Is this uproar larger than the uproar to save Ed Carpenter's ride? To be devils advocate for a moment, at the core of IMS is a hell-actual family of related people who may or may not like each other from day to day. This is true about the France family as well, but the reason I bring this up is, I wonder how much of the "none of your business" posturing is just because these people think of certain information as actually none of the public's business? Would racing of all stripes be better if they became completely corporate, no longer family run things? Just thoughts, none of the above is even my opinion.

This certainly has the correct picture at the top. It's probably more fanaticism than sense, but I mostly forgiveTG for the split: most of the ideas that led to the split are taken for granted in all the other kinds of racing out there. Not that it was all great ideas, the "end the season with Indy" thing deserved to die fast... Like a kidney stone, this too shall pass.

I preferred the Texas ending. I'm not as salty about the red flag now as I was last night; I agree that it'd be better if it was a matter of letter of rule instead of a spot decision. If such a rule makes the sport healthy, so be it. In my mind, RHR's championship (or any motor race championship) expires as soon as the next event begins, and while I mean no disrespect, as a spectator the contest of the moment decides which team is best at that instant and that is what counts until the next event. The anticlimax finish in racing will always be a problem, and regardless of how many rules are changed or how many people complain: it is time to admit that it is part of the reason fans watch and get fired up. In college football, the equivalent conundrum is the lack of a national championship. They like to pretend there is one, and I hear they're going to try having a playoff, but there will always be complaints that some team got left out or handicapped incorrectly. We live for that impossible grey area even as much as we can say it pisses us off.

I agree based on watching matches in person. The explosiveness doesn't show on TV in quite the same way. What makes the cup matches important is that players with physique but not the tactical skill get found out and hopefully learn from the experience.

I relate, from watching matches in person. The explosiveness is not as apparent on TV. The opposite of this problem, where players who have the physique but not the tactical skill, is the cause of these upsets. That's what make these matches important.

This reminds me of Roma FC of Dallas some time ago, shockers like this help keep our top flight serious and show that maybe the gulf between the major and minor leagues isn't as big as you might think. I still worry that MLS growth comes at the expense of the grassroots system though, I hope the situation will continue to be handled with care.