Well Well Well

Its that time of year again kids! That’s right, unification talk! It seems that April-May is the traditional time to talk about reuniting and being one big happy family again. Though its clear that one series makes more sense, getting there continues to be the hardest part.

However, with engine packages set to change in 07 for both series, for the first time, it offers a real opportunity. For a long time, unification didn’t make any sense cause both products were quite different. But in 2007, that could change and maybe should. Of course, which package to chose is the big question. But I think that if they sit down and discuss the opportunity in a cordial way, putting the past behind them and looking out for the good of the sport, then something can be worked out.

Mario Andretti is a good person to get these talks going, no question about it. He was there when the sport was at its pinnacle and would love nothing better than to have it there again. And it looks like Tony George is finally saying that one series is best for the sport. At least it’s a start.

What worries most about the Speed article was the statement of George talking about the “philosophical differences” being the main issue. To me, this sounds like stubborn men not wanting to bend. If both organizations recognize that one series is the best way to go, If most of the sponsors recognize that, if most of the fans agree that one series is the best way to go, then there really shouldn’t be too many philosophical differences. To me a philosophical difference would imply that one group didn’t think it was best for the sport to unite. But this doesn’t seem like it’s the case. We’ll see in the next few months if anything pans out of this, but at least they are talking.

And they seem to be exploring unique options, like having “four” major races where both series run together. Interesting idea to say the least. A small way to bridging the gap. I was thinking the other day that Champ Car should unofficially introduce “majors” to its schedule. Although it may be moot, since most Champ Car events are huge in themselves, it could still bring a little attention. I mean, what makes the Australian Tennis Open so much different than the Belgium Open? Nothing really. Points system is the same and although the prize money is more I’m sure, when you’re a professional athlete, you shouldn’t be driven by money anyway. So really, it’s just that we call the tournaments “majors” that make them special. Same thing in golf. Augusta is a ‘Major’, but really its just another tournament. Naturally it would take some time to build Champ Car ‘majors’, but logistically it doesn’t seem that hard to do. Long Beach a major, Toronto a major, Mexico City a major and one of the Asian races, a major (or maybe Australia). Either way, you have four events in four different countries that are already big big events, why not up the prize money and classify them as ‘majors’?

But I digress. With the unification talks taking place (for now), let me propose my own idea for the series to get together. Let’s forget about running selected events throughout the season. Though I don’t agree with much of what George says, he does have a point that finding sponsors for those events may be difficult, if they are spread out throughout the year and ultimately don’t have any real significance to them. But, if we combine Major League Baseball and the Nextel Cup, I think we could have something special. MLB has the American and National League. Until a few seasons ago, none of them played each other throughout the regular season. Nextel has the Chase for the Cup. See where I’m going with this? Both the IRL and Champ Car have their respective seasons. At the end, a champion is crowned (like winning the pennant). Then you take their top 10 drivers in the standings and our top 10 and have them run a “chase for the Cup”type thing. 4 or 5 events, combining ovals, street and road courses. An Open-Wheel champion would be crowned. With something on the line, with the successions of the races and with an interesting format implemented, it would be much easier to attract sponsors. This would attract attention from the media and the general public because of its radical format. Like the World Series in baseball, the IRL versus Champ Car would be in effect, though all the drivers would be competing against one another. It may seem like a radical idea, but I think its something different and potential fun.