Kokomo —
The timing of the ousting of Randy Bernard as CEO of IndyCar couldn’t have been worst for teams and tracks looking to sign 2013 sponsorship packages.
After denying last week that Bernard was fired by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway directors, it was then announced on Sunday that his days at the throttle of the organization were at an end.
The IMS board has to act quickly to name a replacement for Bernard, someone who can take over the reins of the organization and restore confidence among the teams and potential sponsors that IndyCar really has a clue what is taking place.
Now is the time of the year that sponsors begin to decide whether or not to stay involved with a race team or event or look for another venue to spend their advertising dollars with.
It certainly didn’t help matters when car owner Roger Penske called Bernard’s dismissal poor judgment and stated that the board has no future plan to take IndyCar to the next level.
After a disastrous finish to the 2011 season, IndyCar bounced back with the new chassis and engine packages and one of the best Indianapolis 500s in memory.
Instead of building on that success, the IMS board has elected to part ways with Bernard and not immediately name a replacement.
Whoever becomes the next CEO of IndyCar has to be given a long-term contract, at least five years, with a no-cut clause. That’s needed to assure sponsors the series has long-range plans and there is a design for future growth.
With Indy Racing League founder Tony George wanting to purchase IndyCar, that might be the direction to take to save major open-wheel racing in the U.S. George recently resigned from the IMS board, eliminating a potential conflict of interest.
IndyCar cannot survive on the Indianapolis 500 alone, it needs to have a strong schedule of oval, street and road courses. Each race has to build on the rest to be successful.
There isn’t an announced timetable for the naming of a new IndyCar CEO, but it should include some input from the team owners and series title sponsor, Izod.
Open-wheel racing has gone through a crisis in the past with CART and IRL, a split that almost ended the racing for good.
An immediate and long-term solution is mandatory to alleviate the fears of the sponsors, team owners and most importantly the fans.
In other racing news
• The Chase for the Sprint Cup title is basically down to five-time champion Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski. Johnson holds a two-point lead over Keselowski with three races remaining.
Denny Hamlin’s chances of the title ended when his Toyota suffered a mechanical problem resulting in a 33rd-place finish at Martinsville.
Keselowski salvaged a sixth-place finish at Martinsville after starting 32nd. The right pit strategy at the finish kept him in the hunt for the title.
• The United States Speed Association has announced that the Glen Niebel Classic for non-wing sprint cars will take place on Sunday, April 14 at Anderson Speedway. The 100-lap event will be the first of as many as eight USSA sanctioned non-winged sprint races in the Midwest.
Series officials are in discussions with Lucas Oil Raceway, Illiana Speedway, Limaland Speedway, Toledo Speedway and Angola Speedway about potential race dates.
If USSA can’t make the non-wing series financially successful in 2013, it could mean the end of traditional non-wing pavement sprint car races in the Midwest.
• Ken de la Bastide may be reached at ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com or 765-454-8580.
Sports
de la Bastide: Bernard’s departure leaves IndyCar Series in turmoil
Chase for Sprint Cup title down to two
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Kats drop heartbreaker
When the postseason arrives, emotions surge like a roller-coaster. One minute, it’s a long uphill, then a wild series of events offer a barrage of frights and thrills. And then, for one team, the ride ends and there aren’t any more tickets for another go around.
After two days of chills and thrills, Kokomo’s softball team ran out of tickets Tuesday night in the Class 4A Harrison Sectional. The Kats dropped a 4-3 decision to Harrison in eight innings, giving up a run in the top of the extra frame, and having a runner tagged out at home in the bottom of the frame.
“It was a great game,” Harrison coach Dick Mitchell said. “It’s always nerve-wracking to coach in one of them, but both teams played their hearts out. Nobody deserved to lose that game, but unfortunately somebody does.” -
Comets turn heads at track regional
Heading into Tuesday’s IHSAA girls track and field regional at Fort Wayne Northrop High School’s Spuller Stadium, event workers alike weren’t sure of Eastern High School’s location.
After the dust settled, they may feel compelled to get a map out and find out where Greentown is located.
Led by seniors Sarah Wagner, Brittany Neeley and Bethany Neeley, the Comets qualified for the state finals in six separate events to finish fourth as a team with 55.5 points, behind host and champion Northrop (78), Bellmont (68) and Carroll (Allen) 66. -
GASKINS: Hibbert’s block was thing of beauty
For the better part of the NBA season, ESPN devoted all kinds of time on SportsCenter episodes to replays of two dunks. Anyone who watches any ESPN at all surely knows the two to which I’m referring: 6-foot-11 DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers posterizing 6-3 Brandon Knight of the Detroit Pistons, and 6-8 LeBron James of the Miami Heat hammering home a dunk over 6-2 Jason Terry of the Boston Celtics.
Day after day, ESPN commentators lavished endless praise, which quickly grew tiresome. The dunks were strong, but Jordan and James were much taller and heavier than Knight and Terry and the dunkers also caught perfect alley-oop passes with the defenders in poor positions to defend. Still, ESPN commentators loved these plays.
I kept wondering if a great defensive play would receive the same kind of love. -
Coons, Walker, Glassburn reach Victory Lane
When the dust settled Sunday evening at the Kokomo Speedway, a pair of drivers who have visited Victory Lane in the past at the local oval found themselves there once again while a talented up-and-comer hit the hallowed ground for the first time.
Jerry Coons Jr. had his way in the sprint car feature and Craig Walker seemed to get faster as the laps wound down to win the Street Stock main event, however Kokomo High School sophomore Kory Glassburn had to scratch and fight before scoring the first feature win of his career in the Thunder Car A-main. -
Field is set for Indianapolis 500
After being bumped from the starting field while sitting on the qualifying line on pole day, Josef Newgarden turned the fastest time on bump day, assuring himself a spot in the Indianapolis 500.
The field of 33 cars will have one final opportunity to practice on Friday before next Sunday’s 97th running of the 500.
One year ago the Sarah Fisher Racing Team withdrew Newgarden’s entry on the first day of qualifying and had to qualify on bump day. This year the team decided not to make another qualifying run and got bumped. -
Athlete of the week
Cole led the small-school Comets to the Kokomo Sectional title, their first title since 1998.
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Kats regain tennis throne
At 10:51 a.m. Saturday morning, the bulk of Kokomo’s girls tennis team sprinted from the viewing hill to the east entrance of the tennis courts to mob No. 1 singles player Morgan Mohr as she came off the court following her 1-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Eastern’s Courtney Clark.
The No. 3 singles match was still raging, but the team match was already won. The Wildkats had reconquered the throne from two-time defending champion Eastern and were once again champions of the Kokomo Sectional. -
Eastern boys track claims first sectional title since 1998
The boys track and field coach at Eastern High School from 1987 until last season, Paul Nicholson’s parting message to his team was simple: “Don’t deny the gift.”
That motto left such a lasting impression on the Comets’ returning athletes that they had it screen printed on their 2013 season T-shirts.
With Nicholson in attendance to celebrate with them, new coach Austin Roark and the Comets outlasted host Kokomo to win their first sectional title since 1998 Thursday night, topping the Wildkats by 3.5 points, 124.5-121.
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Eastern, Kokomo favored in boys track sectional
Some of the names and faces have changed, but the plot remains much the same.
The Kokomo boys track and field sectional, much like last year, will likely be a two-horse race between the host and three-time defending champion Wildkats and Eastern, a team looking to break through and win its first sectional title since 1998. -
Cole to jump at Miami University
Eastern athlete Grant Cole has only been a long jumper for two seasons, but being turned on to the event late in his career has landed him a scholarship to Miami University.
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