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INDYCAR: Miller’s Watkins Glen Notebook
Written by: Robin Miller   
07/04/2009
Watkins Glen, NY
 
The two men in the charge of the Indy Racing League met with their car owners Saturday to reassure them it's business as usual even though Tony George no longer controls the checkbook.

"I thought it was a good meeting," said Jimmy Vasser, the 1996 CART champion who co-owns KV Racing with Kevin Kalkhoven. "I think everybody is confident we'll go forward."
1996 CART champ and KV Racing IndyCar team owner Jimmy Vasser walked away from Saturday's meeting with the new IRL/IMS brass feeling confident the series will go forward successfully. (LAT) ยป More Photos
Terry Angstadt, who runs the commercial side of IndyCar, addressed the media along with Brian Barnhart following their meeting with the owners.

"I'd call it a very positive meeting," Angstadt. "The Hulman-George family has made a tremendous investment (in the IndyCar series) and we received assurance from the IMS board they were pleased with the direction and management of the company.

"Brian (Barnhart) and I don't anticipate much of a change at all. Jeff Belskus and the IMS board assured us they would operate in a very similar manner."

Barnhart controls the competition side of IndyCar and Belskus is the new president and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, replacing George who was voted out of power by his three sisters in May.

Because George founded the IRL and subsidized it for 13 years with Hulman-George family funds, there has been much concern the IMS board would no longer suuply financial support.

"Brian and I met with the board three weeks ago and we were very favorably received, no resistance whatsoever," said Angstadt. "The three sisters ask questions and we showed them our annual plan and our five-year plan.

"If the results aren't positive, then they can make changes but right now we're beyond where we were asked to be and we're pretty pleased."

Concerning the perception the IRL is going away without George, Angstadt replied: "IndyCar is a lifelong thing Tony signed on for and he's still on the IMS board, he's still an owner in Hulman Company and he owns a race team.

"We understand there's been a shift here but Tony is going to be around for a long time."

George resigned as IRL president and CEO but Angstadt said nobody has assumed those titles but that he and Barnhart will report to Belskus, who has controlled the Hulman-George finances for many years.

"We've always submitted our budgets to Jeff and the IMS board and that will continue," said Angstadt.

PATRICK RULES AT AGR

Since unification in 2008, Danica Patrick has been part of the scenery on road courses and street circuits. But she drove right into the picture Saturday.

Patrick wound up eighth overall, only four-hundredths of a second out of the Fast Six and beat teammates Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti and Hideki Mutoh on the fast, challenging 3.4-mile road course.

"I was thinking that if you'd have told me this morning I only miss the Fast Six by a fraction of a second that's pretty good and I'd take it," said Patrick, who qualified 15th and 22nd earlier this season at St. Pete and Long Beach.

"Man, I was in a tough first group with Dario, Briscoe, T.K. and it was tough out there so I'm pretty happy. We tested here a couple weeks ago and
that definitely helped."

The 27-year-old dynamo was always quick in Atlantics on road courses but she's struggled since coming to IndyCar in 2005.

"I thought I'd feel more comfortable on road courses quicker than I did but a lot of these guys have a lot more road racing experience than I did and when I started in IndyCar we only three road and street circuits a year so it was difficult to stay sharp.

"But I feel like I'm finally on top of the car instead of it driving me."

Except for a second at Detroit in 2007, Patrick's best results have come on ovals an it's where she scored her victory (Japan) in 2008.

"There is nothing more satisfying than nailing a lap on a road course in an Indy car," she said. "I tend to run better on road courses than street circuits so I've got to do better in that area.

"But starting up front here is key and I think we've got a good race car."

MILWAUKEE OUT, LOUDON IN?

Angstadt acknowledged keeping Milwaukee on the schedule in 2010 is iffy but gave new hope for returning to Loudon and Cleveland could still be a possibility.

Claude Napier, the latest promoter at State Fair Park who lowered the ticket prices and drew the best crowd at Milwaukee this year in a decade, has laid off his entire staff and admitted he owes NASCAR al most $2 million.

"Milwaukee continues to be a challenge and it's getting worse," said Angstadt. "We hope to be able to keep it on the schedule but we're not sure."

Napier had a two-year option with IndyCar but, obviously, may be out of business at the second oldest oval in the country.

CART began racing at Loudon in 1993 before the IRL took over in 1996 but pathetic attendance finally forced the New Hampshire track to abandon open wheel racing. But Bruton Smith bought the track a few years ago, spent millions upgrading it and wants IndyCar on his annual card.

"We are clearly interested in that quarter," said Angstadt. "There are conversations and they will develop."

Cleveland was thought to be out of the picture for next year but it's returned to the radar the past two weeks.

CASTRONEVES STRUGGLES

Helio Castroneves has been on pole twice at The Glen but he's in some unfamiliar territory Sunday afternoon.

The three-time Indy 500 winner wound up 14th out of 21 cars.

"It was pretty frustrating because my car is much faster than where we wound up," said Castroneves. "We just didn't get up to speed as quick as we should have and then we couldn't get out late for one more lap.

"Starting 14th is going to make things very difficult."

Castroneves enters the race in fourth in the standings, 24 points behind leader Dario Franchitti. Until last year at The Glen, when his car broke just as time trials started, he had never qualified outside the Top 6 on a road course or street circuit.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, SPEED, FOX, or NewsCorp.
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