Racing
Will IRL, Champ Car bury the hatchet?
By GREG ZYLA

Indy Racing League founder Tony George and rival Champ Car owner Kevin Kalkhoven sat down recently to discuss a union between the sport's two Indy car leagues. Both George and Kalkhoven appeared "willing to cut their power in half for the greater good of a unified openwheel series," The Indianapolis Star reported.

The media rumor mills have been churning ever since, but the important thing is that unification progress is finally being made.

As we've said before, both the IRL and Champ Car are diluted in car counts and the resulting fan appreciation. The IRL is a bit stronger, thanks to an average of 19 to 20 cars per race and a larger spectator base, the latter sometimes thanks to oneprice "Combo Ticket" promotions that include races like NASCAR's Craftsman Trucks on the same weekend.

Paramount, however, is George's recent move toward a unification deal. The IRL was formed in 1996 to battle CART and provide a mostly oval racing series that would allow more American drivers from USAC and other openwheel ranks a chance to drive Indy Cars. At the time, foreigners filled CART's driver roster and the rules allowed expensive, high-tech equipment.

As the years progressed, the IRL's format evolved to include yearly road-course races (not a bad thing, mind you) and a renewed influx of foreign drivers, thanks to big-name teams defecting from the CART/Champ Car division and the expected buy/ride/sponsor programs. Roger Penske, Target's Chip Ganassi, RahalLetterman and Andretti-Green all call the IRL home after years of CART/Champ Car involvement. All IRL cars use Honda power and one of two approved chassis, Panoz or the now dominant choice, Dallara.

CART, meanwhile, filed for bankruptcy in 2003, and the following year Kalkhoven, CART team owner Gerry Forsythe and road-racing great Paul Gentilozzi purchased all of CART's assets in court proceedings. At the time, most insiders felt the newly formed "Champ

Car" series would not survive one year of racing.

They were wrong (myself included). Surprisingly, Champ Car has not only survived, it has done very well under the Kalkhoven-led management. Its nucleus is the opposite of the IRL format, with road races outnumbering ovals by a wide margin. Champ Car relies on Ford Cosworth power and Lola as the approved chassis. However, it will accept a new Panozdesigned chassis in 2007.

As for television deals, the IRL is way ahead, thanks to the Indianapolis 500. George and the IRL have "rights fees" that are contracted through the 2009 season with ABC Sports and ESPN. Meanwhile, Champ Car's TV deal is a "time-buy" agreement. This means Champ Car buys airtime, due mostly to poor Nielsen ratings.

Although a complete merger may be far off, the bricks now are being laid to patch up this Indy Car mess, and both George and Kalkhoven are to be commended. Things like engine rules, chassis use and scheduling will no doubt be addressed as soon as possible, but we're way closer than ever before to fixing a series that badly needs fixing.

Indy Car racing may never pass NASCAR in popularity, but one thing is for certain -Indy Car racing can regain its lost appeal and emerge as a top motorsports attraction.

Write to Greg Zyla in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL32853-6475, or send an e-mail to letters.kfws@hearstsc.com.

(c) 2006 King Features Synd., Inc.