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Originally Posted by pan6467
I read where Champ and Indy were in talks to merge, but in all honesty, there isn't anything in Champ (CART) anymore. Once they lost FED-EX and the cigarette sponsorships (which led to it's bankruptcy and name change), everyone migrated back to George's IRL and left Champ too weak to really compete anymore.
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Well, that's not really accurate. What hurt CART (now Champ Car) was the defection of Honda and Toyota to the IRL. Along with all the millions they were pouring into the series as well as funding teams. Now that they are in the IRL, they aren't any happier. ANd form what I have heard their investment is even greater. Toyota is close to announcing they are withdrawing leaving Honda as the only engine supplier left. Chevy has already announced they are done. Honda does not want to be the only engine supplier. The IRL is in a corner, either they placate engine manufacturers or loose them. Rumor has it the IRL is considering using the same engine spec as is used in Grand Am. However that is a non-stressed engine and if used in a modern day Indy Car it would have to rest in a cradle. Not an easy task. And these are rather low tech engines. So the IRL may look on the surface to have the upper hand but really they are in a very precarious position.
Champ Car is rebuilding. It is not a strong series although it does enjoy very strong support at selected venues, i.e. Long Beach, Monterrey Mexico, Toronto, Montreal and Mexico City. The new owners of Champ Car also purchased Cosworth this year. Cosworth was sold by Ford and is the manufacturer of the current Champ Car 2.65L turbo engine and ironically, the Chevy IRL 3.0 L V-8. While Champ Car does not have buckets of engine manufacturer money flowing into the series, it does have a stable engine situation, something the IRL does not.
In reality, both series are in bad shape. When Tony George split the series in 1996, he essentially killed the sport. I don't know if it will ever get back to its 1995 levels.