See how easy it is to make things up then publish them? Yes, it COULD happen. Some day. Why? Because I said so.
One of the neat things about writing blogs, usually daily, is the tendency for events to write them for me. Wednesday provided a great example. The racing world was rocked by a report that Tony George had been ousted as CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. News and sports outlets far and wide picked up on the story:
“The controversial, ground-breaking, tumultuous 20-year reign of Tony George at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway appears to be over. SPEEDtv.com has learned George was voted out of power in a Tuesday night board meeting in Indianapolis.”
Soon after, the story began disappearing. Links no longer worked. The reason: A byline that said ‘Robin Miller.’ The same Robin Miller who has been fired from just about every job he has ever had. The same Robin Miller who has often articulated hatred of Tony George has clouded any sort of objectivity for years. He is a leader of aging, loud-mouthed cart-centric malcontents who refuse to budge from 1995 (or earlier) and do not really understand what Indy actually means.
Both Tony George and his mother refuted Miller in no uncertain terms. They are as close to the perfect source as you can get, and both said in so many words that Robin remains as full of crap as ever. As of this writing, Tony has the exact same jobs he did yesterday. I do not doubt responsibilities for management of various Hulman-George business entities can change from time to time, but I do not understand how that gets translated to Tony George being ‘ousted’ by anyone but Miller. The story that initially went up on Speed has been sanitized a couple of times, and includes the word ‘rumored.’
Here are some more rumors often used to make up cockamamie ‘news’ stories:
-Tony George’s sisters are concerned about the money being spent.
-Any amount said to have been spent, even though IMS/IRL are private entities whose finances are not public knowledge and are not shared.
-There is a rift among family members. Even if that might be true, that family is great at keeping laundry in the hamper. That is one of the things that makes Robin’s meanderings amusing.
That kind of nonsense then finds its way into mainstream media, where lots of people then begin looking stupid. I listened to Miller for a while on WNDE online Wednesday, and he not only defended the tossing of his crap against a wall, but told people to watch it stick. I have never heard so many idiots on both sides of a microphone in a long time.
Here is the cruel reality Tony-hating flat-earthers like Miller will never comprehend: The world has changed, and most of those pining for previous decades have chosen to get left behind. Indy Racing does not care about increasingly elderly whiners. It wants and needs people younger than 40. It is doing a pretty good job, finally, of going for that. Efforts have not gone far enough, however.
Although the 500 beat the 600, ratings for both are off. NASCAR has gone for the lowest common denominator for years, but people are evidently growing tired of the product. That train wreck reality series, John and Kate Plus 8, drew almost 10 million viewers for its season premier. Why? Tabloid rumors either he and/or she were using their genitalia with people to whom they are not married. Perhaps the Indy Car Series ought to float rumors to tabloids that appeal to trashy millions: Danica is getting carnal with someone like, say, sharply dressed Charles the big boned bouncer who follows IRL folks around to prevent problems. Set Danica’s hubby up with her more mammary blessed little sister. Those rumors alone ought to be good for attracting another 5 or 6 million ADD-afflicted idiots.
There is plenty to complain about with regard to Indy Racing. It is a lot more boring now than ever and there are ways to fix that. I disagree with jumping to wild conclusions not based in fact as Miller does a lot. That is the job of idiots who run and contribute to Internet forums. And Robin Miller.
Defender of IndyCar 
I have to go with Robin on this, he has a direct connect inside the IMS
Editors note: Family member or lawyer? Will the remaining board members find and plug the ‘leak?’
you think for one moment that this is made up? there are serious problems in the hulman-george clan, and i suspect that Tony will be out soon. the issue is that they need the irl to have the 500. but the irl is such a money pit b/c of Tony’s gamble in ’96. now they (the hulman’s) have to fund a racing league. and i haven’t even mentioned the money lost on F1 (track, pagoda, pits, suites, etc..), another smooth move. when mary passes away look for the sisters to sell the ims.
Editor’s note: The only thing I ever see is speculation, mostly borne of hostility and ignorance. No one, including Miller, has presenting anything except more of the same. When I woke up this morning, Tony had the same job he did yesterday. People who claim to just know all about the inner workings of the Hulman-George family always amuse me.
Robin’s credibility took a big, big hit because of this story. People can rationalize it all they want, but the plain fact is that the story he ran was wrong!
Turns out, not so much.
When was the last time Robin Miller has ANY credibility?????
Everybody should read Cavin’s article from this morning. Now THAT is journalism. Plus, it means Miller’s story could be true, but it’s reported in a much more sensible way.
Hey Defender… How does your life supply of Hulman-George Kool-Aid taste? Your HATE for Robin Miller has obviously warped your viewing of the facts. SI’s Bruce Martin reported the same basic story Miller did, yet you pi$$ only on Robin! Curt Cavin has a story this morning that has similar themes… are THREE Indy beat writers BS’ing the racing world with this story?
