Where will Atlantic Series end up?

Vicki O'Connor can't say with certainty what the future holds for the Atlantic Championship, but the managing director of the nation's oldest open-wheel development series is certain it has one.

O'Connor has been at the helm of the 35-year-old series since 1985 and has seen it graduate drivers from Bobby Rahal to Graham Rahal. But with its parent, Champ Car, being absorbed into the Indy Racing League, which has the Indy Lights as its development series, the Atlantics are left without a sanctioning body.

O'Connor is undaunted. "We'll just have to see where the best position is for us," she said. "We've had a lot of interest."

The series has an 11-race schedule this year, which began last weekend at Long Beach, Calif. O'Connor is optimistic about having at least that many dates in 2009 as support races at a variety of events.

"We will be affiliated with someone," she said, "but who sanctions us doesn't mean we always have to run with them." Indy Star

[Editor's Note: According to our sources, the IRL is one possibility. Recall in the glory days of CART there was both an Atlantic series and a faster Firestone Indy Lights Series as training grounds for up and coming IndyCar drivers. And the IRL already sanctions a karting series. So it makes a lot of sense to see the same four step ladder Karting–>Star Mazda–>Atlantics–>IndyLights–>IndyCars]