I was 6 when dad took me to bump day in 81′. I will never forget that day. The slowest car seemed like the fastest. I eventually went to the 95′ 500 and now go to most Texas Motor Speedway races. You could say I have been to a fair share of tracks around the Country, but the attention to detail (if you have been doesn’t need to be pointed out) Eddie Gossage does for his fans and facility are unmatched. With that said I appreciate your mention. I hope we can say the same about IMS leadership someday because it is the roots of open wheel racing. I often reflect back on that day in May 81′ and the feeling of 10 close family members meeting for the 95′ 500 and everything that day was undescribable. We can’t see Joe Montana, Michael Jordon or L. Taylor play again but I have hope we will see the juiced up machines I saw that day. The best in the World at “The” Indianapolis 500!!

Tony and Joie together were able to make the necessary changes to revive interest in the 500, whether that included the mergification or bringing younger, more “in” bands to Carb Day. Certainly within the last 4-5 years, we have seen a massive resurgence in Carb Day crowds and that is a direct result of the marketing efforts that went into bring people back on that day – to give them more than just watching the cars on the track. From a marketing standpoint, it doesn’t matter whether those people are watching the track activity or not. They are eyeballs in the facility that are seeing what paying sponsors are presenting and THAT is what really makes a difference when it comes to sponsor participation. Of course, they are also buying hamburgers and beer, which at $6 a pop helps out the bottom line as well.