The hubbub following one of the greatest indy 500's of all time is the attempt to ouster President and CEO of Indycar Randy Benard.Sure there have been other blogs, sports collums and editorials on this particular subject(Read Robin Miller's excellent thoughts on speed.com) Coming from a fans point of view, its disheartening to think that another civil war could happen. Growing up an racing fan, our families heart centered around stars like Unser,Mears,Foyt,Sneva,Johncock,Andretti,and Bettanhausen.Even the team owners like Penske, Pat Patrick, Archiero, Granitelli, Newman-Haas were names every racing fan was very familiar with. The racing amongst the drivers and teams was exciting, and had fans on the edge of their seats. For years that's the way it was, none of it was boring. Then in 1994, track owner Tony George felt that American drivers didn't have a chance of winning the indy 500, thus the indy racing league was born. Open wheel racing as we know it suffered tremendously due to the split between Champ Car and the IRL, and the popularity of other racing series increased. The IRL then developed its own chassis and engine regulations hoping to spark close racing and control costs, but fans grew disinterested in the idea of a spec series,and with foreign born drivers coming into the series; Tony George's entity turned into a shadow of its former self. Now we come to 2012. A new car and new engines were intended to spark excitement, and those changes gave fans one of the most exciting and exilerating indy 500 races in years, and the the reports of owners wanting to oust Randy is beyond anyone's thinking. At this time, strife should be the last thing on the minds of indycar owners if reports are to be believed. They must look at the future of open wheel racing and what can be done to save it against the popularity of the proverbial "800lbs gorilla"that is NASCAR . Look for more and.better ways to promote the stars, as well as the future drivers looking to make their mark in open wheel racing. Celebrate the stars of the past who made indy and open wheel racing what it is today, and look for ways to unite drivers, owners and fans. Because in this time of such uncertainty, racing fans need to have a place to relax and watch skilled craftsman apply their trade, not to see the indycars divide itself again.
