There's been so much talk about how bad the split has been for open wheel racing in the United States. Maybe it hasn't been such a bad thing. Sure, when there was one series there were more cars in any race. I seem to remember fields for a CART race numbering in the 30's. But because there was only one series, I think there were fewer overall teams and fewer opportunities for drivers.
Yes, you could argue that the overall quality of racing has dropped. But not by much. Now we have two series. Champ Car is fielding 17 cars, the IRL has 20 this year. That's 37 total. Both series are getting TV coverage of every race this year. I'd say that is pretty good exposure.
I'm beginning to think Bernie Ecclestone's proposal from a couple of years ago makes more sense. Ecclestone is the head of Formula One racing and when asked about the Champ Car/IRL split he said that Champ Car should focus on street circuits; the IRL on ovals and both series should come together for a "championship playoff" at the end of the season.