Belskus says leadership commits to IRL
INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Motor Speedway's new chief said Tuesday the Hulman-George family remains committed to the Indy Racing League following a management shake-up that put him in charge at the famed track.
Jeff Belskus said keeping the IRL strong will help buoy the track's top event, the Indianapolis 500.
"The Hulman-George family has made a huge investment in open wheel racing, and they intend to continue to pursue that and continue to try to grow it," the new president and chief executive officer of Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corp. said.
"We need the IndyCar series to be strong," said Belskus, who will take over daily management of the speedway on Aug. 6 when outgoing speedway president Joie Chitwood steps down. "Conversely, the IndyCar series needs a strong Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So we're all in this together."
Tuesday's news conference came a day after Chitwood announced he's stepping down after nearly five years. He will become vice president of business operations for the International Speedway Corp. in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The 40-year-old Chitwood said his decision was personal, driven by his desire to try something new and to be closer to family in his native Florida. He said he began thinking of a change this spring before Tony George was ousted as president and chief executive officer of the IndyCar Series.
"When you start thinking about life decisions that's not something you do at the drop of a hat or in 30 days," Chitwood said. "I think it's only natural that at some point you start to ask the question, 'Is there something else? What is next?'"
George, who had been the speedway's president for 20 years and formed the IRL in 1994, was removed amid concerns among board members about his spending on upgrades at the speedway.
George had spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the past 13 years on track renovations and to help the IRL, originally founded as a rival to the open-wheel CART series.
Belskus, part of a new management team that stepped in after George's departure, said auto racing is under financial pressure and the speedway must compete strongly for ticket dollars.
The speedway already has laid off employees to save money and eliminated two days of practice before the Indy 500. Belskus said the speedway will consider other ways to cut costs, including further paring down month of May events at the track.
He said one of his immediate goals is to "continue to put on a good show for our fans," starting with this weekend's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
"We're economically challenged like so many businesses are today. And we continue to deal with those headwinds," Belskus said. "I'm quite excited about the future, and I'm proud to be in charge of the greatest racetrack in the world."
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
