IRL, Champ Car Merger
The Unification of the Two Open Wheel Series Will Benefit Both
After an embittered 12-year schism, the Champ Car World Series and Indy Racing League have reached an amicable consensus to become one series.
After an embittered 12-year schism, the Champ Car World Series and Indy Racing League have reached an amicable consensus to become one series.
The two open-wheel series have significantly lagged behind NASCAR Sprint Cup and Formula One in popularity and following. In fact, NASCAR’s secondary series, the Nationwide Series, has surpassed the IRL in popularity. Both parties of the merger hope that the amalgamation will increase a larger open-wheel following in the United States and erase any confusion to the casual onlooker.
Ever since the demise of the CART series, open wheel racing has quickly lost its appeal in the United States. The demise of the series occurred around the same time NASCAR began its rapid national rise. As the interest in NASCAR peaked, the interest in the IRL and Champ Car plummeted. Since then, several attempts to merge the two series have been futile.
The IRL received a shot in the arm with the emergence of Danica Patrick, an attractive and marketable female driver who is somewhat competitive. Not even NASCAR has produced that. However, many open-wheel stars have flocked over to NASCAR over the past year and a half simply because NASCAR provides not only a bigger paycheck, but prestige as well.
Jeff Gordon was a top open-wheel prospect in the early 1990’s before he opted for stock cars. Gordon’s meteoric rise to superstardom paved the way for Tony Stewart, which paved the way for drivers such as Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne.
In the last year and a half alone, three-time IRL champion Sam Hornish, Jr. accepted a ride with Penske Racing’s stock car outfit, and the 2007 IRL champion Dario Franchitti accepted a ride with Chip Ganassi Racing’s NASCAR program. A.J. Allmendinger was arguably Champ Car’s top rising star when he opted to convert to stock cars following the 2006 season. He now drives for Red Bull Racing in the Sprint Cup series.
NASCAR is not the only destination. Champ Car’s most successful driver, Sebastien Bourdais, will compete in Formula 1 in 2008.
The fact that the IRL and Champ Car have lost so many key drivers have only added to the dilemma.
The unification will strengthen the series. Over the years, the two series have squabbled over drivers, fans, and sponsors, which ultimately impaired both parties.
It appears as if the 16-race IRL schedule will increase with the addition of three scheduled Champ Car events. Furthermore, six to ten Champ Car teams are prepared to compete in the IRL season opener at Homestead on March 29. A deeper field will add to the appeal of the series.
"I'm glad that they were able to get it done. It'll eliminate the confusion for the race fans and the sponsors because there'll be just one type of car and one type of motor and everyone will be running together. May the best team win,” said four-time Indianapolis 500 champion A.J. Foyt.
