Bobby Rahal was in Edmonton yesterday complete with his massive Rahal-Letterman Indy Racing League unit parked in the enemy Champ Car paddock. Patrick and the Rahal-Letterman team is in Milwaukee running the rival IRL event this weekend. And what Rahal was saying in an exclusive interview with the Sun when he showed up on the property might make IRL people wonder about things as well.

With all the rumours which have been around this year of a possible Champ Car-IRL merger or the suggestions that all it would take is a couple of top teams like Rahal-Letterman, Roger Penske or Chip Ganassi to come over to Champ Car, Rahal said it’s possible. You might just see that big Rahal-Letterman unit in the paddock around in the future, and not just visiting to watch his son race Formula Atlantic.

“You never know,” he said.

“It’s a great series. Owners like to race in great series. Many things depend on sponsors. They’re putting on great events. It’s great racing. Whatever will happen will happen.”

As for the merger …

“I hope so,” he said. “But we’ve only been talking about that for the last decade.

“Penske, Ganassi or ourselves are probably 50-50 odds,” he said of making a move to Champ Car if a merger doesn’t happen.

He certainly likes what he witnessed here yesterday.

Rahal said he’d heard about the crowds here last year but said seeing 59,538 for qualifying yesterday is believing. “I think it’s great. It’s a great venue. It’s very impressive. It’s wonderful.”

Edmonton Sun