BREAKING: IRL and Champ Car unification agreement signed
We had just reported that an agreement to reunite the estranged U.S. open wheel racing series of the Indy Racing League and Champ Car World Series was all but inked, and now it is officially official. The two sides have issues a press release revealing the IRL founder and CEO Tony George, who occasioned the split in the first place, and the owners of Champ Car have officially signed a deal to bring the two series together again. We reported already on all of the logistical hurdles that had to be jumped, not the least of which is combining the season schedules of both series. It appears that all of the wrinkles have been ironed out, and both sides will be presenting the nitty gritty details in a press conference that's just listed as "forthcoming".
Will the joined series be a force once again in motorsports? F1 is considered the pinnacle of racing on a global scale, and NASCAR is the WWE of car racing with legions of fans, while even the Le Mans Series, particularly the ALMS, has grown to become an extremely well respected series. As such, we're both curious and cautious when it comes to making predictions about open-wheel racing in the U.S., but are glad these once warring factions have buried the proverbial hatchet and will get back to racing. Thanks to everyone who sent us this tip!
[Source: IndyCar.com]