IRL, Champ Car merger closer than ever

An official from the Indy Racing League said a merger between the IndyCar Series and Champ Car World Series is closer than ever and that moving the IRL race at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan to later in the year is the last significant hurdle in completing the merger.
Tony George, the founder of the IRL, is in Japan meeting with track officials at Twin Ring Motegi to convince them to move the race date. The Twin Ring Motegi race, a staple on the IRL schedule for years, is on the same weekend as the Long Beach Grand Prix, April 19-20, and is the season-opening race for the Champ Car World Series.
George left for Japan on Friday with representatives from the IRL and Honda Performance Development to meet with officials at Twin Ring Motegi, which is owned by Honda.
If the merger happens, that would mean the big-name teams and big wallets from the IRL, Roger Penske, Chip Ganassi, Bobby Rahal and Michael Andretti, would return to race on the streets of Long Beach.
John Griffin, a spokesman for the IRL, said moving the Twin Ring Motegi race is the last significant hurdle in completing the merger.
Champ Car World Series owners Kevin Kalkhoven and Jerry Forsythe were not so optimistic about the merger. They released a statement on Friday saying leaks to media have hampered the negotiations.
"Unfortunately, leaks and media reports about a possible unification of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League (IRL) have significantly hampered discussions," according to the statement attributed to Kalkhoven and Forsythe. "Over the past three years, we have fielded and offered several proposals regarding unification of the two premier U.S.-based open-wheel racing series, but we have been unable to reach an acceptable solution. Discussions currently are at a standstill, and we therefore are proceeding with plans to continue as Champ Car."