IRL innovation a life saver
NASCAR rookie Michael McDowell owes Indy Racing League leaders—and especially Tony George—a measure of gratitude.
If not for research funded by the IRL and George, and led by the University of Nebraska, McDowell, 23,…
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Tampa Super Bowl looks to local firm for software: High-profile client could help Simply Hospitality
Event-planning software developed by a local firm has been the backbone of volunteer efforts for the Men’s Final Four, the Indianapolis 500 Festival and the USA Track & Field Championships. Now it will add a Super Bowl to its resume. The Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee, which is staging the 2009 NFL championship, will use Indianapolisbased Simply Hospitality’s TRS software to recruit and coordinate the 6,000 volunteers it expects to use for the big game. Officials looked at eight…
NASCAR ponders following IRL’s lead with ethanol: Green marketing a major motivator for race series
The Indy Racing League was the first North American race series to use an alternative fuel to power its cars. Now it appears NASCAR might follow suit-news that has the attention of race fans and sponsors alike. “We’re looking at eight or nine different alternative fuels,” said Andrew Giangola, NASCAR director of business communication. “Ethanol is one of the alternatives we’re looking at.” NASCAR has put no timetable on adopting an alternative fuel. Because the league switched from leaded, petroleum-based…
SPORTS: Maybe Crean can help IU fans turn the page
But a mess it is, one that won’t be quickly eradicated. And we all know how patient IU basketball fans are. But an eight-year contract acknowledges that a quick fix is not the expectation. It also says-if those same fans are willing to listen-that the constant upheaval needs to be replaced by a consistency of voice-and excellence. “Indiana has always stood for class … integrity … and for doing the right thing,” Crean said. Well, before it hired Kelvin Sampson,…
Super Bowl bid committee solicits input through Web site
The city’s 2012 Super Bowl bid committee set up a Web site, www.our2012sb.com, in mid-February to encourage input from the
community–adopting a more inclusive approach than organizers did last year when bidding on the 2011 game.
NCAA tickets trading like stocks
Day traders have infiltrated the sports ticket market. Interest in Yoonew.com, an electronic ticket exchange where fans can trade sports tickets like stocks, is growing in popularity nationwide. The site gets a significant…
Pacers eye Gordon status
Indiana University freshman Eric Gordon this afternoon is expected to declare himself eligible for the National Basketball Association draft. Whether he could use another year of college seasoning or not, NBA teams are…
Indians hitting on-line home run
The Indianapolis Indians might be a minor league professional sports team, but the AAA franchise’s Web site is a major league success, team officials said. The Indians are the first local professional sports…
IRL incorporates sponsor in logo
Today, the Indy Racing League officially announced its sponsorship agreement with DirecTV that was first reported on this site March 27. Sources familiar with the multi-year deal said it is worth $3 million…
Crean reaches out to Knight
Indiana University’s new men’s basketball coach proved at Marquette he can win games. Now he is proving to be a savvy marketer. Yesterday, during his introductory press conference, Crean lauded and reached out…
Just Marketing signs BMW deal
Officials for locally based Just Marketing International today announced they finalized a deal this week to work with BMW North American motorsports. Financial terms of the deal were not released.
Central to the commitment…
Crean’s staff has Sampson ties
If Indiana University officials sought a clean break from former men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson, their hire of Marquette’s Tom Crean failed to do so. Two of Crean’s four assistant coaches have a…
Who is minding Pacers business?
With former Indiana Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh, 67, set to be introduced as the New York Knicks president today at 1 p.m., several questions loom large for the Pacers front office.
While the Pacers…
Surprise: IU picks Crean
Shortly after 4 p.m. today, ESPN reported that Indiana University is preparing to sign Marquette’s Tom Crean, 41, as the school’s next men’s basketball coach.
Sources close to the IU coaching search this morning did not mentioned Crean as one of…
IU down to final four?
As the NCAA hoops tournament heads down the home stretch, Indiana University appears to have its own final four—for its vacant men’s basketball coaching job. But there are a few Cinderellas that could…
IRL signs major deal with Coke
The Indy Racing League today announced a multi-year agreement with Coca-Cola North America that will make Coca-Cola an official sponsor of the Indy Racing League through 2010.
Terms of the category exclusive deal were…
Danica a hit with kids
While Danica Patrick earned a sixth-place finish in the Indy Racing League season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway, 2,740 miles away in Los Angeles she was the winner of another contest.
The Andretti Green Racing…
Unified IRL off to fast start
The early returns are good for the Indy Racing League. Attendance and television ratings at Saturday’s season opener in Miami were up and local media and fans raved about the on-track racing.
Although the…
SPORTS: Anyone glad to see Walsh go has a short memory
Twenty wins in 1982-1983. Twenty-six wins in ’83-’84. Twenty-two wins in ’84-’85. Twenty-six wins in ’85-’86. You think the Pacers are having a tough time putting butts in seats today? Today’s problems aren’t even close to those curtained-off Market Square Arena days of the early ’80s when the average crowds dipped to as low as 4,800 in the ’82-’83 season. It began to rebound only after Walsh took a chance on a marketing whiz-and exsportswriter-named Ray Compton and adeptly began…
Simons won’t discuss succession plans for Pacers ownership
Recently announced changes to the Indiana Pacers’ front office leave questions about the team’s long-term ownership unanswered.
While Larry Bird, Pacers director of basketball operations, is set to take over for CEO Donnie Walsh at season’s end, there
is no indication what succession strategy, if any, exists for replacing team owners Mel Simon, 81, and Herb Simon, 73.