The announcement will be televised at SpeedTV and IndyCar.com
Some updates ...
Indy Star: All 9 CC teams at IRL orientation
Says Brian Barnhart: "That's absolutely a good sign. This was just an information meeting, but the interest is clearly high."
IndyCar.com: The IRL will help the migrating CC teams
IndyCar teams are pairing with CC teams to help them with technical assistance (but not race strategy). Interestingly, NHL is being paired with RLR, so Graham & Bobby will be together again.
IndyCar.com: Test at Homestead begins busy period
AP: Open-wheel merger faces time crunch
Says Derrick Walker: "It'll be long and tedious and expensive and a lot of work. But everybody on both sides of the aisle are 100 percent behind the merger."
Driver/team news
3 new CC teams are official
Conquest, Newman-Haas-Lanigan and Walker Racing have officially filed paperwork to join the league. More are expected.
AJIV, Carpenter confirmed at Vision
Says AJIV: "Last season was really good for me in that I was able to prove to myself that I can be successful in these cars. After a taste of what the team and I can do together, I am excited about getting back out there this season and working together to be even better."
Panther to unveil new livery at 1:30
Possible others?
Cavin says in this story that D&R plans to field two cars (one is fielded by Milka Duno part-time), Alex Lloyd could drive a "proposed" third Vision car (although he wasn't part of today's Vision announcement) and Sarah Fisher & Tomas Scheckter are confirmed for part-time drives. Scheckter's has been announced (Kansas, Infineon & Indy for Luczo Dragon), while Fisher's has not yet been announced.
Perspectives & commentary
From Vitor Meira: IndyCar's edge won't last
Says Vitor: "As a driver, team and competitor, you want to have the best field, and the best quality of drivers around you … NASCAR has been growing and growing all the time, and with the unification it’s our turn (to grow). Everyone is looking at IndyCar now.”
Jeff Olson: Open-wheel fantasy
Says Olson: "What we have in 2008 is almost exactly what we had in 1995. The only differences are a new leader, naturally aspirated engines and more ovals. Oh, yeah, lest we forget: We also have a much smaller audience," before he goes into a history of the split.
David Phillips: At least one good answer
Says DP: "At a family gathering my niece introduced me to her new boyfriend, saying 'Uncle David writes about . . . which is it? I can never tell the difference between Indy Cars and Champ Cars.' I started to go into my well-practiced spiel about the split between Champ Car vs. IRL, then checked myself, broke into a grin and said, 'Hold on. There is no difference. Not anymore.'"
Florida Today: IRL debates difficult turns
Enid (OK) News: Ugliest feud in sports is over
Local markets
In Edmonton: Will IRL make a pit stop in Edmonton?
The Edmonton race will be addressed in the news conference.
Infineon: At 40, it's never looked better
Says ex-track publicist & NASCAR exec Ken Clapp: "It's a really good thing for track operators. This country needs to have a strong IndyCar presence, as it did years ago. NASCAR is very supportive of this move in that direction."
Merger goes Infineon's way
Says Infineon president Steve Page: "It can only be positive. We had a promotion (for the Aug. 22-24 weekend) when the news came out. We sent out an e-mail blast with a special offer, and our phones lit up."
No comments:
Post a Comment