This means that George's only dealings with either IMS or the IRL from now on will be through his roll as owner the Vision Racing squad.

Tony's tenure at the helm of Hulman and Co. ended in late June of last year, after what most assumed was a power struggle with his three sisters, who were reportedly upset over his history of bankrolling the IRL from the IMS' profits.

“As members of his family, we are sorry to see Tony leave,” said Mari Hulman George, Board chairman and Tony's mother. “We are grateful for his service to our company as a board member and of course for formerly serving as CEO and president of our companies. I speak for our whole family in wishing him well. All of us had hoped that Tony would continue to serve on the board, and we made that clear to him. We are disappointed with his decision to step down despite our wishes.”

To many AOWR fans, especially those who remained die-hard CART/CCWS fans & IRL haters until the end, this day came fifteen years too late. George's creation of the IRL in 1995 was the start of a twelve-year 'civil war' that decimated AOWR's fan base at a time when NASCAR was perfectly poised to step in and grab it up.

Others, while mindful of the damage previously done, will at least give Tony credit for doing all that he could to keep the IRL afloat (ie: using the IMS as a piggy bank) and for eventualy reunifying the two series in early 2008, thereby creating a platform for - hopefully - a chance at revitalization for the AOWR scene.

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