Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[High Speed, High Fashion: Izod secures deal as IndyCar title sponsor]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/08/high-speed-high-fashion-izod-secures-deal-as-indycar-title-spo/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/08/high-speed-high-fashion-izod-secures-deal-as-indycar-title-spo/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/08/high-speed-high-fashion-izod-secures-deal-as-indycar-title-spo/#commentsFiled under: ,



New beginnings demand new threads, and that's just what the reunited IndyCar Series has gained with the announcement that clothing label Izod has become the league's new title sponsor.

The deal, which runs through 2015, is reportedly worth in the neighborhood of $10 million per year. Renaming the racing league as the Izod IndyCar Series, it forms part of a broad sports sponsorship initiative by parent company Phillips-Van Heusen which recently secured naming rights to the New Jersey Nets arena and the NFL Pro Hall of Fame. Last year, Izod began making inroads into Indy racing by sponsoring driver Ryan Hunter-Reay while securing a deal to become the official clothier for the IRL and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Izod's partnership with the league marks the first time the open-wheel series has had a title sponsor since search engine Northern Light withdrew in 2001. The clothing label is planning an aggressive advertising campaign, which promises to help both parties increase their visibility, an element that IndyCar desperately needs in order to step out of NASCAR's shadow and back into prominence as a premier racing series. Details in the press release after the jump.

[Source: IZzod IndyCar Series]

Continue reading High Speed, High Fashion: Izod secures deal as IndyCar title sponsor

High Speed, High Fashion: Izod secures deal as IndyCar title sponsor originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's the end of an era for open-wheel racing in America as Indy chief Tony George has stepped down from his post. The long-time president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, George was widely seen as the impetus for the 1996 split in Indy racing that created the Indy Racing League (IRL) and the rival Champ Car series (formerly known as CART), but he was also instrumental in fostering the merger of the two championships into the new IndyCar Series over which he's presided.

During his nearly two-decade tenure as the head of the famous race track, George also brought NASCAR, Formula One and MotoGP to the speedway for the first time, vastly expanding the calendar of events at the iconic venue. However, elements within the Hulman-George company that controls the business were concerned with the amount of resources their chief executive put into the reintegrated IndyCar Series and recently asked him to reorganize the company, but Tony evidently decided to step down instead. He'll be focusing his energies on the Vision Racing team which he fields in the series, while the job he vacates will be split into two: CFO Jeffrey G Belskus will take the reins at the speedway, while chief legal counsel W Curtis Brighton will oversee the operation of the series.

[Source: Autosport | Image: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty]

BREAKING: Indy chief Tony George reportedly resigns originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Brickyard Crossing Inn came to be known as the Speedway Motel, and back when it was built 45 years ago, there wasn't another hotel in sight. Now there are 30,000 hotel rooms in the vicinity -- many of them much, much newer -- and it's been decided by the powers at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that the Speedway Motel just doesn't have a place in the modern world. After a year of deliberations, they concluded that bringing the establishment up to modern standards would simply cost too much, so the hotel has been closed and its fifteen workers sent home for good. Our guess is that turning it into a museum where Paul Newman's Winning was filmed, Jeff Gordon ate pizza to celebrate his 1994 win at the Brickyard 400, and a number of unmentionables happened simply wasn't compelling enough. The building will be razed in a few months (sparing the pub, restaurant, and pro shop), and nothing new, as yet, is planned.

[Source: Motor Trend | Photo: MotelPostcards.com]

Indy's legendary Speedway Motel closes originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 13:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brickyard crossing innBrickyardCrossingInnimsindianapolis motor speedwayIndianapolisMotorSpeedwaylifestylemotorsportsspeedway motelSpeedwayMotelSun, 21 Dec 2008 13:12:00 EST<![CDATA[Indy seeks return of U.S. Grand Prix for 2009]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/19/indy-seeks-return-of-u-s-grand-prix-for-2009/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/19/indy-seeks-return-of-u-s-grand-prix-for-2009/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/19/indy-seeks-return-of-u-s-grand-prix-for-2009/#commentsFiled under: , ,

American fans of Formula One, take heart: Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George is pushing to bring the U.S. Grand Prix back to Indy for 2009.

The race was taken off the calendar after George and F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone failed to come to a financial agreement, but while other sites have been touted as alternative venues for the American round of grand prix racing, the speedway remains the only one ready to host without the need for any further modifications. All George needs at this point is the cash, and he's enlisted the services of local marcom firm Just Marketing to find a title sponsor for the race that would help raise the funds to secure the event for next year's calendar.

