Tony George
FameRank: 6

"Anton Hulman "Tony" George" is the former President and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hulman & Company, serving from 1989 to 2009. He was also formerly on the Board of Directors of both entities. He founded the Indy Racing League and co-owned Vision Racing. Many commentators, such as Gordon Kirby (journalist)/Gordon Kirby, suggest that George's actions at the head of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and in creating the IRL to rival the then-dominant Champ Car/CART led to a sharp decline in popularity of open-wheel racing in the United States as it split the fanbase, and gave a significant boost to the national popularity of NASCAR.

Tony George's grandfather, Tony Hulman purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the end of World War II. George is a former driver, having competed in the 1989 Indy Lights championship, finishing 12th in points and capturing 5 top-tens. His mother (and Hulman's daughter), Mari Hulman George (born 1934), serves as the speedway's Chairman and delivers its famed "ladies and gentlemen, start your engines" public address before every Indianapolis 500.

More Tony George on Wikipedia.

There's reason to be hopeful, but I would caution everyone from getting their hopes set too high. I think, if it comes together, great. ... If we have a bunch of big, hairy issues, then it will be a problem.

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I think it's certainly possible. [But] I think we're a long way from there at this point.

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There is nobody in this room that has contributed to building up our schools like Dr. Anderson has.

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I don't think we can solve all the big issues in a short period of time, certainly not by 2007.

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I guess he was pretty lucky. It was a hard hit.

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For Australian bands to be showcasing in this venue now means Australian rock is once again a serious player on the LA music landscape.

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I really don't know at this point what happened or who was at fault. It's just a real shame. I don't know that it was inexperience. I don't want to say anything about that.

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The music coming from Down Under is fresh and innovative, with tremendous commercial appeal.

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Australia has always been a breeding ground for great music, but recently it seems that the [U.S.] majors are particularly interested in the territory.

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