The unification of Indy car racing has reached fruition...Now what?
It’s a good question. First, all parties deserve praise for swallowing their respective pride and trying to make this work, but will it?
First of all, I’m going to give them a pass this year. This is going to be messy and there will have to be a lot of give and take. There will be many problems. There isn’t much time until the season starts, so I think we have to hold our thoughts and give them a chance to make this work.
The first good thing is the return of  “bump” day to Indianapolis. The most compelling day in racing will have meaning again, now that there will be drivers fighting to run those four maxed-out laps to get into the race.
Some have hoped for turbochargers again. I vote no. All turbos do is add expense to the owners and stress the equipment. At last year’s Indy 500, not one car dropped out with mechanical failure. Remember one CART Michigan 500 when five cars finished?
I do wish they’d throw the engine-lease rule out and run 350-360 cubic-inch engines of any make, to lower costs and bring new interest to the series.
Fans who root for certain nameplates are lost since NASCAR’s cars aren’t true manufacturer’s products.
Indy-car racing needs drivers fans can relate to. The Indy gentry just doesn’t get it. I’m trying to figure out why so many say that CART’s 1990s era was so golden. They raced on a lot of tracks so narrow that no one could pass and few drivers had fan bases.
• NASCAR’s big plan years ago to give California Speedway the Labor Day date bombed so badly that it looks like Atlanta Motor Speedway will now get that holiday race. Gee, I have an idea. Switch California with Darlington Raceway, and let’s say, call it the Southern 500. Maybe it will catch on.
• I’m so sorry to lose another old friend, Tim Sullivan. I had the pleasure of working with him in the All-Star League and learned a lot from Tim. His impish Irish grin worked well for him.  It is also sad to report the loss of three fine New York State drivers Dick Clark, Bob Stelter and Bob Merz.
• Old friend Dick Fleck at Flecky@aol.com has a great Web site dedicated to retired racers.
• Lew Boyd has a great new book on Ed Otto, a pioneering promoter called NASCAR’s Silent Partner. Mr. Otto helped build NASCAR in the Northeast and backed many of Bill France, Sr.’s early efforts. As always, an interesting read. Coastal181.com can be reached for more information.
• Accepting vice-presidential drafts at 25 Emerson Place, Valley Stream, N.Y. 11580. Send e-mails to Racewri771@AOL.com.