Overheard at Chicagoland

UPDATE One part of this rumor is 'false.' There’s been a lot of speculation about Steve Horne getting back into racing as an IRL owner and there was a report the former CART regular was at Chicago making his final plans.

"First off, I wasn’t at Chicago and secondly, I have no plans to get back into the racing business right now," said Horne. “I would dearly love to run the Indy 500 again if it made financial sense, because I think it still owes me one.

"And the IRL contacted me and I spoke with Terry Angstadt (IRL marketing) and he was very enthusiastic, but I can’t see the numbers working." SPEEDTV.com

09/10/07 Former CART team owner Steve Horne was rumored to be visiting with old friends at Chicagoland this weekend and recently said he did not think Champ Car would survive after exploring options with that organization. The rumor in Chicagoland is that Horne might want to start an Indy Car team…..Ryan Briscoe is still rumored to be replacing Sam Hornish Jr. who appears headed to NASCAR…..No one knows for sure who will replace the departing Dario Franchitti at AGR. Tomas Scheckter's name has come up but we hear otherwise. It's a top ride and a lot of drivers will be gunning for that seat ……Robin Miller reports that Dario Franchitti might be taking Canadian Club sponsorship with him to NASCAR……The IRL's last two champions and Indy 500 winners appear headed to NASCAR and in the last two years four Indy 500 winners have joined NASCAR (Montoya and Villeneuve in addition to Hornish and Franchitti) which is going to hurt the series significantly. Most put it down to another nail in open wheel racing's coffin. Because there still is no merger between IRL and Champ Car open wheel racing in America is being plucked dry…….The AGR team will add an energy sponsor next season………If Dario Franchitti goes to NASCAR full time in 2008, as expected, the Indianapolis 500 will lose another reigning champion. Franchitti would be the fifth winner since 2000 not to take the green flag the next year. The others were Kenny Brack, the 1999 winner who moved to CART; Juan Pablo Montoya, the 2000 winner who switched to Formula One; Gil de Ferran, the 2003 winner who retired; and Buddy Rice, the 2004 winner who was injured in practice. That plus last year's winner and IRL all-time winningest driver Sam Hornish Jr. is headed to NASCAR as well.