Article on Dario Franchitti and Indy 500

[bil588]

Is this part true?

Emerson Fittipaldi teed off the locals when he drank orange juice instead of the traditional milk after winning in 1989. Juan Pablo Montoya apparently didn’t have the right attitude after he breezed to victory in 2000. Even two-time winner Helio Castroneves gets the you-don’t-understand-our-race vibe on occasion. According to the anti-foreigners, it’s not a real Indy 500 unless an American wins it. Apparently the White House agrees with that sentiment, because it only invites American winners of the race to meet the president. Strange, indeed. Apparently that rule doesn’t apply to World Series or NBA champions.

http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/37722/

[JohnSSC]

I wouldn't know about how the locals felt about JPM, but I know how I felt about Emmo drinking the OJ! As much as I respect Emmo, the drinking of the OJ (produced, as I recall, by a company owned by Emmo) was probably the most annoying attempt at self-promotion after any race win that I have seen.

Yes, you could say "well, it was just OJ and not milk, big deal, who cares?" But it was the tradition behind it and the disrespect to that tradition that got under people's skin. When you see that drinking the milk is quite literally the first thing the driver does out of the car, you get an idea of just how "in your face" the orange juice was to the fans who were there and those of us who were watching on TV.

While the podium celebrations at F1 races have not always been structured as they are now, there is a "tradition" to them that fans expect the drivers to adhere to. If Driver X did something outside of the established tradition to suit his own business activities, I think a lot of folks would be (understandably) annoyed with that.

Dario really does seem to "understand" the nature of this race...

[rush1]

Originally Posted by bil588

Is this part true?

Emerson Fittipaldi teed off the locals when he drank orange juice instead of the traditional milk after winning in 1989. Juan Pablo Montoya apparently didn’t have the right attitude after he breezed to victory in 2000. Even two-time winner Helio Castroneves gets the you-don’t-understand-our-race vibe on occasion. According to the anti-foreigners, it’s not a real Indy 500 unless an American wins it. Apparently the White House agrees with that sentiment, because it only invites American winners of the race to meet the president. Strange, indeed. Apparently that rule doesn’t apply to World Series or NBA champions.

http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/37722/

I grew up in Indianapolis and am very happy to see some of the best drivers in the world compete at Indianapolis and in the IRL.

Having drivers from around the world adds to the value of the series, it doesn't detract from it. There is a segment of American racing fans who will only follow the domestic racing series (save one Columbian) called NASCAR. But many of these people know nothing about any other form of motorsport.

It is important to have some strong American personalities in the IRL however, obviously all but one of the races is held in the states. I hope that will change in the coming years.