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An agreement to unify America's two open-wheel racing series under the Indy Racing League banner appears to be close to completion.

Talks between IRL founder Tony George and Champ Car World Series co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven went late into the evening Thursday before being adjourned.

"Talks have concluded for the evening with great progress being made, but no announcement yet," IRL spokesman Fred Nation told the Associated Press in an e-mail late Thursday night. "They will resume in the morning. No press conference is scheduled at this time."

The talks have centered on a proposal in which some teams from Champ Car would merge into the IRL's IndyCar Series. The unification would become one series under the banner of the IRL's IndyCar Series, Champ Car spokesman David Higdon said.

"We're closer than we've ever been," Higdon said hours before the adjournment.

Nation, also speaking earlier in the day, said there were four issues still being worked on. He did not identify the issues, but one of them — and perhaps the biggest — was believed to be a conflict between the IRL's race at Honda-owned Motegi in Japan and Champ Car's most important event, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The race in Japan is scheduled April 19, the day before the Long Beach event.

George and former Honda racing executive Robert Clarke flew to Japan last week in an effort to resolve the conflict, but no resolution has been announced.

Before George and Clarke flew to Japan, Kalkhoven told the Associated Press that Motegi was a deal breaker.

"As long as Honda won't move Motegi, there won't be a merger," Kalkhoven said Feb. 8. "It's certainly a major hurdle, but not the only one."

Shortly after that, Kalkhoven issued a statement saying Champ Car's 2008 schedule would go on as planned. But, despite that statement, talks have continued and progress has been made.

Kalkhoven arrived in Indianapolis on Thursday to meet with George, who is also president and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kalkhoven had been in England on family business and is considered a key to the agreement, representing the other Champ Car co-owners, Gerald Forsythe, Dan Pettit and Paul Gentilozzi.

With the opening race of the IRL schedule set for March 29 at Homestead, Fla., there is little time to get the deal done and get the Champ Car teams assimilated into the IndyCar Series.

Officials said, if the agreement is reached, they hope to schedule a test for the new IRL teams at Homestead sometime before the race weekend to help them get acclimated to the new Dallara-Hondas.

Champ cars race with turbocharged Cosworth engines, while the IRL's engines are normally aspirated, giving them a considerably different feel.

Between six and 10 cars are expected to make the move to the IRL, giving the series a lineup of up to 26 cars — considerably more than have raced in either series in recent years.

The deal is also expected to include the current Champ Car races at Long Beach, Edmonton and Surfers Paradise in Australia, with more of the Champ Car schedule being blended into the IRL in 2009.

A unification would end 12 years of often bitter rivalry which confused fans, promoted apathy and nearly buried the sport. A deal would also allow the IRL a chance to begin rebuilding open-wheel's lost prestige and try to make some inroads into NASCAR's huge popularity.

The current talks began in the wake of George offering any Champ Car teams that would move to the IRL in 2008 an engine lease program, Dallara chassis and $1.2 million in incentives.

Numerous tries over the years to merge the series have failed, mostly over the issue of who would retain control. This is the closest the sides have been to an agreement.