Author examines Indy Car’s near demolition
A long-time battle between organizations could have destroyed Indy Car racing. It’s unlikely anyone has as much intimate knowledge of the chaos, anger, resentment and money-grab as John Oreovicz.
With the Indianapolis 500 on the near horizon, Oreovicz has authored the book, “Indy Split: The Big Money Battle that Nearly Destroyed Indy Racing.” It will be published May 30. (Octane Press, 432 pages, $35).
“It’s the defining and most important story of Indy Car racing in the last half century,” said Oreovicz. “I am surprised that it was not documented in a serious manor by an industry insider before this. I looked at it as a huge responsibility.”
A long-time motorsports reporter, Oreovicz began attending the Indy 500 as a teenager in the late ‘70s. He witnessed the sport’s growth as an avid fan before documenting its decline as a journalist.
“My growing interest in Indy car racing in the late 1970s coincided with the original USAC vs. CART split,” said Oreovicz. “I was just a kid, but I studied the roots of the conflict. I was as fascinated by the politics, the personalities and the posturing as I was by the cars and the competition.”
The book traces
Indy car racing’s dysfunction, which began in 1945 when Tony Hulman rescued the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from its potential redevelopment.
Over the next 75 years, the Hulman-George family used the stature of the Speedway to carve out a powerful position in American auto racing. It sometimes resulted in conflict with Indy car competitors. A volatile period in the late 1970s sparked the formation of Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). Tension escalated when Hulman’s grandson, Tony George, assumed power in 1990.
“People still talk about it,” said Oreovicz. “And if you look at the reaction of the book since it was announced the split, especially the CART versus IRL era, from 1996 to 2008, it’s still a very polarizing topic. It brings out emotions in people.”
Oreovicz has loved cars since he was a child. He turned that passion into a career as a professional sportswriter specializing in auto racing. He covered Indy car racing in print and online for 30 years for major media outlets, including National Speed Sport News, Racer, and ESPN.
“The 1996 IRL-CART split was a civil war and an ugly divorce, all wrapped into one,” said Orevicz, who lives a short walk from Turn 1 of the speedway. “No matter how it started or who was responsible for prolonging it, the split took a toll on anyone who cared about Indy car racing. Friendships were strained. Historic venues and events were lost. Key sponsors and manufacturers departed. NASCAR was the only real winner in the Indy car split.”
Indy Split includes a foreword by Motorsport Hall of Fame inductee Robin Miller, arguably Indy car racing’s most vocal advocate.
“I started writing this book in 2017,” said Oreovicz. “But I’ve been doing the research for most of my life. Over the last 45 years, it was my privilege to attend or cover nearly 500 Indy car races. I wanted to tell this important story in an accurate, entertaining, and hopefully, reasonably objective way.
“As I followed the sport as a fan through the ‘80s, it was clear the CARTUSAC conflict was not totally resolved. The Indy 500 was sustained by CART’s growth, yet a crucial part of CART’s success was the inclusion of the Indy 500 in its championship. There was an uneasy coexistence, but still a lot of hard feelings on the USAC side that occasionally flared up during the month of May at IMS.”
The 2021 Indy 500 will be held May 30. About 135,000 spectators will be allowed to attend in-person, the largest live audience of a public event since the pandemic began. The raceway has 250,000 grandstand seats.
James Raia, a syndicated columnist in Sacramento, publishes a free weekly automotive podcast and electronic newsletter. Sign-ups are available on his website, theweeklydriver.com. He can be reached via email: james@jamesraia.com.