Talks Only Fuel Animosities

The Indy Racing League is no closer to ending its feud with rival CART, despite talks aimed at bringing the two sides together, IRL’s president said Thursday.

In his most extensive comments on the 4-year-old split in American open-wheel racing, Tony George accused CART of fueling reports of a reconciliation to boost its stock price, soothe sponsors and divert attention from the Indianapolis 500.

While admitting once again that it would be difficult for both series to survive, George said he got no indication of common ground at a meeting last week with Andrew Craig, chief executive officer of Championship Auto Racing Teams.

“As long as we have different philosophies, we’re never going to strike any kind of accord,” George said. “I can’t say I’m encouraged by anything we talked about.”