- Lewis Hamilton has the F1 cars mostly figured out...now comes the tougher part of the schedule, beginning with the last French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours on July 1. His McLaren-Mercedes teammate, defending F1 champion Fernando Alonso has some experience...I'm wondering whether the bonhomie will continue as Hamilton piles up the points.
- NASCAR and AT&T are going to court...the issue is whether the sanctioning body can take the AT&T name off Jeff Burton's #31 Chevy. AT&T has exercised a multi-million dollar option to stay on the car; NASCAR is suing for $124 million dollars. Lest I be accused of schadenfreud ( a Germanic term describing one's reveling in other's misfortunes ; I'll apologize for the lame attempt to spell it phonetically), I think NASCAR needs to back off this battle and if they don't , I would like to see them lose it. Nextel/Sprint aren't going to take their $750 million or so and go home (despite the apologists's screed)...they are well behind AT&T/Cingular in numbers of cell phone subscribers...so they are likely happy to have NASCAR fight AT&T. Despite their wire-line mis steps and the gradual decline of that part of the telecom industry...they are still the largest phone company...and have lots of lawyers. Nothing dissipates estate money like hungry lawyers...and those who play in this arena have larger than normal appetites. The best thing NASCAR can do (and save a lot of Bill France Jr's inheritance) is move on. If NEXTEL/Sprint pulls out...the powers that be on International Speedway Blvd. will have NO lack of suitors.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Random Thoughts/US Grand Prix/AT&T v NASCAR
