Well the 2006 winged sprint car seasons are winding down and unfortunately, there's no end in sight to the ridiculous split that has fragmented the sport. The World of Outlaws and the National Sprint Tour continue to march on, both talking about the good of the sport but neither doing what is ultimtely the right thing for it to thrive - merge into one unified series.

We've recently learned of some planned movement by teams and drivers between the two series. Danny Lasoski and Tony Stewart's driver Paul McMahan appear headed back to the Outlaws side next year. And there are rumblings that unless there is a merger, two or three others will also slip back across the border to WoO.

Unless all of the "names" are at a winged sprint car event, the sport will never grow or prosper. What a shame that this weekend's Gold Cup doesn't have the star-studded field of years past because of this ugly split. Whatever issues caused this to happen - no finger pointing intended - they need to be resolved immediately.

Sponsorship budgets for next year are pretty much in place and companies simply won't spend the money on the winged sprint car world, already a tough sell, without a unified series. The sport needs a unified base of teams and drivers, a solid schedule of key events in top markets and a well-distributed television package in order to generate sponsorship dollars.

Right now, none of those exist and the flow of money is down to a trickle.