PDaddy’s opinion about the $$$ put out for the IRL & the F1 race are valid (& draw from many FACTS). Add the NASCRAP race in August having issues & its not insane to speculate that the IMS board would be having trouble with the man in charge. People bring this up & you ramble on about “hostility & ignorance” Great! Resort to name calling as opposed to actually addressing the valid points PD raised. Notice that the 5 comments posted here have only one “Robin Miller HATER” agreeing with you.
Hey H.B. Notice that Robin’s bio @ SPEEDtv.com tells everyone he flunked out of Ball State… he’s a guy who loves AOWR & cobbles together columns to make a buck. IMO what he lacks in journalistic style he makes up for with a no BS, straight forward, approach. A lot of what passes for “journalism” these days are glorified puff pieces, written from team press releases. I’ll take a guy who will take a chance & offer a strong opinion…
& that goes for you too Defender. I disagree with a majority of what you write, but I respect you for having the stones to actually WRITE & then STAND BY those opinions. You are obviously also a race fan so I gotta like that too!!!
Editor’s note: I do not really have a problem with the speculation being bantered, but to spin it a certain way and call it news is indicative of the lack of ethics that has seen him fired several times. He is no different than any other idiot on the Internet. If he wants to give me a real story I need names and numbers that can be verified. Not National Enquirer-type speculation and innuendo citing unnamed sources.
Dear Defender,
Good for you on this one pal. Your title to this post really hit the point. No, Miller hasn’t been fired, but hey, why not say it, seeing that apparently anything can be posted on the web these days!
I’ll make no secret of the fact that even though I follow your weblog on a near daily basis, I often find you musing to be a bit harsh.
This one however, I agree with you. I was particularly pleased to see that you openly admitted the ICS is currently “boring.” I agree. My god, ovals used to be a blast! What the hell has happened? Let’s be honest….4 races in…..St. Pete has been the most exciting race of the season. Seriously……Note, I’ve never been a Kansas Speedway guy, but when St. Pete garners more excitement than Indy, “Houston….we have a problem!”
More to the point, I have serious issues, (like all of us) with TG, but let’s not jump to conclusions everytime RM writes a story!!!! By the way…..Kanaan didn’t go to Target Chip Ganassi Racing either!
He is no different than any other idiot on the Internet. If he wants to give me a real story I need names and numbers that can be verified. Not National Enquirer-type speculation and innuendo citing unnamed sources.
Really? What about the other “idiot” from SI?? What about Calvin covering much of the same vibe in his column in the Star??? Where is your outrage for what they wrote???? I don’t recall Woodward & Bernstein revealing their sources for their Watergate story… Not comparing Miller to those guys, but a lot of investigative journalism is not going to have a source available for press conferences. I agree Miller acts more like a NE reporter than W&B… but ironically BOTH groups have a way of bringing out degrees of truth (in select cases…)
Editor’s note: Woodward and Bernstein had ethics. Miller does not fall into that category.
So, are we to believe that the IMS are the only organization addressing the effects of the economy?
All tracks, ISC, SMI and otherwise, not to mention all other racing organizations are facing the same situation in this economy, perhaps worse.
The real issue should not be those who are actually addressing the situation, but those who are going on as if nothing can effect them.
You make me laugh Defender. You expect Robin to list his sources in the article. Now that is funny. If he spills his sources, then he no longer has them. You really are a stupid mother*$#@er.
Editor’s note: Woodward and Bernstein had ethics. Miller does not fall into that category.
Funny… you still haven’t addressed how the SI reporter & to some extent the Star’s Curt Calvin reached similar conclusions in their stories. Miller is void of “ethics” & the two national journos get kudos for their “ethics”??? HMMM interesting. I would say I’m having issues understanding your logic here…. but it obvious you hate Miller & ANYTHING that comes from him would be dismissed by you as 1st class BS. Do you believe Robin had a nice lil’ meeting with SI, the Star, & himself before launching this story???
Editor’s note: Tony is still CEO. His family says he will remain in that position. That seems to contradict all the speculation out there by people who have neither attended board meetings nor seen any financial data. Just sayin’….
Editor’s note: Tony is still CEO. His family says he will remain in that position. That seems to contradict all the speculation out there by people who have neither attended board meetings nor seen any financial data. Just sayin’….
Defender… my former biz was automotive /design. BMW took a ton of s#*t over the direction of BMW design a few years back… they eventually “promoted” Chris Bangle out of his design job Gave him more $$$ but took design decisions out of his hands(& he left BMW earlier this year). Ford’s J. Mays still has the his Design VP title but most insiders at Ford says Mays got “Bangled” due to others having final word on Ford Design under current CEO Alan Mulally.
