May 24, 2021
The starting grid is set for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 this Sunday, and what better way to get ready than with a look back at the divisive battle between two competing sanctioning bodies that almost decimated the sport of open-wheel IndyCar racing - and even "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" itself.
Veteran motorsports reporter John Oreovicz ("Indy Split: The Big-Money Battle That Nearly Destroyed Indy Racing") joins the podcast to help us better understand the political infighting that has plagued the sport since the late 1970s - most notably the schismatic 12-year "split" from 1996-2007 between CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams) and the Indy Racing League - the lingering effects of which still threaten to undermine the sport's future.
At the heart of all of it has been the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway - open-wheel's undisputed center of gravity for more than a century - and now, along with a recombined IndyCar Series, boasts new ownership (racing industry legend Roger Penske) that aims to again harmonize the sport into a viable and vibrant future.