Newest talk about IRL & Champ Car merger (this ones promising)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sbatts6
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If this really is the proposed plan...
- 50/50 ownership of the merged series.
- Over 15 oval/road/street races including the Indy 500.
- 2.65L turbo V8 engines.
- Panoz DP01 chassis.
- Bridgestone/Firestone tires. Firestone is owned by Bridgestone so it's only an issue of which brand Bridgestone wants to promote.
- Mazda Atlantic Championship as the ladder series.
...then I'm all for it.

I hope Tony George (who owns the IRL and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway) also agrees to never break away from this unified series. Tony George will earn the respect of many fans, including myself, if he can swallow his pride and end this split.

I'm praying for the return of the IndyCar World Series in 2007.
 
2.67L Turbo? That will have some kick in it. I’d be very happy for this to happen. The IRL is doomed anyway, but this is a much less painful and faster conclusion than that which would happen if no agreement is met.
 
The current and next-gen Champ Cars are powered by 2.65L turbo V8s.

According to the possible new CCWS/IRL merger plan... The unified series will run the next-gen Champ Cars.
 
http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/22216/

I wish people would heed this guy's words of advice. It would suck like nobody's business to have media leaks and the like wind up killing this thing. :grumpy: 👎

A unified series is without a doubt the best solution for both sides. Plus, the unified open wheel series would have both Danica Patrick and Katherine Legge, while NASCAR would have...er...well...you get the idea. ;)
 
My beef with the merger: There wont be a variety of engines any more. Sure, it really doesnt make much of a difference today, but if everyone is running a Ford engine, who cares?

Its amazing how similar the IRL and NASCAR are and yet NASCAR completely steamrolls the IRL in terms of ratings and overall popularity.
 
I see your point YSSMAN, I would love to see the engines of the good ol USAC days when there were 4 cylinder Offies going against V8 fords and chevys, big fords and turboed V6s bumping each other at Indy
 
YSSMAN
My beef with the merger: There wont be a variety of engines any more. Sure, it really doesnt make much of a difference today, but if everyone is running a Ford engine, who cares?
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There isn't a variety of engines to begin with. CCWS is powered by Ford. IRL is powered by Honda.

However, if the united series goes with the 2.65L turbo V8s, then Honda could easily haul out their "old" 2.65L turbo V8 they used to run in CART. It's simply cheaper to run the 2.65L turbo V8s (instead of the IRL's current 3.0L NA engines) since it's easier to adjust the turbo engine for oval/road/street races.

A manufacturer spending war destroyed CART and almost destroyed the IRL. The united series must remain a spec-series or else costs will spiral out of control again and force the smaller teams out.
YSSMAN
Its amazing how similar the IRL and NASCAR are and yet NASCAR completely steamrolls the IRL in terms of ratings and overall popularity.
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Aside from the fact both series are based on oval racing, there are several reasons why NASCAR is #1 in America.

1. NASCAR has better oval racing. Aside from the restrictor plate races at Daytona and Talledega, NASCAR drivers actually have to lift in the corners. NASCAR stock cars can overtake and separate. The IRL has full-throttle pack racing on the 1.5 - 2.0 mile ovals. IRL cars can't get any separation and can barely overtake during these speedway races (which makes it less exciting than NASCAR).

2. NASCAR has better competition. More NASCAR teams and drivers have a shot at winning. Last year, Andretti-Green Racing (Honda's former IRL factory team) totally dominated the competition (which was boring to watch).

3. NASCAR has almost all of the Cup races on network TV. The IRL TV package is nowhere near as good.

4. NASCAR knows how to promote their drivers and racing. The IRL doesn't.
 
I'll admit that the last time I watched an entire IRL race in detail, it was back when they used to run Chevrolet, Ford (I think?), and Infiniti powered cars. That may have been why I was a bit worried about the variety of the engines...

I've always been a NASCAR fan, so going between the IRL and NASCAR is like night and day. Sure, its cool seeing the cars doing over 200MPH at Texas, but it just isnt very interesting at all. The whole mixup of CART, IRL, and CHAMP really screwed with me (and I assume a lot of other people) and it was a big turn-off...

BTW: Do they still run the Grand Prix in Detroit? I remember hearing about it all the time years ago, but I havent herd about it in quite a while...
 
YSSMAN
BTW: Do they still run the Grand Prix in Detroit? I remember hearing about it all the time years ago, but I havent herd about it in quite a while...
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No, the last Detroit GP was a couple of years ago. But you're welcome to make the trek out to Long Beach. This year they'll have CCWS, Atlantics, the Pro-Celebrity Race, Grand-Am Daytona Prototypes and Speed GT! :D
 
Really? Speed GT is running it this year? Now That would be a good race to see. I dont know if Audi is still campaigning the RS6, but that would be a great track for that car...
 
I really hope that they can get together. VNAF Ace I disagree with you about the competition in NASCAR. It seems like the same guys are always winning
 
The top NASCAR Nextel Cup Series teams in 2005 were Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Racing.

The next race at the California Speedway should show if teams like Dale Earnhardt Inc., Evernham Motorsports, Penske Racing and Richard Childress Racing can compete for wins at the 1.5 - 2.0 mile ovals that make up the majority of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series schedule. Keep in mind that those teams have been successful in the past.

And have you heard of Carl Edwards? In his first full season in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series (in 2005), he won 4 races, made The Chase, and finished 3rd in the championship race.

I'd say that's pretty damn competitive.

As for the IRL... The top IRL team in 2005 was Andretti-Green Racing. Aside from the short track races where Marlboro Team Penske (Toyota's former factory team) could put up a fight, Andretti-Green Racing (Honda's former factory team) totally dominated the competition. I may hate the IRL's full-throttle pack racing on the speedways, but watching one team dominate (in any racing series) is simply boring.
 
The only places where you really ever see the same teams win in NASCAR is usually at Daytona and Talledaga where the DEI and Gibbs cars usually do outstandingly well... Same can be said for Rousch for most of the short tracks.
 

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