My point is corporations & BoD’s play all sort of games & create a variety of public appearances. Miller, Martin, & Calvin all had elements in their stories that seemed to paint Tony as “Bangled”. Still CEO on paper …but with his teeth & claws removed. Miller might also scan these blogs because his latest SPEEDtv article mentions Woodward & Bernstein (& you wanting him to make his sources public.
Editor’s note: All of the owners published a unified note of public support for Tony George this weekend. Many of you seem to be rubbing two sticks together at a rather furious pace trying to add fire to all that hot air you view as smoke. All these cockamamie conspiracy theories are kinda funny.
The George family business is more than the IMS… & since Tony has bankrolled the IRL + many smaller teams…
… is it really a surprise they would sign a letter of support? Just trivial symbolism & meaningless to anyone on the Hulman-George BoD’s. Again you avoid addressing questions or facts presented to you by throwing out your own questions & creating more “spin” . Care to link the actual news story of this unified owner support of Tony (since you wanted Robin Miller to document his sources…)??
Gosh Defender, you are right, we are all just grasping. All the owners are 100% behind George and so is the IMS board. All because they said so.
“Robin Miller fired from SPEED TV”? What the hell is that? How can you compare what Miller does with what you just did? Miller is a journalist with well over 30 years experience if recruiting sources, checking his facts, and writing articles and columns that have been far more accurate than not. Remember when he wrote about Champ Car’s disorganization about upcoming dates just a couple of years ago at Spring Training at Laguna Seca? That pissed of CCWS to the degree of firing Miller from his job as writer for their website. But he wasn’t wrong, was he? If he reported about the alledged ouster of Tony George at IMS, even if a bit early, he’s earned the benefit of the doubt to see how it plays out. And if you read the IMS press releases carefully and listen to TG in the impromptu press conference just outside the speedway last week, nobody actually denied that TG was on his way out as CEO at IMS, they all just said that TG was “still” CEO of IMS and the IRL, which is technically accurate. Notice no one is slapping Robin Miller with a lawsuit? Give this story a some time and see what happens. What you did at the top of this page was tell a bold faced lie. If Miller and SPEEDTV.com see that you wrote that, you could be in some legal trouble yourself.
Editor’s note: I doubt Speed will waste time on a blogger, especially one who always explains the joke to those who won’t get it. Miller has done the sport no good for years and has character and ethics issues. If there is fire with the smoke he says exists let’s have a reputable reporter lay it out. Hopefully we’ll get more than innuendo by the way of the Krisiloff family or wherever the supposed leak is leaking. Just once I would like the critics to lay out a perceived solution instead of some perceived problem. The only thing Miller is really good at is bitching like a twelve year old girl. It got old a long time ago. Those of us who respect the purity of the sport and the institution understand there is a better way to get through life other than slithering.
It appears Robin Miller was right all along and had the inside story! Will we see an apoligy and the return of Miller’s job??????? No that doesn’t happen around the IMS, where even murders get covered up.
Editor’s note: Welcome to juvenile, cackling, immature idiot number two of the evening.
Where are those who so strongly criticized the reporting — who cares about his opinion — but the reporting of Robin Miller…perhaps this story shoud be pulled.
Editor’s note: Why? I still believe he is mentally imbalanced and incredibly bad for the sport.
Note to editor: Miller bad for the sport? Do you mean like Tony George was?
Editor’s note: All depends on the myopia and prejudice of the fair weather ‘fans.’ I have always taken a broader view of the sport. I first walked through the gates before Tony George was born. What we have in progress is an evolutionary phase. Real fans of Indy Car evolve with the sport and always work to make it better. You might consider shelving your hate and take a more adult approach.
Note to Editor: I love that your only response to criticism is to pretend that the person is immature when your the one who insists on calling someone you don’t know personally as ‘mentally imbalanced’. Time to face the facts, you bashed Robin Miller to death in your above rants and you were completely wrong. Just be a man about it and admit that you were wrong and without taking further jabs at Robin Miller.
And as for your theory that Indy Racing needed to evolve, perhaps with George gone it can evolve because it just spent 12 years going backwards. Maybe it’s time for you to open your eyes and realize the amount of damage that has been done to what was once a premier sport. If TG did not own IMS then the IRL would’ve died after it’s first year and open-wheel racing would still be strong.
Editor’s note: All Robin Miller did was repeat gossip anonymously he picked up from members of the Krisiloff family. He misrepresented a number of items. Essentially some of the dung stuck. Why would he deserve ‘credit’ for something like that? If there were actual reporters out there we would get the real story. Right now all we have is ‘see I told you so’ from Miller and some sycophants. Not really any different from a TMX-style piece. Sleazy. This could be a time Miller could shine, but he won’t. When will the cart centric idiots stop blaming their perception of failure on Tony George and work to better the sport? Those who continuously screech about ‘years of failure’ do not understand the first thing about Indy Car racing.
