Orientation for Champ Car teams Monday

The Indy Racing League will know which former Champ Car World Series teams are serious about joining the IndyCar Series when an orientation meeting is held Monday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Brian Barnhart, the IRL's president of competition, expects representatives from six teams accounting for 10 cars at the meeting. "(More) is an absolute home run," he said Saturday.

The expected two-car teams are Newman/Haas/Lanigan, PKV, Forsythe/Pettit and Conquest, with Walker and Minardi Team USA fielding one each. If all participate, the IRL will have 26 cars.

Barnhart said the Pacific Coast team, a California-based entity that fielded two cars in Champ Car, has expressed interest but might not be able to make the meeting due to the short notice.

The IRL has its first test of the season this week at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but the former Champ Car teams are not expected to be ready to participate. Barnhart has scheduled a pair of tests for those teams — March 19-20 at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway, a road course, and March 24-25 at Homestead, an oval track. Indy Star