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IndyCar Notes: Merger talks ongoing as time ticks away

According to ESPN.com’s John Oreovicz, “high-level sources from both series” have confirmed that open-wheel unification talks between the Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series are still ongoing. Oreovicz says that it is believed that lawyers are busy smoothing out an agreement, but several obstacles — including the final date for the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi and what kind of help that Champ Car teams would get — remain in the way.

Meanwhile, a couple of team owners had differing opinions on how much support new teams should get. Roger Penske told the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times that he would provide incoming squads with “an extra car or pieces in order to get them going.” Chip Ganassi is also for helping; while he admitted to ESPN that he hadn’t heard too much about the merger situation, he said that he did get one bit of news:

“The only consultation I had was I got a call that said if we get this thing back together, they might need a car [a spare chassis for Ganassi]. I said no problem.”

Meanwhile, A.J. Foyt was quite annoyed at the prospect of new teams getting help from the IRL:

“I would throw a damned fit and would want to damned near pack up my bags if that was all true. And I think a lot of people that have been loyal to [the IRL] would do the same thing because it just wouldn’t be right for people who had to buy and spend a lot of money.”

And herein lies another question: Where do the rest of the owners fall on giving assistance to new teams in order to make a merger work? Would they be willing to help out and seemingly sacrifice for the greater good? Or would they be opposed, considering that some programs are behind in money and equipment as well?

If open-wheel racing was even slightly healthier than its current putrid state, I’d would be on Foyt’s side. But this is an extraordinary situation. There is an even chance that open-wheel racing could literally die in the next three to five years. And if this merger situation is ongoing, then this is the best — last? — opportunity for everyone to unite and start the long and hellish road back to prominence. I am still convinced that the time for a merger has passed, but as long as the option remains viable, then it, like all other options, must be utilized for the whole of the sport.

While Foyt has retained a good chunk of his legendary stubbornness, he has also mellowed out a little in recent years. I hope he’ll do the same on this matter.

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Other cool stuff: Marty Roth, Ed Carpenter, A.J. Foyt IV and Jay Howard will be part of IndyCar Series Night for the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 20 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Pacers will host LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers…Andretti Green Racing rookie Hideki Mutoh’s past was glimpsed recently in Japan’s Daily Yomiuri. He was brought up in a family rooted in the seafood business; they have ran a shop in a Tokyo fish market for three generations…Tony Kanaan and his No. 11 7-Eleven machine were shot last week at Homestead-Miami Speedway for an educational video by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The video will be shipped to high school biology classes across the U.S…The IRL is giving away autographed posters of Danica Patrick to promote her inclusion in this year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. You can enter here.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 18th, 2008 at 11:37 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.