So Robin Miller was right. And you are the shrill one with a serious dent in your credibility.
Editor’s note: I am a blogger who expresses opinions, mostly just to laugh at the overreaction of people who are rarely able to combine reading ability with reading comprehension. I have never been fired for ethics issues from several jobs in a row. I do not throw dung at walls on a fairly regular basis to see if it sticks then get paid for it. I have supported the sport in multiple forms with my feet, arse, wallet and brain. So go ahead and question my credibility all you want, pal. Do you really believe what any blogger says is erally important? If you feel strongly enough to point out what you believe to be true, it’s you that has the issues.
Note to Editor: Without the internet your words would never see the light of day. Because there is no peer review for blogs you merely need to pay your monthly fees and can say anything you want, without backing up facts and no worries of losing your job. Robin Miller does not need the democracy of the internet to be read and appreciated. People are willing to pay to hear his opinion.
Editor’s note: You, and others, seem to be hanging on my every word. Too funny.
As a bona fide Tony George hater I was ecstatic to hear the news that he’s been stripped of his weapons and Robin Miller was right all along (as we all knew he would be). Tony George will go down in history as the man who ruined open-wheel racing in North America. His lust for power was his undoing and unfortunately he took down one of the most exciting racing series in the world with him. The only thing left to wish for is that his racing team goes bankrupt. Let’s hope his mother lives a very long life, she’s obviously a very intelligent and patient woman.
Long after this chain started I came across it searching for something else. I realize these comments are untimely. Nevertheless, the point is as valid as if it had been made long ago.
Tony George believed in people like defender. He thought there were so many of these people that those race fans who liked road racing, sports cars, Road America, etc. AND ovals could be kicked aside and a series could grow and prosper.
Because of the various realities that drive this market, the IRL is now essentially what CART was then. So all this time and money was spent, the sport suffered and nothing was accomplished. Back then, all IMS had to do was run one race and make a boat load of money. CART took care of everything else and kept the teams and the series going.
CART made some terrible mistakes, primarily in selecting poor leaders and trying to run the business like a co-op, instead of selecting a strong, talented leader and letting him/her run it properly.
Tony George was convinced he could plant greener grass. I’m not sure it was his ego or power quest. I think people convinced him this was necessary. The idea, if you remember, was not to go forward but to go back to the “good old days”. Instead, they went around in circles and the Hulman people paid dearly. Now they have essentially the same product but instead of CART running it for them, they are footing the bill. Do you blame them for making a change?
Editor’s Note: The single most amusing aspect of ‘the split’ is the notion that Tony George, ridiculed for virtually everything he has ever done, somehow managed to accomplish the killing of cart. That notion is even more funny than the stupid, pointless, immature hissy fit cart apologists have thrown since 1995. If cart was as special as its Kool-Aid slurping sycophants make it out to be (they are mostly full of crap in that regard; I watched and attended as much then as I do now when they existed) then how on earth could it have killed itself so completely? I guess it’s good for the cart apologists that Tony George is out. Does this mean they will stop acting like two year old children for a change?
IRL, Cart, makes no difference. The leaders say they are race fans. Are they? They are fans of the almighty dollar.
The Great American race since 1911 is as unamerican as it can get. The only thing American is the Historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Chassis, Engines and Drivers are all Foreign.
Give it back to USAC, Exclusive Oval Track Racing using stretched out Silver Crown Cars with American Engines and American Drivers as it once was. It filled the seats back then, it can do it again with the amount of Real Talant right here in the USA from the Sprint and Midget Ranks of the Great American Sport.
Looking back, you must feel pretty stupid. Seems like your hatred towards Miller would not let you see clearly. TG is gone, RM is still printing the truth.
Editor’s Note: Why would I feel stupid? Miller has done more damage to the sport since 1996 than any other single media person. That is a real shame. Given his experience he should have been more professional over the years. He is to racing what Raid is to household insects.
Indy car spec racer. What happened to true sport. I’m an old crewdog but my sister who follows Indy’s for Indy’s sake was blown away when I told her, her beloved brand had to be honda. She said ”WHAT” I know it’s’hard times but at least call it what it is. SRI {spec racer indy}
ROBIN WAS RIGHT AGAIN!!!
Indy car does it again from the excitement at Kansas to the ridiculous at Canada. Indy cars need to stick to ovals Hence the name the Indy the oval at Indianapolis
How do the Robin Miller excusers explain that he was fired from the Star due to UNETHICAL behavior. Including using his articles as a propaganda sheet for CART which was PAYING him to produce pro CART propaganda. And using the papers email to send out porn.