One of the most asinine splits in sports (racing) history may final come to an end -- imagine the NHL suddenly splitting into two rival leagues... dumb. Ratings are awful for both leagues -- the IRL winning because of Indy. Maybe this will bring some interest back into open wheel racing in the US. Too bad they will use IRL engines/ chassis instead of the more exotic Champ cars, but oh well... _____ IndyCar nears Champ Car resolution Champ Car would join IndyCar Series under proposal Thursday could be one of the most important days in IndyCar racing history as a resolution that would bring Champ Car teams into the IndyCar Series is nearing completion and could become official in two days. "We're confident but discussions are ongoing." Drafts of an agreement between the two sides were exchanged on Tuesday, according to sources. This would end the 13-year war that began when Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George announced the creation of a new racing series on March 20, 1994. At that time, most of the teams that competed in the Indianapolis 500 were in CART, a series that went bankrupt and would later be revived as Champ Car. The series didn't move toward reality until 1995 and began competition on January 27, 1996. George's original intention was to have CART teams participate in what was then known as the Indy Racing League but most of those teams refused, starting a lengthy and divisive battle for supremacy in North American open wheel racing. Prior to the 1996 season when CART and the IRL went separate ways, a case could be made that IndyCar racing was the dominant form of racing in the United States over NASCAR in terms of general, broad-based interest. That was before NASCAR pulled away from the field. Now that IndyCar could be one unified group, Curry is hopefully the building process can begin. full article
The problem still is that the best open wheel racers are still in F1, so there's not much potential for international growth
No doubt F1 is the king of racing, but the IRL would be far more interesting with all the top Champ drivers. Champ has been one of the test beds for F1 drivers - there have been a few to make the jump. A bunch of new drivers with skill will be great for IRL competition -- especially at Indy.
I've never understood why Indy/Champ car racing wasn't bigger in the U.S. compare to Nascar. To me it's simple, having both left and right turns at blazing speeds with smaller room for error (bulky Nascars seems more safe) vs. going around an oval making one handed turns...
It used to be much bigger, but imagine if Nascar split into two rival leagues and all the best drivers were dispersed in both leagues.
Not to mention real street circuits, its always fun to watch them race in the streets you can drive everyday.
True. The split was a dumb move, open-wheel racing was again getting traction here in the US and then they split. Hopefully now they can come back together. Hopefully the Houston race will continue in the new series. I don't get the NASCAR hate either. Either you are a racing fan or you are not. NASCAR is just another kind of racing. So when the Indy cars go on the same ovals, it is a good thing but with NASCAR it is terrible? Makes not sense. It is all racing.
Does this mean the Houston Grand Prix is gonna disappear again? I also like the Champ Cars over the Indy Cars. I don't know if it's because I haven't watched in a while, but they always seemed more powerful.
They are faster than the IRL cars and they have that cool 'power to pass' button that gives about 5 seconds of extra boost like nitrous.
I agree w/ u. I'm an open wheel fan but i can't hate on nascar, they are doing what they do and marketing wise they've been excellent. Hopefully IRL and Champ getting back together will bring about greater interest in the US. Cant wait for this F1 season to see how Louey Hamilton performs after last year.
Well, this was quicker than expected -- too bad Houston is going to be dropped this year, but it might be back in 2009. Hopefully the new IRL will use some of the Champ cars technology... _____ After 12 years of conflict, IRL and Champ Car merge The Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series signed a deal Friday to unify the two American open-wheel series. The agreement, which will see the IRL acquire many of Champ Car's key assets, ends a 12-year fight for control of open-wheel racing in the United States. In that time, the sport's popularity declined steeply as the two series battled for fans, sponsors, and television viewers. IRL founder Tony George and Champ Car co-principal Kevin Kalkhoven signed the agreement Thursday night in Indianapolis, and Kalkhoven's partner, Gerald Forsythe, finalized the deal Friday morning in Chicago. Reaction to news of the merger was swift and positive. "Doing what's right for the fans of the sport is the most important thing," four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt told Houston FOX 26 Sports. "Now they will have one league to follow and cheer for." "This is a great day for open-wheel racing and one that I and my Rahal Letterman Racing team have looked forward to for a long time," co-owner Bobby Rahal said in a statement. "I applaud all of those that made this possible, but want to especially recognize all of those that made sacrifices and concessions to secure the future of open-wheel racing. I truly believe that this is the first step toward restoring open-wheel racing and the Indianapolis 500 to not only where it once was, but beyond." IRL spokesman John Griffin said details would be forthcoming at a news conference next week. Earlier in the day, it appeared the talks might be stalled when Kalkhoven left without comment. Numerous tries over the years to merge the series have failed, mostly over the issue of who would retain control. This time, though, all the hurdles were cleared as George worked together with principal Champ car co-owners Kalkhoven and Forsythe to reach an agreement. The latest talks began after George offered any Champ Car team that moved to the IRL in 2008 free Honda engine lease programs, free Dallara chassis and the same $1.2 million incentive program offered to its own teams. At least six Champ Car teams, with up to 10 cars, were believed ready to make the move in time to race in the IRL's season-opener March 29 in Homestead, Fla. That could give the IRL's IndyCar Series a field of up to 26 cars, a considerable improvement over the numbers of entries in both series in recent years. The agreement is also expected to add up to three Champ Car events to the IRL's original 16-race schedule for 2008. That could include the races at Long Beach, Calif., Surfers Paradise in Australia and Edmonton, Canada. The rest of the Champ Car schedule, which was to have begun April 20 in Long Beach, was canceled, eliminating races in Houston; Monterey, Calif.; Cleveland; Mont Tremblant, Quebec; Toronto; Portland, Ore.; Road America, Mexico City; Zolder, Belgium; and Jerez, Spain. But IRL officials said earlier this week that several of those tracks, as well as several new venues, could be given consideration for addition to the 2009 IndyCar schedule. ESPN
