IRL has brought CART to its knees, but at what price?

INDIANAPOLIS -- Ten years ago, CART was a dominant force in the world of motorsports.

Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi and Bobby Rahal had not yet faded into retirement. Al Unser Jr. and Michael Andretti didn't see many wrinkles when they looked in the mirror. Formula One champion Nigel Mansell was poised to make the jump to America. People actually watched the races on TV, and no one argued about whether the Indianapolis 500 was the world's greatest event.

It seems, in the words of CART kingpin Chip Ganassi, about three lifetimes ago.

Ravaged by its seven-year war with the Indy Racing League, Championship Auto Racing Teams appears on the verge of collapse. The weaker teams are struggling to pay the bills. The stronger ones are poised to follow Roger Penske's lead and bolt to the IRL. All the major engine builders are lining up with the newer series, having decided to jump on Tony George's lifeboat before the sinking ship goes under.

From all indications, George's IRL brainchild -- a lower-cost, U.S.-based oval series -- appears to have struck the decisive blows in America's open-wheel bloodletting. The only suspense is the surrender terms.

"I knew one day it would have to come to a head," said Michael Andretti, still a leading driver in CART. "It looks like we're getting to that point."

Then again, in a realm dominated by NASCAR, can anyone really claim victory?

"I knew things had changed when I opened the paper one morning and saw a story about Jeff Gordon's wife's hairdresser up at the top," Ganassi said, trying to make a joke but sounding more sad than anything. "Then, underneath, there was a brief about Jimmy Vasser winning a CART race for Chip Ganassi."

In position to survive

Sure, IRL is better positioned to survive, but the series founded in 1996 still struggles to draw fans at many of its stops. While some 400,000 fans will be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, there appeared to be no more than 70,000 at the first four races of the season -- combined.

"It's not all good news," admitted George, who is president of both IRL and its signature track. "We've been lucky, but there's going to be some tough times, too."

For CART, things really got tough in the past few months.

Penske, the most successful car owner in series history, packed up his team -- along with two-time reigning champion Gil de Ferran and defending Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves -- and moved to the IRL.

Then, just three days before this year's 500, Honda struck another blow against CART's fading prestige by announcing it will build engines for the IRL next year. There goes the manufacturer that won the last six CART titles, taking along its significant marketing clout.

"It's another big step forward," George said.

The IRL now has four major engine manufacturers -- Honda, Toyota, Chevrolet and Infiniti -- for 2003, and Ford may join them in 2004. CART has lined up only one minor engine-builder so far.

Just as troubling, the series is facing the prospect of not having enough cars to hold a competitive race. Sixty-two drivers took part in at least one event a decade ago, but those numbers are dwindling by the moment.

Only 20 cars were on hand at the start of the season, and Pac-West Racing already has abandoned half of its two-car operation.