So Marlboro determined running in the IRL was more beneficial because of the impact of the Indianapolis 500. Penske Racing will compete in all Indy Racing League series races in 2002, in addition to the Indy 500.
A.J. Foyt, the first four-time Indy 500 winner as a driver, has often been at odds with Penske, but he has always had a deep respect for what the man has accomplished in racing. That is why he believes the addition of Marlboro Team Penske will only strengthen the IRL.
"I'm glad to see Roger come back," Foyt says. "I think he has realized how strong the IRL has become, and he has always known how important the Indianapolis 500 is. He knows that Indianapolis made Roger Penske what he is today, and it doesn't surprise me that he is back. I just wonder what took him so long."
For now, Haas will focus on CART and not run in the Indianapolis 500 in 2002. He is involved with Travis Carter in the NASCAR Winston Cup team that has Todd Bodine and Joe Nemechek as the drivers. His CART team includes drivers Christian Fittipaldi and da Matta. Haas has put a lot of his heart, soul and money into CART and remains loyal to the organization.
"The strongest asset CART has is the racing," Hass says. "The racing is competitive and great."
Other ChallengesCART and the Indy Racing League face one similar problem-keeping talented American drivers in open wheel racing, rather than leaving to join NASCAR Winston Cup for all its money and fame.
Robby Gordon scored his first Winston Cup win when he drove the Richard Childress Racing Lowe's Chevrolet to victory in the 2001 season-finale at Loudon, New Hampshire, last November. Prior to that, Gordon's last major win came in CART in 1995.
"I saw the leaves turning back in 1996," Gordon says. "Back then, I tried to make the Winston Cup deal work. I probably went in with too much desire and too much ambition for the team that I was with at the time. I had to take a step back. I knew that I could rebuild in CART because I had a lot of success there, and I could get back with a good team right away. I went back and helped develop the Toyota engine.
"As I was a team owner in CART, I was able to see where they were going, and I just thought with my age, where my career was heading, Winston Cup was the best place for me. I still enjoy watching CART races. I still respect those drivers, team owners and everybody there. CART has a niche and I think its niche is street races. I honestly think it needs to stick to the downtown, party, street events. We used to have races at Miami and Long Beach, Toronto and Vancouver-those are strong events it needs to build its series around now."
Providing exposure for drivers is a big attraction for any series trying to attract the best talent, and the IRL is in the best shape to do just that.
CART's long-time television partners at ABC and ESPN decided to continue its alliance with the Indy Racing League and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That forced CART to take a decidedly weaker deal. CART will purchase all of its airtime. A portion of the schedule will be televised on CBS with the rest on the Speed Channel, formerly known as SpeedVision.
The end result is that, while CART and Chris Pook look for ways to reverse CART's slide, the IRL has plenty of momentum to build on. Only time will tell if the IRL has enough momentum to run over CART once and for all.