[Source: GrandPrix.com]

Indy seeks return of U.S. Grand Prix for 2009 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By now most have heard that F1 will not hold a race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2008, meaning that the fate of F1 in the U.S. is in question. Don't shed a tear for Indy, though, as it's just been announced that MotoGP will bring the new Red Bull indianapolis GP to the Brickyard on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008. Incredibly, this will be the first time in almost 100 years that motorcycles have raced at Indy. The last time was August 14th, 1909, according to Indy.

For the event, Indy is constructing a new 16-turn, 2.601-mile motorcycle road course on which riders will travel counter-clockwise, which is rare for a road course event at Indy. The event organizers promise lots of passing and side-by-side racing, as well. Like any big motorsport event, the Red Bull Indianapolis GP will be a three-day affair with supporting races and qualifying that begin on Friday, Sept. 12, 2008.

Together with the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix that's held at Laguna Seca, MotoGP now hosts two big races in the U.S. The current defending champion, Nicky Hayden, is also from the U.S., Owensboro, KY to be specific, so MotoGP's arrival at Indy is both appropriate for the motorsport and extremely exciting. While losing F1's USGP was a hit to Indianapolis, the storied track has recovered nicely with the announcement of MotoGP's pending arrival, and we'll be eager to see how it goes.

Thanks for the tip, Thor!

[Source: IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com]

Indianapolis loses F1, gains MotoGP in 2008! originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Jul 2007 16:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in April we told you about Vertu's Racetrack Legends series of mobile phones. At that time only Monza and Silverstone were available. But now filthy rich fans of LeMans and Indianapolis can chat on phones more expensive than a 10-year-old Miata. Made by Nokia, the $6,000+ phone is made of carbon-fiber-like leather, and an alloy called LiquidMetal laser-etched with a map of the namesake racetrack. Only 1,000 of each of six tracks will be produced.

But if you must talk on the phone while in the car, do the safe, courteous thing and pit.

[Source: www.sybarites.org]

GT, phone home: Vertu releases two more race track phones originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Oct 2006 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>expensive cell phoneexpensive mobile phoneExpensiveCellPhoneExpensiveMobilePhoneindianapolis motor speedwayindianapolis phoneIndianapolisMotorSpeedwayIndianapolisPhonelemanslemans phoneLemansPhoneliquidmetalmobile phoneMobilePhonemonzanokia racetrack phonenokia vertuNokiaRacetrackPhoneNokiaVertusilverstonevertuvertu racetrackVertuRacetrackTue, 31 Oct 2006 16:54:00 EST<![CDATA[2007 U.S. Grand Prix gets the green flag]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/17/2007-u-s-grand-prix-gets-the-green-flag/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/17/2007-u-s-grand-prix-gets-the-green-flag/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/17/2007-u-s-grand-prix-gets-the-green-flag/#commentsFiled under:

Formula 1 is returning to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2007. A one-year extension to the current deal with Formula One Management was signed Thursday by the Speedway's CEO, Tony George (shown at this year's GP at right).

The current contract between the Speedway and Bernie Ecclestone's FOM expired in July after this year's race, and George chose to cut a one year extension to the deal rather than negotiate a longer-term contract, saying that he wanted to wait and see how the sport developed after the expiration of the current Concorde Agreement at the end of 2007. There is no doubt that there will be big changes to the sport in 2008, and it's not surprising that George has adopted a wait-and-see attitude. George took pains to point out that he fully expects to be with Formula 1 for the long term, which makes sense given the enormous investment he made in modifying the track to accomodate the USGP.

Speedway president Joie Chitwood made clear the track's long-term interest saying, "Though this contract is for only one year, it is still our goal to make the Speedway the longtime home of the United States Grand Prix."

An interesting fact: The Indianapolis Star reports that of the three races at the Brickyard (the Indy 500, the NASCAR Allstate 400, and the USGP), the GP has the biggest impact on the local economy, because a larger percentage of F1 fans come from out of town (and spend more), and because the F1 circus itself is a high-rolling group. The total value of the GP to the economy is estimated to be more than $100 million.

The 2007 USGP is scheduled for June 17. Ticket information will be announced soon.

[Sources: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, The Indianapolis Star]

2007 U.S. Grand Prix gets the green flag originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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