Confirmed: Open-Wheel Deal Unifies Indy Car Racing

[2648562]

Didn't see this posted anywhere...

Open-Wheel Deal Unifies Indy Car Racing

By MIKE HARRIS

Indy Car racing has finally gotten together. The Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series signed a deal Friday to unify the two American open-wheel circuits, bringing them under the umbrella of the IRL.

"I'm glad that they were able to get it done," said A.J. Foyt, the first four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. "It'll eliminate the confusion for the race fans and the sponsors because there'll be just one type of car and one type of motor and everyone will be running together. May the best team win."

After 12 years of bitter rivalry that confused fans, promoted apathy and nearly buried the sport, Champ Car agreed to cease operations, giving the surviving IRL the opportunity to rebuild open-wheel's lost prestige.

The deal, which has been in the works for about two weeks, was announced Friday in Indianapolis, where both series have their headquarters.

A statement was released, saying, "Owners of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League completed an agreement in principle Friday that will unify the sport for 2008...

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 at 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 also is 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, Alberta.

The rest of the Champ Car schedule, which was to have begun April 20 in Long Beach, was canceled, omitting races in Houston; Monterey, Calif.; Cleveland; Mont Tremblant, Quebec; Toronto; Portland, Ore.; Road America; Mexico City; Zolder, Belgium; and Jerez, Spain.

IRL officials said earlier this week several of those tracks, as well as several new venues, could be given consideration for addition to the 2009 IndyCar schedule...

more at link: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g...0Sk-gD8UVLVIG0

[JoeT]

This is great news for the sport. I can guarantee Gold Coast Indy, Australia will survive, as it's one of the biggest rounds of the season.

[slowinthefastlane]

Awesome. Simply awesome. I remember the excitement of the CART races of yore. The big question in my mind is will the re-unified open wheel circuit woo GM back from the clutches of NASCAR?

[ARCANGEL]

yea sure because open wheel racing is so relevant in america

[TKR]

Originally Posted by ARCANGEL

yea sure because open wheel racing is so relevant in america

As opposed to NASCAR where you wrap a faintly similar plastic body around a spaceframe chassis and call it a Buick or Camry (or whatever).

It will be relevant if they can get crowds back to the one series. After all, it is only entertainment (as is F1, NASCAR, WRC).

[drew630]

Originally Posted by slowinthefastlane

Awesome. Simply awesome. I remember the excitement of the CART races of yore. The big question in my mind is will the re-unified open wheel circuit woo GM back from the clutches of NASCAR?

The clutches of Nascar?? Thats funny.

I do hope GM will expand back to CART though. The more fans GM can reach, the better IMO.

[Darc Requiem]

That's nice, they never should of split in the first place. They have all but killed the sport and I just don't see myself getting back into again.

[mjd1001]

I'm not a huge Nascar fan, but I do watch a good ammount of the races. With that said...I have watched a number of IRL races in the last 2 or 3 years...and find most of them to be more exciting than Nascar. At the very least, you can take a track like Texas or Michigan (where the guys in Nascar get so spread out it is extremley boring) and the IRL guys can race side by side and do a lot more passing.

A Nascar race at Talladega, Daytona, or a short track to me is great. But I actually find an Indy car/IRL race more desirable to watch than anything at Nascars 1.0-1.5-2.0 mile long tracks.

[b4z]

1) 26 car field. Tha's how big CART fields used to be in the '80s and '90s.

2) A lot of people don't realize that when Nigel Mansell was driving, TV ratings for CART were almost the same as ratings for NASCAR.

3) Open Wheel racing is relevant in America and a lot more exciting than NASCAR.

4) If you haven't been to an IRL/CART race you have to go. These cars are stunningly fast and TV dulls the speed.

5) I lament that so many of the CART races are being dropped for '08.
They need to work hard to get at least 20 and maybe 24 races in '09.
Laguna Seca definitely needs to be added. The races in Europe can go.

[Silverado14]

Originally Posted by slowinthefastlane

Awesome. Simply awesome. I remember the excitement of the CART races of yore. The big question in my mind is will the re-unified open wheel circuit woo GM back from the clutches of NASCAR?

...It might (woo GM back), especially if Ford come back. GM is still at the (Indy) 500 every year as the pace car (Corvette, again this year), even after getting out the IndyCar engine business. So they must see some value in Indy (and in turn IndyCar).

[TJ95GAGT]

This is good news to me. As a casual racing fan I found it confusing having the two organizations, I recognized some names sometimes but it was never consistent. Hopefully this will draw more fans, including myself, to the sport as I found myself watching nascar more simply because I knew most of the drivers names/numbers etc.

Seems like a short racing season, have open wheel seasons always been that short?

[drankin21]

This is GREAT news!

Can't wait to get to Indy in May

[Silverado14]

Originally Posted by TJ95GAGT

This is good news to me. As a casual racing fan I found it confusing having the two organizations, I recognized some names sometimes but it was never consistent. Hopefully this will draw more fans, including myself, to the sport as I found myself watching nascar more simply because I knew most of the drivers names/numbers etc.

Seems like a short racing season, have open wheel seasons always been that short?

...yes and no. In the 60's and 70's, there were 12 to 15 Indy Champ car races. But in the 80's and 90's (CART era), the season and # of races got longer (into Nov.) and more races (near 20 or more).

[mjd1001]

Originally Posted by b4z

1) 26 car field. Tha's how big CART fields used to be in the '80s and '90s.

2) A lot of people don't realize that when Nigel Mansell was driving, TV ratings for CART were almost the same as ratings for NASCAR.

3) Open Wheel racing is relevant in America and a lot more exciting than NASCAR.

4) If you haven't been to an IRL/CART race you have to go. These cars are stunningly fast and TV dulls the speed.

5) I lament that so many of the CART races are being dropped for '08.
They need to work hard to get at least 20 and maybe 24 races in '09.
Laguna Seca definitely needs to be added. The races in Europe can go.

I'm hoping they add back the Toronto Race in 2009. I have seen that one a couple times in the past. Other than the course being almost a mile from downtown, it is pretty great seing a race with the backdrop of such a large city.

[uujjj]

they'll probably drop some of the weaker IRL events and replace them with former champ car events next year.