Page 1 of 2 Twenty years ago the political pendulum cut a swath through open-wheel racing that divided fans, fractured friendships, angered sponsors, confused the media and left the month of May bleeding all over Indianapolis. Then Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George and his upstart Indy Racing League played a costly game of chicken with Championship Auto Racing Teams that resulted in two races on May 26, 1996 and one, eventual, overall winner: NASCAR. Unhappy with the direction of open-wheel racing under CART's leadership, George formed his own series around the Indianapolis 500 and shocked the establishment by guaranteeing IRL members 25 of the 33 starting spots for the '96...
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