Indy Racing League founder Tony George and Kevin Kalkhoven, owner of the now-defunct Champ Car series, held a news conference Wednesday to reveal some details of the merger of America's two open-wheel series, including the fact that the April 20 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will be run by Champ Car teams with their old equipment while their new IndyCar Series brethren are in Japan.

Points earned at Long Beach will count toward the IndyCar Series championship.

"It's going to be a celebration of Champ Car and, I hope, of the IRL," Kalkhoven said.

The news conference at the Homestead track began with about two dozen drivers, from both series, lined up across the front of the room and at least a half-dozen Champ Car team owners in the room.

The general response by the drivers and car owners from Champ Car to the unification was "It's about time."

The overriding concern was how little time they have to prepare for the season-opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 29.

"For me, coming from Champ Car, it's a little bit tough on us, having to get cars a month before the first race," said Will Power, fourth in the Champ Car points in 2007. "But, in the long run it's much better for a driver in their career, for sure, because there's a lot more potential."

The long-sought unification was announced last Friday, but George said many details remain to be settled.Among the biggest challenges will be running the two races on the same weekend in April in different parts of the world.

"But I think the efforts of some very capable people and the scenario that allows Champ Car to showcase for one final time the (Panoz) DP-01s, the drivers and teams that are familiar with that equipment, to go out and put on a great show, really make Long Beach a great event," he said.

The unusual schedule was made necessary when neither Long Beach nor the traditional IRL race at Motegi, Japan, set for April 19, would agree to change dates.

GOING HER OWN WAY: After trying for years to find rides on other people's teams, Sarah Fisher is going out on her own.

Fisher said Wednesday she has formed Sarah Fisher Racing, along with partner John O'Gara, and will begin her season in May at the Indianapolis 500. The rest of the team's schedule is uncertain.

"As a first-year startup team, we know it's small," Fisher said. "We want to build the right way. Our 2009 program actually looks a lot better than our 2008 program. That's real exciting to us and, hopefully, we can be in a lot more races come that time."

Fisher, who has 67 starts and has been one of the IRL's most popular drivers since 1999, her rookie year in the series, said the new team is close to signing a primary sponsor.

SIGNING ON: Panther Racing announced Wednesday the Dallara Honda driven by Vitor Meira will have full sponsorship from Delphi, which is returning, and team newcomer the National Guard.

That's a big step up from a couple of years ago when the team lost Pennzoil as its primary sponsor and had to auction off equipment to survive.

INVESTIGATORS VISIT MCLAREN OFFICES AND HOMES: Italian investigators visited the offices of Formula One team McLaren in Woking, England, and the homes of several of its executives on Wednesday as part of a criminal probe into the sport's spy scandal.

McLaren said investigators, led by the Modena magistrate, were accompanied by local Surrey Police as they went to the McLaren Technology Center and the homes of "a number" of executives. The names were not disclosed.