ESPN will be in the middle of everything related to North American motor sports in 2007, but its officials want no part of choosing sides in open-wheel racing.

In fact, a company spokesman said programmers will make sure the Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series are treated fairly.

ESPN will try not to simultaneously air events from the rival series.

“We will look to avoid that at all costs,” said George McNeilly, ESPN’s senior director of communications. “We don’t see that as serving the viewers well. It’s not going to happen.”

Details have not been finalized, McNeilly said, but the family of networks — ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 — are committed to showing all 17 of the IRL races along with at least 11 of Champ Car’s 15. The other four Champ Car races are committed to CBS and NBC. In addition to open-wheel racing, ESPN has 52 NASCAR races — 17 in the Nextel Cup Series and all 35 in the Busch Series — along with 23 NHRA and eight World of Outlaws events. Understandably, race weekends will be busy, which the IRL’s president accepts.

“If it’s good for motor sports as a whole, then maybe that will be good for all of us (individually),” Brian Barnhart said. “If the networks can be more of a race destination, then as a race fan I’m happy about that.”

Indy Star