Miles clarifies Tony George’s position as chairman of Hulman & Company board

Tony George, as grand marshal of today's Brickyard 400, was announced to the crowd as chairman of the board at Hulman & Company, which caused surprise among many, as this had not been formally announced.

However, it transpires that his elevation to this status was completed in a recent board meeting, taking over from his mother Mari Hulman George, who is now 81 years old.

Miles told Motorsport.com: “The board is the board, the management is the management. The board by law has a responsibility for certain governance matters, including looking over the shoulders of management, and hiring and firing management.

“Board members are elected by the shareholders. We’ve had the same board members, including Tony, for at least the past three years. The board has officers and Mari Hulman has for very many years been the chairman of the board. But the board members felt like it was appropriate to create a transition.

“So they made her chairman emeritus, and elected Tony as chairman. Where the confusion arises is that he was never chairman before – that was Mari – but he was in my job, CEO of the company. Then he stepped down.

“So it doesn’t change the members of the board, it doesn’t change the management. The board and management have worked together well over the past several years and are totally aligned on our strategy, policies, and ultimate goals. I don’t expect any of that to change, nor for Tony George becoming chairman to affect the way we operate, nor to affect anything from the fan point of view.”