Indy chief discusses F1 TV deal

By getting the American television rights to F1, George will include that in the TV rights for the Indianapolis 500 and the Indy Racing League which are already on ABC and ESPN.

"We've been in discussions for a long time and it is not complete, but I continue every day to have discussions with interested parties on that for the future," George said. "It's looking good, but it's not finished. It's not a done deal to have this year's race on ABC. It's in everyone's interests to try and do that. We are still four weeks away, so there is always time.

"I've been trying convince ABC and ESPN - our current television partners in the IRL - that a great open-wheel strategy would be American oval racing and European road racing. That is discussions we have had and where I believe it will end up. I think there is generally a lot of enthusiasm to get that done now. Certainly, the window of opportunity is open wider now than it was a few weeks ago."

The IRL has enjoyed larger attendance this year, but television ratings continue to suffer. Last week's race at Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis drew a TV rating of a 0.45 on ESPN. Sunday's race at Chicagoland Speedway is on ABC and IRL officials are hoping network TV will bring a larger rating.

"Yes, I was disappointed," George said. " It's a shame that more people aren't tuning in to watch. It was a decent race, if I say so myself. I think we were positioned to benefit from increased promotion and exposure on the ABC/ESPN family of networks. I think there will be a redoubled effort on their part to try and improve that situation."