Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 4, 1995 TAG: 9508040057
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: INDIANAPOLIS LENGTH: Medium
Now that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a NASCAR track, IMS president Tony George is planning changes to make it more in line with what NASCAR fans expect.
``The NASCAR fans are used to seeing all the way around the tracks, for the most part,'' he said. ``We're trying to
make plans for the future so that in the next couple of years, we'll get some big-screen TVs - some Jumbotron TVs - in place in various spots around the track so the spectators can follow the action all the way around.
``There's nothing we can do about the configuration of the race track to make it more spectator friendly or to make it what [NASCAR fans] are accustomed to. So we do what we can.''
George said that while there were no serious glitches in staging last year's inaugural race, ``this second year has gone much smoother. We've built and developed good relationships with our five major sponsors, the broadcast ratings far exceeded everybody's expectations and I think we will continue to try and make improvements to a facility that will now accommodate two races.''
George said the inaugural Brickyard 400 ``certainly lived up to my expectations. I think everybody was uncertain how things would go and maybe had some nervousness about it. But I think it went very well.''
It went very well indeed, with a rare 73-degree day supplanting the typical hot and humid Indiana summer weather.``I was very pleased and relieved when I woke up [last year] to such a glorious morning and felt blessed that we were going to have a perfect day for our first race,'' George said.
``We were blessed with great weather and a pretty good race and I think we'll be a little bit better prepared this year,'' George said.
But George is not expecting the same atmospheric luck this year. The forecast for Saturday's race calls for a chance of thundershowers early in the day with temperatures in the low 80s.
``It's going to be a different set of circumstances this year, so everyone will have to adjust,'' said George. ``Things can get pretty hot and this can be a very demanding track. And it will be a `survival of the fittest' I am sure.''
George said he sees a long future for the Brickyard 400.
``There are no guarantees in life, but hopefully it will continue to be successful and it will be a race that fans and competitors want to come to. We'll do our best to ensure that.''
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB