ESPN.com is reporting that a tentative agreement has been reached in the merger of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League. The agreement,comes after years of attempts to merge the two North American open wheel series due to low race attendance and low television ratings. Individuals from both series have indicated that no contracts have been signed, though individuals familiar with the negotiations have stated that a verbal agreement has been reached between the two racing leagues.
David Higdon, Champ Car executive vice president of strategic development and communications stated that, "There is no agreement in place at this time, though I expect we'll be able to announce a resolution to our discussions with the IRL one way or the other very soon." No announcement is expected until after Thursday so that the final details of the agreement can be worked out and so that Champ Car co-principal Kevin Kalkhoven can return from London from a family function.
If the merger is finalized soon, it will be effective immediately, and as many as six teams may be field cars in the 2008 Indy Car Series which begins its season March 29th. The Champ Car Series has a scheduled start date of April 20th.
The Indy Racing League has suffered the losses of two of its most popular drivers during the offseason. Reigning series champion Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish Jr. both left the series to pursue their careers in NASCAR.
This is an important stepping stone for open wheel racing in North America. There has been a decline of teams in both series since the mid 1990s, causing a major drop in race attendance and low television ratings. By merging the two series together, there will likely be a merging of the fan base for both series, as well as providing more intense and competitive racing.
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