The Indy Racing League broke new ground in the competitive world of sports promotion with an innovative new strategy unveiled during last month's Atlanta 500 Classic at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Bob Reif spoke to the press briefly after the event's conclusion.

"We were sort of inspired by Newman Haas' interesting new technology", Reif explained. "They've got a system that lights up the car's wheels, and is capable of displaying any sort of message or sponsor's logo they like. We just thought, you know, why stop with the wheels? What if you not only lit up the whole car, but maybe a whole pack of cars? We brought in a group of world-class pyrotechnic consultants to work out the details, like where in the cars to locate the charges. They had some input primarily as to which oxides burn with the most appropriate colors without creating too much smoke, but we designed the ignition system in house. Initially, the plan was to display a really big sponsor's logo, you know, like ten feet across, but we had a hard time finding a sponsor who could commit to the lead time the project took to develop."

Occupants of the newly completed International Space Station were treated to a dazzling show. "Man, I thought watching the Aurora Borealis from space was really something, but this thing was really mind-blowing!" offered 'space tourist' Dennis Tito. "Those Nascar guys are geniuses!"