Chicago Local News

[gass]

Local news here has a clip on Bobby Rahal driving down the Chicago Tollway in the Pace car to start Open Tolling yesterday. He stated he doesn't like stop and go traffic. I seen this on ABC, WGN, and NBC...

The big issue is local news never picks anything up IRL related so maybe the tide is starting to turn a little.

[Field of 33]

I just saw this on the Illinois Tollway's website. Here's the link.

http://www.illinoistollway.com/portal/page?_pageid=54,1310237&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

[nascarnation]

Danica in a Honda S2000 with the top down would have been better.
(weather permitting of course.....)

[MarkDonohueFan]

The title Indy 500 Champion stays with you for a lifetime. You cannot say the same thing about many other sporting events.

[Ganassifan]

The title Indy 500 Champion stays with you for a lifetime.

Bigger than being Danica Patrick?

[mbilek]

I saw it on the news and it gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling even though there was a foot of snow outside. Maybe there is still hope.

Oh, and BTW, Rahal was "on" it.

markbilek

[autoracingfan2]

I used the new open road tolls today...........

[CamKing]

Danica in a Honda S2000 with the top down would have been better.
(weather permitting of course.....)

Here's to hoping for cold weather

[Hardscrabble]

Bigger than being Danica Patrick?

When all is said and done...yes.

Unless, of course, Danica does win "the race."

[Hardscrabble]

Oh, and BTW, Rahal was "on" it.

markbilek

Yes he was.

Zooooooooommmmmmmmmm!

[sightlines]

Here's to hoping for cold weather

The headlights would certainly be on if that was the case.

[Z28]

Local news here has a clip on Bobby Rahal driving down the Chicago Tollway in the Pace car to start Open Tolling yesterday. He stated he doesn't like stop and go traffic. I seen this on ABC, WGN, and NBC...

The big issue is local news never picks anything up IRL related so maybe the tide is starting to turn a little.

I would hardly say it was IRL related and I'll have a Fred Sanford 'Big one' if there's any increased coverage in 06 around here. The Govenor had a photo op opening another open road toll last month that made all the news. That time it was mentioned that the work was finished days earlier but the opening was delayed for the Govenor's media event. So I'm sure they asked Bobby to appear so the press would focus on him and not that the Govenor was getting free press for the upcoming election.

[gass]

I disagree nothing is ever covered on the IRL here. Sure it was a photo op for the Govenor and they could of focused on just him. The facts were right about Bobby which for Chicago reporters is a big step. (NASCAR wasn't said once) If just one person buys a ticket to a race because of this then it is worth it. As far as 06 goes I can't say whether it will be a good report year but I do know this, the Sun-times just had a article last week about Danica Patrick and Buddy Rice which they never have anything in the winter. So any publicity to me is IRL related. Do you think driving a Indy 500 pace car is not promotional for the IRL?

[Z28]

Six local stations with sports reporters plus Comcast Sports net, tell me which will be the first to actually go to Chicagoland Speedway and air a report during the IRL weekend and what year that will happen. I've written to ALL of them and asked which among them will be first, not so much as an answer and I've been there every year but not a one of them has.

There's a stand up comedian with the joke, "If I can go out on stage and make just one person laugh..........I'm in big trouble." If the IRL builds one fan at a time around here, it will be major in 2,000 years.

[gass]

Z28,

I quit writing to TV stations a few years ago when they cut off the IRL race and put on a Whoopi Goldberg movie. I never received a answer either.

I agree that with your one fan theory, my point was if someone notices and decides to go to a race and brings a friend and they like it, they may build on it by bringing more friends the next time....