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7/12/19, 12:37 AM   #19
Re: Let's have some fun - Indianapolis Motor Speedway trivia
ISF
ISF is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoosier race fan View Post
Your description of your attendance among the 20,000 or so who showed up for the tire test, the first race, and the quote above lead me to think that you fit this quote from Bob Jenkins:

“There were a lot of traditionalists who just didn’t want it to happen,” said Bob Jenkins, a former television and radio announcer for ESPN, ABC and NBC, who did the television broadcast for the first Brickyard 400. “The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was for the Indy 500. It was just an intrusion into the tradition for the Speedway to have these cars. On the other hand, they probably bought tickets for it.”

The Brickyard 400 has certainly lost the luster it originally had. However, without it, the IndyCar series probably wouldn’t exist. Profits from the Brickyard race have been used throughout its history to offset the millions in losses of the IRL/IndyCar series. That’s not a criticism of the IndyCar series, just a reality of their finances.
At the time I was as excited as anyone that NASCAR was being allowed to race at The Speedway. Although, looking back it should have been obvious that stock car racing at The Speedway would be a veritable bore. And it is. As with most folks, hindsight transforms me into an expert but that doesn't change the fact that following the novelty and honeymoon stock cars at Indy are, and likely always will be, a bit detrimental to the image of all involved.

Please forgive the skepticism of unsubstantiated fiscal assertions.

I apologize for the temporary thread hijack.
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Silver Crown Championship Dirt Cars properly driven on a one mile dirt track are classic poetry in motion. Using that analogy, Jack Hewitt is one of the greatest poets of all time.
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Last edited by ISF; 7/12/19 at 12:39 AM.