Well well well, will you look at this:

Most Champ Car teams were told to quit working on their Panoz chassis Monday and expect delivery of their new cars in a few days. Paul Tracy is coming to Indianapolis later this week for a seat fitting. And one of Champ Car’s co-owners admitted to a fellow owner there would only be one series in 2008.

After 12 years of warring that cost open-wheel racing much of its sponsorship, audience and momentum, common sense has finally prevailed.

SPEEDtv.com has learned that the Indy Racing League and Champ Car have officially, and mercifully, agreed to become one entity. A press conference could come as early as Wednesday if Kevin Kalkhoven is back from England in time.

12 years that have killed open wheel  racing in the United States.  As someone who grew up idolizing drivers like Rick Mears and Bobby Rahal, going to pole day every year with my family and listening to the Indy 500 on the radio the decline of open wheel here has been hard to stomach. It’s to the point that the IRL was really on the verge of losing me to NASCAR, with the move of Sam Hornish Jr. to the ’stock’ cars just about being the final nail in the coffin.

Tony George wishes to inform you that the 12 year split is all part of his grand masterplan.  Next step: A laser death ray on the moon. (picture courtesy espn.com)

We’ll see if this helps open wheel or if it is too late. I’m hoping that the combined series will at least have the effect of more drivers per race driving a little more interest and this being in the news enough to draw some people back to give it a try again. Now to try and market the personalities of the drivers (which is what has sold NASCAR so well).

Open wheel is still the way to go for North American racing fans who like speed. Those boats on wheels in NASCAR (which stopped being ’stock’ YEARS ago) don’t hold a candle to the speed and danger of an Indy Car.

HT to Masson for finding this story.

P.S. Yes, I plan on writing here more again.