony George stepped in to pick up the pieces. Look where Roger Pensky and Chip Gannasi ended up, way before the organization they formed dissolved.

IRL is finally growing legs and it’s a shame that family greed has put blinders on their eyes.

Those of us that has been around Indy car racing since before CART will thank Tony George for all he has done. Just like Roger and Chip have

Sandy

Michael July 2, 2009 · 10:31 pm

I have been to a number of 500’s, and acknowledge the race is not the premier event it was a dozen years ago. How much of this is the fault of George, and how much is due to economic factors beyond anyone’s control is a moot point. All racing is suffering in this economy.

At a minimum, George opened the Indianapolis track up to Stock Car racing, for a time hosted the US Grand Prix, and lately Moto GP He made the Indianapolis track a real show place.

He may have been stubborn and intransigent with the old CART. He also opened the track up to more varied activity then it has seen in most of it’s 100 years .

Jane July 3, 2009 · 5:54 pm

Sandy is correct. The disaster began when CART seized control of the series from USAC in 1979, with the intention of maximizing the profits of the owners. I am astonished that, just as open-wheel racing has finally been reunited, Tony has been ousted. There is a mystery here.

Steve Hofer July 4, 2009 · 1:17 am

Tony George isn’t perfect, but I think he’s gotten a bum rap. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway looks better than ever. He diversified revenue streams by adding NASCAR, Formula One and Moto-GP.

It’s true that the Indianapolis 500 isn’t the singular event that it used to be, but part of that was inevitable, because, in the 1990s, when technology made it possible for the cars to go 230 MPH, the drivers physically couldn’t endure it. Measures had to be taken, and were taken, to insure driver and spectator safety. When technology no longer marched forward like it used to, some of the excitement was gone. (NASCAR is going through the same thing now with the “car of the future”.) Even though the Indianapolis 500 has been diminished from what it was, it still is a first class race and first class spectacle, albeit with third class celebrities.

The IRL? Tony George and the CART owners were in a poker game. Tony played his hand, the others played theirs. It would have been nice if they would have gotten back together earlier, but it’s wrong to lay the blame mainly on George’s shoulders.

Delphinias July 5, 2009 · 6:16 pm

Those who buy a ticket and sit at the 500 once a year feel obliged to criticize the man who 365 days a year wrestles with the monstrous business weight of American racing history.

Whereas the biggest decision these couch potatoes have is pushing the button on their TV remote.

I suppose if old Anton were still around….?

Tad Pole August 25, 2009 · 8:36 pm

Indycar is losing the battle. I don’t care to see another road course race on television EVER. They have added ADDITIONAL road courses to next years schedule. If I wanted to see raod courses I would watch the Grand Prix races. Indy is about ovals and the decision makers are killing it.

Terry Angstadt, president of IndyCar’s commercial division said that SPONSORS will make Indycar successful. What about the fans Terry?

I grow tired of hearing stupid announcers talk about P1 or P2 instead of speaking English. P on them.

I don’t care to hear 15 minute explanations about RED TIRES each week. The red tires make some cars look goofy at best. Why not a thin red stripe on the inside?

I’m still a fan….for now.

Neon22 August 30, 2009 · 12:35 pm

Fantastic News!