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"The KV guys will be aligned with Target/Chip Ganassi, so it will be a smooth transition from that point."
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But the decision that will ultimately decide the fate of the new unified series will be the schedule, which, according to George and Kalkhoven, will be developed from a clean sheet of paper in 2009.
Anchored by the Indianapolis 500 with several historic and popular tent poles throughout like Long Beach, Australia and Mexico City, the new series has a chance to create an exciting and eclectic schedule that could re-capture the interest of open-wheel fans.
"The Indianapolis 500, with all of its stature, and Long Beach will be two anchor points of what will be an incredibly interesting series," Kalkhoven said.
While Champ Car's direction was toward more road courses and street circuits, the IRL charted a course that was oval-track-heavy, an emphasis George is hoping to continue in the next evolution of the series.
"It's important to me to have a variety of ovals on the schedule," George said. "But international opportunities are out there. We need to look at building a schedule that makes sense from every perspective."
Speculation is a 20- to 22-race schedule will be the end result in 2009, and if George and Kalkhoven are smart, the high-speed oval racing that became the IRL's trademark will comprise a majority of the slate.
The incredible high-speed side-by-side racing at superspeedway ovals like Chicagoland Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway and Richmond International Raceway made the IRL one of the most exciting series in all of motorsports.
Building on that excitement and the oval-track tradition of Indy Car racing should be the foundation of the next era of the series. Only after a core of oval races are in place should the most popular road course and street circuit events be added, which would create one of the premier circuits in motorsports.
The first step has been taken and open-wheel teams can all come out of the storm clouds and race under one umbrella. Now it's up to George, Kalkhoven and Co. to not just keep Indy Car racing alive, but make it thrive.
"Having one series is for the best, not only for the drivers and the teams, but for the fans," said Helio Castroneves, who now has a chance to once again be known for his driving talent rather than his dancing skills. "It's about time."
