(posted on 11-19-08 after the IndyCar Series announced that they did not come up with a title sponsor for the 2009 season.)
-boomerblaste
Efforts to land an Indy Racing League title sponsor have turned to 2010. Just two months ago, IRL officials said a deal appeared imminent. In October, the economy stifled negotiations. Now, almost all hope is gone for landing a title sponsor any time in 2009.
“Unless a miracle falls out of the sky, I don’t think we’re going to sign a title sponsorship deal for 2009,” said Zak Brown, president of Just Marketing International, which was hired by the IRL to lead the title sponsor hunt. “We’re still hammering away at it. We’re not going to stop working just because of the economy. But marketers are being very cautious with their budgets.”
In early September, Brown promised to land an IRL title sponsor by Jan. 1, and said an eight-figure annual deal “was on the doorstep.”
“I’m just glad I didn’t make a promise to run naked down the home stretch at Indy if the deal didn’t come through,” Brown said.
-MDH
with all that PR and marketing talent.................???
bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!
-last2break
The irl should make a comedy movie.
Wait, if it did, the movie would never get released. Someone ELSE should make a comedy movie about the irl.
It's getting to the point where I can't believe I used to like indy.
-Obi Wan
Quelle surprise!
I'm shocked, shocked I tell you.
This is better than Lucy and the football. Every year the Idiot Grandson's minions tee up the football (i.e. upcoming title sponsor) and every year the TrackForum Gomers elbow each other out of the way for the chance to kick a field goal.
Will they ever learn? Naw; otherwise they wouldn't be TF Gomers.
-TheStranger
I think being an EARL fan requires the complete lack of long-term memory.
-joetanto
Water is wet. Grass is green. The Firl misses out on that elusive title sponsorship.
-Bennybigb
Damn. I really thought the IRL had it this year
I wonder how long it will be until the US government will have to bail FTG and the Speedway out. If that ever happens, I'm moving.
-TheMapMan
Can bullshit evaporate?
-scorpion
According to the gomer minions this is all due to the down turn in the economy. The Stranger is right, you can't have a long term memory and be a gomer. Sane folks would be asking, "If it's just the economy, what happened in '03, 04, '05, '06, or '07?"
-cartcanuck
The same thing as happened to the IRL in '08, and will happen in '09, and will...*poof*
Hey!!!
Where'd they go? They're gone....
-RealRaceFan
Burn Baby Burn....
-joetanto
Long term memory? This same sad dog and pony show happens every twelve months like clock work. I would place long term memory around five years, but every twelve months just makes you retarded.
-AKASanpei
Message to FTG:
Time to buy that beloved SouthCentral Gomer Regional Bank and apply for some of that TARP.
-BushPlane Ken
There's always Pep Boys!
-boomerblaste
Oh the good old days
Quote:
Originally Posted by IBJ Anthony Schoettle
Here’s a little more on IRL’s title sponsor history. In early 1998, IRL signed a five-year deal with Philadelphia-based Pep Boys. The deal ended in a legal dispute two years later with IRL claiming Pep Boys didn’t promote the league as it said it would, among other complaints. So no, Pep Boys did not end up paying for the whole deal. Then in early 2000, IRL signed a five-year, $50 million deal with Cambridge, Mass.-based Northern Light. That deal ended in late 2001 when Northern Light ran into financial difficulty. The company later went out of business altogether. So, no, Norther Light didn’t pay the entire bill either.
-PhilipT631
I was always a Northern Lights fan myself....I guess FTG lost the Northen Light and just can't find his way.
