IndyCar Owners Hinting At Depths Of Status Quo (US Race Report)
Analyzing the latest rumor out of the IndyCar paddock that at least one owner, likely a Chevrolet partner, wants CEO Randy Bernard fired. A series in which owners are allowed to exert that level of control, however, could end in a CART-like situation and ultimate failure that leads to the end of IndyCar as we know it.
Sadly, whoever is responsible for the unrest in the IndyCar owners’ community seems to forget how poorly an owner-led series has worked out for American open-wheel racing in the past. The hubris of the former CART series, especially in its ill-fated attempt to launch a rival to the Indianapolis 500, eventually led to its downfall as its biggest teams eventually began to defect to get back to Indianapolis. Tony George, however, created a decade-long rift in the sport that utterly destroyed what had been a feasible rival in popularity to NASCAR and in talent to Formula 1.
