What does the consolidation of talent mean for American open-wheel racing?

Now that the Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series have merged into one series, we can start to speculate on what might happen with the future of open-wheel racing in America.

The consolidation means that it now has the second best collection of open-wheel racing talent, just behind Formula One. But what does that mean, exactly? I think there are a couple themes worth watching.

The road map for America's next Formula One driver?
Currently little hope exists when it comes to getting an American driver in Formula One. It was once believed that an American driver had to go through the Formula One minor league ranks to get to F1, but Scott Speed proved that notion wrong. Now no clear path exists for an American to break into F1, but the new IRL could change this.

Why? Two reasons.

First, the consolidation of talent means that the IRL will have better competition. Sebastien Bourdais made it to F1 because he won four consecutive CCWS titles in a watered down league. If the logic that consistent success in the CCWS paves the road to F1, then we could assume that consistent success in a league that features the best from the CCWS and IRL would make for an even better road to F1.

Second, the consolidation also means that the schedule will feature a more diverse offering of oval, road and street venues for the drivers. The diversity will make the CCWS drivers better at ovals and the IRL drivers better on the road and street circuits. Drivers who shine in all forms of racing (i.e. Tony Stewart) often rise to the top. It would only make sense that the drivers who master all of the circuits will not only have success in the new IRL, but will also position themselves well against their F1 competition.

The two drivers to watch are Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal. Both kids have dads with F1 ties; Marco has already been linked with Honda. It stands to reason that if these kids have any success that F1 team owners could show interest.

Defection from NASCAR?
Ever since the initial CART / IRL split, talented open-wheel drivers have migrated south for better paying work in NASCAR.

Now that the IRL will have a better on-track product, will that mean the drivers who migrated south will migrate back to Indianapolis? I think it depends on economics. It is crucial that the IRL put on a great show for the fans over the next 2-3 years. If the show is good, the fans will watch. If the fans watch, the advertisers will follow. If the advertisers follow, the money will show up ... and if there's money involved, there's a race car driver who will want to cash in.

Couple the money with America's Racing Holy Grail, the Borg Warner Trophy, and you have a model for sustained success. The NASCAR drivers can talk all they want about how much the Daytona 500 means to them, but if push came to shove, I bet 4 out of 5 would admit they would covet and Indy 500 win more than a Daytona 500 win. The elusive Borg Warner trophy would keep the drivers coming back for years.

The key is in the execution over the next 2 to 3 years. The IRL must put on a good show. In terms of positioning, I think the IRL needs to market itself as THE American racing series that crowns the BEST American driving champion every single year. The diversity in talent and racing venues easily differentiate it positively against NASCAR to a true racing fan. But again, the IRL must deliver great races in order to accomplish this.


The CCWS / IRL merger is the best thing to happen to American motorsport in a while. Let's hope the IRL gets it right this time.