One might be excused for assuming that Donald Trump had taken over the auto racing industry last week, as cries of "You're Fired" echoed from Indianapolis to Charlotte.
First, Robin Miller broke the story of a family board meeting that apparently ousted Tony George from his presidency of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to free up his time so he could concentrate on the Indy Racing League. George has reportedly spent in the neighborhood of $600 million since 1995, propping up the IRL and building a Formula 1 road course at Indy.
George has denied the report, but his mother, Mari Hulman George, issued a statement that could be interpreted as a confirmation of Tony's new status.
Then, in a move sure to be applauded by many Junior Nation fans, Tony Eury Jr., was let go as crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt has only scored one points race victory in 48 races since the pair moved to the Hendrick organization last year, and Rick Hendrick finally lost patience with the team's performance. Team manager Brian Whitesell will be atop Junior's pit box this weekend at Dover and Lance McGrew will take over next weekend until a permanent replacement is found. Eury Jr. will work with the Hendrick research and development team.
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Local racer Bobby Hodges scored his first Late Model win last weekend at All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif.
Hodges finished second in the first of the WestCar Magnum 44 Twin races, and came back to take the win in the nightcap. Hodges, with U.S. Marine Corps graphics on the car in honor of Memorial Day, got almost as emotional as Indy winner Helio Castroneves. "With about five laps to go I knew he had nothing for us and I started crying out there," Hodges said. He hopes the victory will turn around what has so far been a tough season.
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Congratulations are in order to the aforementioned Castroneves, who joined a very select group of three-time Indy winners last Sunday. After facing potential jail time on an income tax evasion charge just weeks earlier, the victory was vindication for the Penske Racing team member.
The race also demonstrated that the IRL has some work to do if they are to regain the series' reputation for close finishes. The aero package currently in use gives the leader a huge advantage, as was seen throughout the race, no matter who was leading. The winning strategy became a race to be the first out of the pits for a restart.
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David Reutimann and Michael Waltrip Racing also deserve congratulations for their first victory in Sprint Cup competition after a strategic call put Reutimann in the lead when the race was rained out after 278 of the scheduled 400 laps. The win had fans in many quarters calling for NASCAR to change the rules on pitting for a rain caution, but Reutimann's team won it fair and square under the current regulations.
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Last weekend I attended what was undoubtedly the most bizarre motorsports event in all my years of involvement in racing.
It was the Going for Broken round of the 10-race 24 Hours of LeMons series for $500 cars. I ran into an old acquaintance, Jeff Glenn, a former professional driver who is one of the organizers of the event. I was told that there were more than 200 entries for the race, but only 110 were accepted. That's still a lot of cars, even on at three-mile road course. Creativity was a big part of the selection process, and there was lots of that. I saw cars with odd paraphernalia decorating the roofs, including a full-size horse and rider on the "Phony Express" entry.
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There were VW Rabbits that looked like rabbits, a "Mad Max" car, a pirate ship, and crews dressed to match their cars, including three Elvis impersonators (two male, one female). Imagine "Endurance Racing Meets Burning Man." Anyway, I have somebody already interested in building a car for next year, and I've got four or five co-drivers ready to sign up. If you want to get in on the fun, check out www.24hoursoflemons.com/ and start cruising the junkyards for a suitable vehicle.