Homestead could be the start of a new era for IndyCar racing. (LAT photo)
Most Champ Car teams were told to quit working on their Panoz chassis Monday and expect delivery of their new cars in a few days. Paul Tracy is coming to Indianapolis later this week for a seat fitting. And one of Champ Car's co-owners admitted to a fellow owner there would only be one series in 2008.
After 12 years of warring that cost open-wheel racing much of its sponsorship, audience and momentum, common sense has finally prevailed.
SPEEDtv.com has learned that the Indy Racing League and Champ Car have officially, and mercifully, agreed to become one entity. A press conference could come as early as Wednesday if Kevin Kalkhoven is back from England in time.
Following nearly two weeks of negotiations between Tony George, Gerry Forsythe and Kalkhoven, an agreement is in place to bring several Champ Car teams and a handful of races into the IRL domain. It's believed attorneys from both sides worked all weekend to finalize some kind of arrangement for the two men who claimed CART's assets in bankruptcy court in 2004.
George, who started the IRL in 1996 when CART was in its heyday, would not confirm any deal when contacted late Monday night. "While it is true that I continue to believe we at the threshold of something long-overdue, we have not yet stepped across it," he said.
But all signs point to this tumultuous chapter of American motorsports finally being closed.
"I'm supposed to fly in Indy later this week to get fitted for a seat and then we're going to have to thrash to make it to the first test in Homestead," said Tracy, the winningest active driver in Champ Car and its premier personality. "We don't have any experience with those Dallaras and we're going to need all the practice we can get but this is definitely the best thing that can happen for open-wheel racing."
The IRL's first open test is on the oval at Homestead, Fla. on Feb. 27-28.
Mike Lanigan, who co-owns a two-car CC effort with Paul Newman and Carl Haas in addition to promoting races at Houston and Cleveland, said he spoke with Forsythe on Sunday evening.
"Gerry indicated we were likely looking at one series," said Lanigan, a Chicago native who started out sponsoring cars at the Indianapolis 500 in the early '90s. "I'm hoping to talk to Tony (George) about considering our two races, but having a unified series is certainly what everybody wants to see."
Derrick Walker, a regular in Champ Car since 1991, said he expected "we should all hear something positive Tuesday or Wednesday" while Conquest Racing owner Eric Bachelart was asked whether he'd be in Champ Car, the IRL or one series this year.
"I think I will be in a unified series," he replied.
