Filed under: Motorsports
Champ Car and IRL working hard on truce for 2008 season
Champ Car and the Indy Racing League, the two de facto open wheel racing series in North America since CART split after the 1995 season, are reportedly close to a truce that could reunite the two series as soon as the 2008 season. AutoWeek is reporting that Tony George, owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and league chairman of the IRL, along with two of his associates, flew to Motegi, Japan recently to meet with track officials about changing the date of the Motegi race on April 19th. The reason is because the IRL race conflicts with the Long Beach Grand Prix, a mainstay on the Champ Car schedule. In order to consolidate the season schedules of both series, officials from both sides are apparently working hard to resolve conflicts like this. The fact that Tony George himself would fly to Japan indicates to AutoWeek that the man responsible for the split in the first place is serious about mending what he helped rend apart. And date conflicts between races are but one obstacle among many in bringing the two series back together, though they appear to be the biggest thing in the way of a resolution that could see a unified open-wheel racing series back on track in 2008.[Source: AutoWeek]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
chris 1:44PM (2/08/2008)
Sounds like an opportunity to show f1 how things should be done.
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John P. 1:45PM (2/08/2008)
There was a time when I found CART incredibly fun to watch. IRL really put a damper on things when it started and my interest in both CART and IRL has faded to the point where I don't know if I can get interested anymore.
Maybe they should come out with a Viagra type product for motorsports fans? hehe
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Neil 1:49PM (2/08/2008)
I wish them the best, cause open wheel racing in America dying a slow and painful death.....in part due to Nascar's growing popularity. I hope it works out for them, but if it just means there's going to me almost 100% oval races then I wont be taking in any of their races.
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rar 1:55PM (2/08/2008)
The best way to put people back in the stands is figure out a way to put some of the Nascar stars in the races. If 3 or 4 top Nascar drivers were in the races, people would start watching and going to these races. I am not saying the Nascar drivers are great, but they are popular.
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chrisdavis 2:03PM (2/08/2008)
That is a great idea. Reminds me of when we had great drivers who would race anything. Unfortunately with NASCAR's incredibly busy schedule its unlikely they could find the time. If they could schedule some open wheel races around NASCAR and make an "invitational" championship with drivers from all over, it could be cool. Sort of like Europe's Race of Champions, but less nationalistic.
Travis Rassat 2:50PM (2/08/2008)
I think it's a great idea, too - it would be cool if NASCAR would move the Coke 600 back a day so some of the drivers could at least compete in the Indy 500.
Neil 2:00PM (2/08/2008)
How things should be done??? Are you for real? F1's worldwide popularity continues to grow at an exponential rate where as both Champ Car and Indy's popularity rate in the US continues to shrink and they were never able to achieve anything worldwide.
Your logic is baffling.....
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chris 7:06PM (2/08/2008)
I was not referring to the popularity of the sport but rather how most of f1 'racing' seems to be during qualifying instead of the actual race.
chrisdavis 2:03PM (2/08/2008)
These reports seem to circulate ever couple of years so I won't get too excited about it just yet. If it does happen though, I hope they stick with the Panoz chassis. With the street courses IRL has added recently I think we can rule out the oval-only scenario.
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Luis 2:10PM (2/08/2008)
It's still a shame to me that F1 is no longer in Indy. That being said, leave the oval racing to NASCAR. Keep all others in CART and maybe you'll bring some fans back that were turned off by all the bickering of years past. As a unit, CHAMP/IRL were pretty decent. Separately, not so much...
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MikeInNC 3:00PM (2/08/2008)
Please oh please kiss and make up. We need the series combined to get back on track in the US. Especially since F1 has bugged-out of Indy (and I will terribly miss going there each year!). Awesome event and an awesome crowd.
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Dean 3:08PM (2/08/2008)
Good thing I have ALMS to watch.
I will never watch an open-wheel series that Tony George has a stake in.
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Mr. Oak 12:27PM (2/09/2008)
Dean: Have to agree with you here. ALMS and the Rolex Grand Am series is how I get my fix. Tony George has single handedly ruined open wheel racing here in America. Notices how the biggest names in open wheel racing are flocking to NASCAR? Think those cats like driving those taxi-cabs?
Now, with no drivers, no credibility I can't even bother to watch the Indy-500.
Peter 3:12PM (2/08/2008)
I remember a time when I actually knew the names of more drivers in CART than I did in F1... names like Andretti, Unser Jr, Rahal, Sullivan, Fittipaldi, etc. Wow, those were great times... but alas, greed(george) set in. Now that the money is gone, TGeorge is trying to reunite the series (he's not doing it for altruistic purposes). I'm afraid it's too late.
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Charles 3:27PM (2/08/2008)
Press Release from champ car PR office
February 8, 2008
Statement from Kevin Kalkhoven & Jerry Forsythe, Champ Car co-owners:
Unfortunately, leaks and media reports about a possible unification of
Champ Car and the Indy Racing League (IRL) have significantly hampered
discussions. Over the past three years, we have fielded and offered
several proposals regarding unification of the two premier U.S.-based
open-wheel racing series, but we have been unable to reach an acceptable
solution. Discussions currently are at a standstill, and we therefore
are proceeding with plans to continue as Champ Car.
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bpw 4:07PM (2/08/2008)
That press release is really strangely worded. It's blaming leaks and media discussion for the collapse of the talks?
Don't they see how much the popularity of Indy car racing has dropped since the split?
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bob d 4:19PM (2/08/2008)
If I had a nickel for every rumor about the IRL and Champ cars getting back together again....
Tony George did more damage to open wheel racing than any other single individual.... EVER. First, he forced Cart to a slow death by setting up his own league ---splitting sponsers and engine developers. This "new" league then set about shooting itself in the foot by going with what was basically a boring spec racing series and running primarily on aging ovals tracks. Then, they brought in in new unknown drivers and teams into the Indy 500 for what is billed "the greatest motor race on the planet". Remember the BS excuse that he wanted more "american" drivers in the series and that was the reason to dump CART? Right. How many drivers are from England, Europe, Mexico and South America now? It's called... FOLLOW THE MONEY. But that's economics. Not one of Mr. George's best subjects.
Second, he set up what must be the worst venue for Formula one on the planet... a boring track with one incredibly dangerous turn that forced a complete cancellation of a race, poor spectator seating, and one of the UGLIEST Formula one tracks to visually see on TV. No wonder no one wanted to go even though they offered some of the cheapest tickets on the F-1 schedule.
I don't know if anyone remembers when F-1 was in Long Beach. It was amazing. The crouds were some of the biggest and most enthusiastic I've ever seen. Don't tell me F-1 can't exist in the US. It just needs the right venue and the right organization running it. That means... no Tony George.
Well, that's my rant for today. Tony... I hope you read it.
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gearheadmark 4:45PM (2/08/2008)
Finally!!!!!!!!! Open wheel road racing is just about Code Blue here in the States. Of course we could watch the Euro NASCAR series......
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Marc Wenning 6:07PM (2/08/2008)
I would love to see them get back together, as long as Tony George isn't running the show. He has ruined open wheel racing in the states.
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RLQ 6:32PM (2/08/2008)
About %^&*ing time.
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