Robin’s Rant Will Have To Prove Itself Out
Written by Scott Keller · March 1, 2007
Is the sky falling at Champ Car headquarters? Should they sell out to Tony George? Robin Miller’s article at SpeedTV.com has stirred the pot in the open-wheel community, and here’s my take on the subject.
Robin Miller is a guy that seems to have a love-hate relationship with his readers on both sides of the open-wheel fence. He’s brash, he’s opinionated, and this time he has been controversial. In fact, the rumors are flying that he was fired by Champ Car as a puff-piece writer for his latest rant. For the most part, I have been in agreement with Robin on so many issues. For one, he hasn’t afraid to take on Tony George and the “league”. I respect him for that.
This latest article, however, seems to come at just the wrong time. Champ Car is going to hold a four day test at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca next week, and surely a number of announcements of drivers, sponsors, and other info will be released. Perhaps Robin could have held his rant off until he heard everything that the series has to say.
I don’t say this because I think everything is “peachy” right now. All of the unconfirmed drivers and lack of information about who is running one car or two cars seems to indicate that nobody has any money. Probably the biggest shame in all of the off-season thus far is that Graham Rahal cannot get a sponsor! There’s a lack of good news in Champ Car, that’s for sure.
But I am going to wait until the Laguna test before I declare that the sky is falling. I’m not going to uncross my fingers yet on the following “wishes”……
1. ……that Mazda announces at their namesake track that they will be stepping up as a series sponsor, “The Champcar World Series Powered By Zoom-Zoom”…..
2. …..that Forsythe has found a new sponsor and will run a second car.
3. …..that Graham Rahal has finally found an American company that is willing to sponsor him…..where are you Coca-Cola ???
4. …..that Speedy Dan has a confirmed ride…….
5. ….that the series will have 15-16 confirmed driver team combinations by the end of the weekend….
I know, it’s a lot to wish for, but why not? Let’s not forget that this was a series in bankruptcy just a few short years ago. The very people that some Champ Car fans are angry at, are the people that fought in court, and have put out millions of dollars to keep the Champ Car series alive. I am going to keep rooting for the four amigos, because they have preserved something that others have tried to destroy in American motorsports.
And there’s a lot of talk about kool-aid drinkers on both sides of the open-wheel table. I try to avoid the kool-aid and admit where Champ Car is failing. But what other choice do I have in American motorsports? I used to go to IMS for the month of may, having grown up in the state of Indiana. But since the IRL announced the infamous 25/8 rule, I have boycotted IMS and the IRL. I will never step foot inside of IMS as a paying customer unless things change at their front office. So if I am to watch motor racing in the United States, I have to hope that Champ Car survives and then thrives. Having hope is not that same as drinking kool-aid.
For now, I’ll hold onto my hope until the Laguna test, and look forward to what is to come at the season opener in Vegas.
Comments
20 Responses to “Robin’s Rant Will Have To Prove Itself Out”
Got something to say?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Hey Scott… I’m all about hope! Especially for Champ Car. BUT… I commend Miller for NOT waiting until Laguna. Why? Maybe, just maybe, it creates enough stir to light a fire under the seats of a few people and get some kind of reaction that may do something about it. Why wait and then try to correct. I’d rather interject and make sure that it’s all out on the table and then try and prove me wrong.
Robin Miller has given us info in the past that has been factual.I hope these things come to pass…..or else.
Good point Scott, Miller could have timed his rant a little better.
I just wish Miller could show a tear or two and maybe someone out there would feel sorry for him when he whines about open wheel.
Let’s keep Miller and dump that moron Derek Daly. He never gets anything right, and his race comments are useless…Then again so is he.
Robin Miller, from back in the days when he wrote for the Indy Star, hasn’t been afraid to tell the truth or step on toes. Waiting until a time “is right” has never been his style. If he thinks something needs saying, he says it, no matter whose toes he steps on.
As for Keller’s not going back to IMS because of a hissy about IRL rules, I doubt they miss him much. I don’t really agree w/ the rule in question either, but it IS their their playground, and they get to make the rules.
I’m sure that if Mr. Keller were in charge he’d make some rules others wouldn’t like. If they went to the corner and pouted over them, I don’t suppose he’d run to change his ideas just to pacify them. He needs to get over it.
