"I imagine that I'm speaking for many people when I say it's about time," IRL driver Danica Patrick said in a teleconference. "I hope this is a new birth . . . I've always said fans need something easy, fans need something simple that's easy to understand. And when you try to explain it; it's crap. It makes it difficult. This is going to make everything so much easier.”
According to sources, the deal is not a merger but a plan that will allow Champ Car teams to be part of the IRL as soon as March 29 at the season opening race in Miami.
Whether the new open wheel series will be able to catch up with hugely popular NASCAR remains to be seen.
"Is it too late? Don't know, don't care," 2000 Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya said. "I raced there many years ago. Is it going to bring open-wheel back to greatness in America? I really doubt it. People in America are a lot more interested in NASCAR than they are with open wheel."
After 13 years apart however, those in the sport are hopeful for the future.
"We're going to get great races put together,” Patrick said. “We're going to have all the best events put into one series. And more drivers it's a win, win, win, win situation."
The schedule for 2008.has yet to be finalized but is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
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