In Indy aftermath, a little contrition goes a long way

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And fans remained as angry as a disturbed rattlesnake, especiallythose who attended the event and left coated in tire dust. Thisreporter's inbox was pummeled with more than 600 irate missives,some demanding that spectators have their money refunded (ashappened after the 2005 Formula One tire debacle at Indy) or thatthe Sprint Cup tour be demoted from the big track to O'ReillyRaceway Park. But most just seethed over what they perceived asarrogance from NASCAR and Goodyear officials, who came across asunapologetic and defiant in the aftermath of the event. The onlypeople directly apologizing were the drivers, who were the least atfault.
Well, that changed Tuesday. Somebody at NASCAR finally realizedthat a little contrition goes a long way. And Robin Pemberton wasthe man chosen to deliver it.
"I can't say enough how sorry we are," Pemberton, thecircuit's vice president for competition, said in a conference callwith reporters. "It's our responsibility being NASCAR that wedon't go through this situation again. We've already gotten afterit and we're moving forward with a plan to get ahead of thesituation so we don't go through this again. Once again, I think itdeserves to be said that the race didn't come off like we hadhoped, the fans didn't get what exactly they wanted. We'll doeverything in our power so it won't happen again, I can tell youthat much."
Granted, there's a little overreaction going on here on the part ofthe good folks who buy tickets and watch on television. There willbe a Brickyard race next season, and the season after that, and theseason after that. NASCAR needs Indianapolis, and Indianapolisneeds NASCAR. Both earn a certain degree of credibility andexposure from their association with the other. This isn't F1,which treated Indy and America like some sort of expensive toy itwanted but ultimately didn't need. The people who think Sunday'srace will spell the end of NASCAR at Indianapolis -- or, among themore melodramatic in the fan base, see it as the beginning of theend of NASCAR itself -- need to realize that these are two strong,immensely popular and profitable institutions that will both be inoperation for a very long time to come.
But that said, you can't put on a race like Sunday, at a place likeIndianapolis, and expect people to just take it as a matter ofcourse. Absolutely, the Brickyard mess was caused by a number offactors, and NASCAR managed the event as best it could from greenflag to checkered. But other than a few drivers -- Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr ., most notably -- no one seemed willing to own up to the fact thatmistakes had been made. The sight of so many people patting oneanother on the back, congratulating each other on just making itthrough the day, understandably had to stick in the gullet of arace fan who spent $100 on a ticket, $300 on gas and $200 on ahotel room to witness what essentially was a glorified tire test. ( Continued )