ALMS is dead!?!?!

[paul-collins]

So Brock Yates thinks that the Rubbin' is Racin' crowd is about to rediscover sportscars:

While I am obliged to maintain a confidence. I have it on excellent authority that one of Detroit’s Big Three will enter Grand-Am competition in 2003 with a factory team and privateers. ...

Too many observers of this sport witlessly accept simple statistics, i.e. car counts, star drivers, TV exposure, sponsor support, etc. as measurements of success. But the real muscle lies within the shadowy precincts of the conference rooms and motor coaches manned by such powerful figures as Tony George, Bill France Jr., Bernie Ecclestone, Roger Penske, Chip Ganassi and the tobacco company execs and television moguls...
-Brock Yates, Speed TV

First off, the Ford Focus is going to kill interest in privateer Audis and factory Bentleys?

Secondly, car counts, star drivers, TV exposure, and sponsor support don't count? Wait, it's not the actual exposure and support, it's the potential support in trailers. I see.

Third, the GT40 project is not going to have a racing program while the Focus is? (Yeah, right)

Fourth, rumours about Rahal count for nothing while non-existent rumours about Ganassi do?

Finally, tobacco? What about Factory efforts from all over the world, in theory including the North America Big Three? (Well, at least Ford and Chrysler - as much as I love the Corvette, GM hasn't a clue when it comes to motorsport.) The strength of the ALMS is that these factories are already racing at LM. Are the factories going to put together cars to run Daytona?