For Better or Worse, It's Done

The merger that is. Love it or hate it, it's done. For the hardcore Champcar fans like myself, it's a bitter pill to swallow. Just like a racer, we wanted to win. We wanted to stick it to Tony George and his reproduction of CART, called the IRL. But each year we watched our series slide backwards instead of moving forward. Sure we watched the unveiling of a new chassis and new events but viewership and sponsorship faded into near oblivion. That can't be good.

From just a marketing perspective, this needed to happen and it needed to happen soon. I'm a big picture guy and I despise how the France family has taken NASCAR and done their part to fill the void that was created by the open wheel split in 1995. But now NASCAR has plateaued, in my opinion, and it's time to attack. It's the perfect timing to unify and start a marketing push to get Indy car racing back on the map. Will it happen over night? No way. Can it happen in the next five years? I think so. I think the IRL has always had the upper hand on Champcar from an advertising perspective and I think they really push now, to win back the fans that feel alienated from open wheel racing.

This can be done this year by championing the unification of the two series. "Don't miss this years 500 as we see the return of Paul Newman, Paul Tracy, Jimmy Vasser, yada, yada, yada". I think you market the RETURN of everyone this year. I think 2009 needs to be built around the return of tracks that will fall off the schedule this year. It's a shame to see Toronto and Cleveland not get a race this year. I HOPE they return as well as Laguna Seca(need I remind you of Zanardi's move?)

There is nothing perfect in this unification and there never would have been any perfect scenario but they can build from this and work to get open wheel racing back to something similar to it's glory days.

Merger? No Merger? Champcar vs. IRL

It has been a whirlwind of gossip and quotes in the past couple of days around my beloved Champcar series. With Robin Miller’s article on Thursday we hear that talks are apparently hot and heavy. This has been reported before only to have everything fall apart; according to Kevin Kalkhoven due to leaks in the press(that in itself can stop a merger????). I truly hope that these two series can come to some type of arrangement but I don’t know how that can be done for the ‘08 season, no way, no how.

I had the chance to meet Kalkhoven and he acted sincere in what we thought about the price points for the RedBull suite tickets we purchased(for the Denver Grand Prix) and what we thought, as fans, could be done to improve for the following year.

Well, next year never came as it was cancelled for 2007, and along with it went my chance for a guys road trip. Maybe I can work out Wrigley Field somehow!

Here’s my take on the whole ball of wax: Remember when Honda dumped CART/Champcar for greener pastures in the IRL(to make it more like CART)? Now they may be in a position that can be a potential hurdle in the two series merging, due to the Motegi race date. Go figure.

Personally I WANT THIS MERGER TO HAPPEN. Have I mentioned that? BUT…..I cannot stand the Dallaras that the IRL uses. Hate ‘em, hate ‘em, hate ‘em. They’re boxy, loud, and sound like nothing more than a souped up NeckCar engine. I got to see them in action at Texas Motor Speedway from row 1. Which brings up another kick in the pants. I was at TMS for the CART debacle in which the race was cancelled on race day. I don’t blame them; I watched qualifying on Saturday and Michael Andretti took a line out of the front stretch kink that made me think he was seeing CareBears and unicorns. I didn’t want to see anyone die on that track.

I would love to see the DP01 for years to come but if they merge we may no longer see that chassis. It’s nice and has had most of the bugs worked out.

For now, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that something fruitful comes out of these talks and they can get a plan together for the ‘09 season.