Champ Car, IRL discussing merger
Unification of the feuding rivals would change motor sports and affect racing in Portland
Monday, May 15, 2006; PAUL BUKER

HOUSTON -- The 10-year feud between Champ Car and the Indy Racing League has crippled open-wheel racing and helped turn NASCAR into a multibillion-dollar industry. But the hostilities could end soon.

It appears that Champ Car principal owner Kevin Kalkhoven and IRL founder Tony George are close to announcing unification of the two series -- perhaps later this month at Indianapolis.

A merger would be the most significant change in motor sports since creation of the Indy Racing League in 1994 and could add urgency to the debate over auto racing's place in Portland.

Kalkhoven and George have tried to keep the discussions private, but merger talk was prevalent during Champ Car's stop in Houston this weekend. When Paul Tracy, one of Champ Car's premier drivers, announced he was signing a five-year extension with Forsythe Racing, the potential merger was part of the discussion.

"Potentially, and we all can cross our fingers, there will be a combined championship (in 2007)," Tracy said. "If it happens, it's going to be great for open-wheel racing. And if it happens, I'd like to be part of the landscape."

The possible end to the Champ Car-IRL split also was on everybody's mind at Champ Car's season-opening race in Long Beach, Calif., last month. A few weeks earlier, media reports surfaced that Kalkhoven and George had a chance meeting in December at a ski resort and later conferred at an auto show in Paris. A dialogue ensued, and the two men found out they actually enjoyed each other's company.

George acknowledged for the first time, at least publically, that he felt a merger would be in the best interests of open-wheel racing. He said conversations and e-mails with Kalkhoven have been ongoing.

IRL owners Michael Andretti, Bobby Rahal and Chip Ganassi have spoken with Champ Car officials about the logistics of combining the two series. Kalkhoven and George have discussed who would control a combined series, what the equipment would be, and where the combined series would race. One suggested schedule had 18 races -- 12 ovals, six street or road courses -- while another had 22 races with a more balanced mix.

"The very worst thing that could happen for the sport is to merge the two series and have it not work," Kalkhoven told reporters in Houston, trying to be cautious. "If we can get it done in time for next year, that would be great. If it takes a little longer, that would be OK, too."

Champ Car (formerly Championship Auto Racing Teams, or CART) was formed by a group of car owners in 1978 over frustrations with the United States Auto Racing Club, which sanctioned American open-wheel racing's premier event, the Indianapolis 500. CART teams continued to run in the Indy 500, however, until Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George announced in 1994 that he was founding his own separate racing series, the Indy Racing League.

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