HOMESTEAD, Fla. — How many Champ Car teams will make the transition to the IRL IndyCar Series under the terms offered by the open-wheel racing unification agreement? The answer becomes clearer every day.

By the time this issue of National Speed Sport News went to press, two former Champ Car teams — Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and Conquest Racing — were already listed on the Indycar.com Web site. And four other teams publicly stated their intention to field cars in the IndyCar Series.

However, Champ Car co-principal Gerald Forsythe has elected to shut down his operation, casting driver Paul Tracy into the market as a free agent.

Tracy, who with 31 career victories in CART and Champ Car competition since 1993 is the most successful driver in American open-wheel racing, got the unexpected news in a Feb. 28 phone call from FCR General Manager Neil Micklewright.

“After 13 years of competition in CART and the Champ Car World Series, the team has been unable to secure the necessary sponsorship to be able to compete in the IndyCar Series in 2008,” Micklewright stated. “Forsythe Racing, Inc., the parent company of FCR, will participate in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the Champ Car finale, with drivers to be announced.”

The organization also confirmed that it will field its two-car team as planned in the Atlantic Championship with drivers James Hinchcliffe and David Garza.

Gerry Forsythe has almost single-handedly funded his Champ Car team since late 2003, when his longtime sponsor, Player’s cigarettes, was forced out of racing by Canadian legislation banning tobacco advertising.

Forsythe’s decision to disband FCR surprised outside observers. It seems unusual that Forsythe would help bring together open-wheel racing by agreeing to disband Champ Car but refuse to support the unified IndyCar Series.

Contacted at home in Las Vegas, Tracy said he wants to remain in open-wheelers and to compete again in the Indianapolis 500, where he finished a disputed second in his last  attempt in 2002.

“It’s pretty late for this to happen and I’m hoping I can still find a competitive seat,” Tracy said. “I think I could do a good job in the IRL.”

Tracy hopes he can race for a premium IndyCar Series team like Penske  Racing or Target Chip Ganassi Racing, but the 39-year-old Canadian’s best  opportunities would seem to lie with KV Racing, the former Champ Car team owned by Kevin Kalkhoven and Tracy’s friend Jimmy Vasser; Rahal Letterman Racing and Panther Racing, which have both cut back to a single IndyCar for 2008 and Tony George’s Vision Racing, which could benefit from Tracy’s experience and notoriety.

With Forsythe’s team out of the reckoning, it appears that former  Champ Car teams will contribute nine or 10 cars to the IndyCar Series field: Two for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal); two for KV Racing (Oriol Servia and TBA); two for Conquest Racing (rookie Franck Perera and likely Nelson Philippe); one or possibly two for Walker Racing; at least one from Dale Coyne  Racing for Bruno Junqueira, and one from Minardi Team USA, with Robert Doornbos as the preferred pilot.

Rocketsports Racing is not pursuing opportunities in the IndyCar Series, and Pacific Coast Racing General Manager Tyler Tadavic is attempting to secure financing for that team to continue in open-wheelers.

Minardi’s involvement was in doubt, but co-owners Paul Stoddart and Keith Wiggins were at Homestead where they confirmed they are pressing ahead with plans for one car.