Squelch the rumor mill. Cease the speculation. Oakley has plans to be in the sport for at least two more years.

But even that confidence couldn’t stop team owner Don Schumacher from having a Maalox moment. For the second time this season, Schumacher has had a major sponsor sold.

Earlier this week, Luxottica agreed to buy Oakley for $2.03 billion in order to add sports sunglasses to the Italian company’s Ray-Ban and Ralph Lauren brands. This news comes just weeks after Daimler divorced Chrysler, selling 80% of the group to private investors.

“You learn in a hurry that you just deal with it,” said Schumacher. “I don’t think anything will change in the Oakley program. They are still going to deliver a high quality product. I look forward to continuing with Oakley.

“Time will tell. Everything changes down the road. At this point, you just deal with it. Everything is in place for the long term.”

Squelch the rumor mill. Cease the speculation. Oakley has plans to be in the sport for at least two more years.

But even that confidence couldn’t stop team owner Don Schumacher from having a Maalox moment. For the second time this season, Schumacher has had a major sponsor sold.

Earlier this week, Luxottica agreed to buy Oakley for $2.03 billion in order to add sports sunglasses to the Italian company’s Ray-Ban and Ralph Lauren brands. This news comes just weeks after Daimler divorced Chrysler, selling 80% of the group to private investors.

“You learn in a hurry that you just deal with it,” said Schumacher. “I don’t think anything will change in the Oakley program. They are still going to deliver a high quality product. I look forward to continuing with Oakley.

“Time will tell. Everything changes down the road. At this point, you just deal with it. Everything is in place for the long term.”

Chrysler and then Oakley. If the government sells the U.S. Army, then Schumacher is in trouble.

“I don’t think that one will ever happen,” Schumacher said. “Things always change and you have to learn how to deal with change. Whether it’s sponsors, employees, or track conditions, you have to be willing to adjust to the changes.”

Because of corporate law, the deal caught everyone off guard. Schumacher was blindsided by the transaction. Even those normally “in the know” were likewise caught off guard.

Donnie Faulkner, who along with wife Holly operates the Rolling O store on the midway, said that a call from a friend was his notification.

“I got a call the day the deal was finalized, letting me know we’d been sold,” Faulkner said. “It had to be top secret. No one could know. If you did, then people could go to jail. Just ask Martha Stewart.”

Faulkner says to plan on Oakley being around for another two years.

“We’re going to be here and you can plan on the name being on the side of the car for at least two more years,” Faulkner said. “This really helps those people in the company who had the 401Ks, and in the long run it is good for all of us. Nothing will change within the company. The mindset is ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Faulkner said the move would free Oakley founder Jim Jannard to concentrate on his new high tech movie camera business. He has reportedly fielded 2,500 orders in the first month of the new venture.

Will Oakley change direction? No, said Faulkner.

“Jim Jannard will remain as the chief Mad Scientist, and the management team will stay the same,” Faulkner said. “They don’t want to mess with the culture or the brand. The purchase was great because Oakley is on top of its game and not going anywhere.”