Paul Newman Interview

[Fogelhund]

Originally posted by jjspierx
Its not like there families are going to starve because they chose to stick with the wrong series.

So it's your assertion that sticking with OWRS/CART would have been sticking with the wrong series?

[Kicking-back]

It's not the families of Roger Penske, Chip Ganassi and Michael Andretti who'd starve if the teams went bust - it's the families of their many employees.

They had a business decision to take, and they made it.

[JohnSSC]

My concern for those folks is not a "sudden" thing! Yeah, Floyd is never going to starve and never was going to as his dad did pretty well for himself. But there is more to the team than the principals - those folks are fortunate to be able to do what they love but it is a precarious existence. If the decision comes down to closing the doors to remain loyal to a Series or to move to a new Series and remain open, I would prefer to see everyone remain employed!

Remaining in business often means having to adjust your focus in order to remain viable.

[indycool]

Rahal has Danica Patrick running in Atlantics, owned by OWRS, and an IRL team. Ganassi has a NASCAR team, an IRL team and a Grand Am team. Penske has an IRL team an a NASCAR team. Haas had a car in this year's Indianapolis 500, has two cars in OWRS and has dabbled through the years with a NASCAR team. Now Mario and Michael Andretti are talking about an effort in next year's Rolex 24 at Daytona. John Andretti, Robby Gordon and Tony Stewart have all done "doubles" with Indy and Charlotte. Recently, Dale Earnhardt Jr., ran an ALMS race at Infineon. Danny Lasoski runs IROC. It's all about what people want to do and what money they can find to do it with.....not unlike an employed plumber who wants to open his own business or the guy or gal who puts mail in your mailbox every day. This hatefulness about people switching racing series doesn't exist in other forms of human life, where hundreds of thousands of decisions like these are made every day.

[lnin0]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
If you run a business, you take the best opportunities to strengthen it, or at very least ensure its survival.

Teams who moved from Champ Car to Indy Car for money should not be criticised for that.

Im glad you feel that way. You boss just called and your job is moving to Indonesia where you will be replaced by a 14 year old girl making $0.45 an hour.

[Snrub]

LOL. Nice stuff. I haven't seen you post before Inin0. Welcome aboard!

[indycool]

Welcome aboard, but lousy stuff.....doesn't mean bleep in this program.

[Kicking-back]

Originally posted by lnin0
Im glad you feel that way. You boss just called and your job is moving to Indonesia where you will be replaced by a 14 year old girl making $0.45 an hour.

Er, the teams who moved from one series to another actually managed to save their workforce's jobs.

I don't see the relevance of this point whatsoever.

[lnin0]

The point is if your only loyalty is to the almighty dollar then what kind of man are you?

I think Paul said it best, "You can only put away so much stuff in your closet". The guys involved in this are not financially struggling so don't throw out that **** about "they have families". They are doing it plain and simply because they are greedy. Period.

[indycool]

Whoa up there, IninO.

These guys may well have been loyal to their business, loyal to their sponsors, loyal to their manufacturer supporters and loyal to their employees. Because they may not have been loyal to, or have confidence in, The Three Amigos to be loyal to and build their enterprise in the manner they wishes is their opinion and action to make and take, and theirs alone. And their reasons for their loyalty to others are their own business, however Gentilozzi sees it.

[JohnSSC]

I was going to try to say something insightful here, but Indycool hit the nail on the head!

When you look at some of these teams that have left though, consider that many of them support multiple drivers in multiple series. Look how many different teams Ganassi fields, for example. Whether you like them or not, there are a lot of drivers and by extension a lot of mechanics/engineers working because of that.

[Kicking-back]

Indeed. These are businesses - they'll go where it proves profitable.

Ganassi may be a rich man, but he wouldn't be for long if he had to pay all his teams costs out of his own pocket.

[Snrub]

JohnSSC, I really don't think the "people's jobs" points are well taken in that situation. When Ganassi chose to go to the IRL it wasn't like his team was in serious jepordy. I'll agree that having a 8 figure cheque in your pocket means your employees are more secure, but utlimately he could switch over at any time if it ment he was going to have to start paying out of pocket.

It's also one thing to not pay things out of pocket, it's another to want to make beyond that. To the likes of Ganassi the "beyond that" is somewhat small potatos to what he's worth.

Let me put it this way: You're worth a fair bit and have several businesses. You're a lemonade fanatic so you start up a lemonade stand for fun. Clearly you're not expecting to enrich yourself with this venture, but you want it to succeed. As time passes the business becomes quiet successfull (relative to the small revenue). Suddenly the bottom drops out and the lemonade stand is no longer giving you return on your investment, but it's not losing money. Do you shut it down and take that capital and put it in another business? You don't like prune juice, but you know that if you switch over to it, you'll get a better ROI, although not as good as the lemonade stand produced in it's best day. To me it seems pointless to bail.

I'm not saying Ganassi needed to be like Forsythe when he owned 1/3 of CART shares and is now subsidizing the series, but I don't see the point of trying to make pocket change out of what is essentially your hobby.

[indycool]

Snrub, the possible flaw in your analogy is you're assuming a dislike/absolute hatred of prune juice.

[Mags]

Originally posted by indycool
Snrub, the possible flaw in your analogy is you're assuming a dislike/absolute hatred of prune juice.

I hate prune juice!

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally posted by Mags
I hate prune juice!

BTW, Mags....

What was the scuttlebutt from Vancouver???

any news or items of interest we should look forward to reading on RFM???

Or were you at Portland this past weekend???

[Kicking-back]

She was at Portland, Tim.

[Mags]

I was at BOTH!!!

[Tim Northcutt]

Since you were at BOTH...

What's the scuttlebutt in both Series????

[Mags]

And, the crowds at the Vancouver Indy were only 2nd to the highest they had ever had; well over 158,000 (all 3 days). While I wasn't there race day my friends were that have been there all 15 years and they said the place was jammed to the rafters. Every stand was packed; general admission was crunched, and a great time was had by all. And with a Canadian winning, well, the place went wild. No one moved from the stands until well after Paul was presented with his trophy; the whole place sang the National Anthem with pride; it was, as usual, a fantastic event.

to the Vancouver fans for, as usual, putting on the greatest street race on the map. You have to come here to appreciate it.

[Kicking-back]

Vancouver has such an appreciative crowd, if only the organisers got a track layout that allowed for good racing.

[Tim Northcutt]

Sounds like a great weekend.....

Since you weren't there Race Day, tell me...

Did JJ make contact with Butch at Portland???

It did not look like it on TV...I don't think it was worth the penalty he drew....

It was racing....

IMO, anyway...

[Mags]

YES!!! 2 TIMES!!!! 2 black flags and BOTH were earned. The first put Butch in the sand and the second turned him around. He was driving like he had to come from dead last to win the championship! It was nuts!

[indycool]

They announced three-day attendance at Vancouver of 2-3 thousand less than before. If that even matters, sounds like folks had a good time.

[Liz]

The Portland race was outstanding too, although it was a little more like a Touring Car race than you'd normally expect. Some people thought it was hot, too. Not us people from Atlanta.

P.S. As regards the "I have a family" riff -- I quit cheering for the Rangers when Theo Fleury said he deserted Calgary for them because "I can't live on $7 million a year -- I have a family to think about ... "

I hold in equal contempt the basketball player who wondered with great sincerity how anyone could live on $3 million per year...

These people need to work at the 7/11, which is what their other talents suit them for, for about five years and get a little perspective.