As for DJ Moore’s comment re. Derek Daily, right on.
I agree, the timing is not right and I don’t neccessarily think there’s any good intentions on the part of Robin. On the other hand, Robin’s just fustrated, as we all are.
As far as boycotting IRL for compromising; ChampCar has done plenty of compromising too - if you’re for open wheel then you should follow both groups. I don’t like it either and there are no good guys here so we stuck supporting whatever happens.
I “hope” Scott’s wants happen but then that means I was dipping in the cool-aid too. Is that light at the end of a tunnel a train?
Ok, I think all this “I’ll never step in the place again” for the 25/8 rule is being a big baby.That was over 10 years ago.I guess you would never step inside a NASCAR track either,right? They have a 35/8 rule, don’t they?CART/CHAMP CAR was the biggest joke, owners running things they never could agree on making the series better because each was more interested in they own interests than the good of the series.Americans like oval racing better than road coruses. So, any racing series that puts more road coruse races out was going to lose out over time. That’s why F1 has had it’s promblem here in the US. No passing an boring race, most of the time. On ovals you see passing, side by side racing.Plus in some cases you can see the whole track. See all the racing.The can never be in a road coruse race. So thats why the support of Corporate America has left Champ Car holding a big empty bag.
Thanks for your comments, Rich, but I’m not so sure the IRL agrees with you.
They have added road racing to their schedule and you know they would LOVE to be the headliner for the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
And what about the efforts Penske made to try to get the IRL back to Belle Isle?
There must be some interest in road racing and grand-prix-style racing in America, if these are the types of races the IRL is expanding into.
Scott’s right on the money. The fact is the IRL killed oval racing in this country, It was just fine before the splite. To think they cannot even get a race in California. That says something about the state of oval racing.
Please remember the IRL was the save all of oval racing and American drivers.
The fact is Robin was right, and KK posted an interview on the web today and maybe they need a little fire on their feet. The fact is Champ Car has a bad PR department.
Remember Champ Car is agent the IRL and all that family money, NASCAR is helping anyway they can to keep the split going and finding good sponsors in todays world is almost impossible.
Let’s give the people that saved us from an all Tony open wheel world a little more time.
And I will see you in Vegas
Don’t get me wrong I like all kind of racing, the two drivers I liked when I was young were A.J. & Mario but this crap about the top 35 in owner pts. in NASCAR is making me sick not to mention all the TV ads. They need to do like NHRA and make them all race their way in. Where I live I don’t get ABC due to some crap between them and Dish Network so I just stick with NHRA & AMA at least I can watch one of them go in a straight line at 333 mph and the other make a few turns other than left.
I also hope Sarah Fisher takes Danica Patrick and spanks her booty!!!!
maybe they could hold a mud wrestling event between sarah and danica before each race, the winner could then do a wet t-shirt contest against denise mccluggage and lyn st james, with the 2 winners thrown in a cage to fight it out wwf style. I’m sure the ratings would go up, until the wet t-thirt contest at least, then the ratings would go back down to normal irl levels.
In the words of Rodney King,why can’t we all just get along? One person doesn’t like this rscing series and the next person doesn’t like that series. What a bunch of cry babies. Just enjoy the racing you like and I’ll enjoy all kinds of racing.
Well Terry if ya don’t like what we talk about then its like my old friend Larry Flint said “If you don’t like my dirty pictures then don’t look at the book I publish”.
Now people, time for a little mutual consideration. Any racing related opinions are welcome. Those bordering on the overtly political and/or sexual will be erased. Wet T-shirt and spanking booty references are on the edge, as well as complaining about another’s right to read and comment.
A word to the wise.
Sorry Mr.George I guess we are all back in grammer school I thought we were all grown up’s here I’ll clean it up just so you will be happy and stop crying!!!!
Sorry George was that insulting then erase it shows what a man you arn’t.
Going back to road coruse racing, thats all CART/Champ Car mostly were and are. The IRL will have some Road Coruse races but the Ovals will stay in the majority. And yes I’m sure there are some place that Champ Car races that the IRL would like to race at( add) but the oval races will stay king.
now if you could only erase the picture in my mind of denise mccluggage in a wet t-shirt, it’s forever burned into te brain cells. I’ll never close my eyes again for fear of seeing it more clearly.