LVMS GM pleased about possible reunion of leagues

Thursday, May 27, 1999 | 10:01 a.m.

Reports of an imminent reunification of rival open-wheel series Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) and the Indy Racing League have come as good news to Las Vegas Motor Speedway general manager Chris Powell.

"I think if those two entities could reunite, it would be quite a boost for motor sports," Powell said. "And we certainly would smile upon anything that is a boost for motor sports."

LVMS has hosted the IRL since its inaugural season in 1996 and Powell said he felt confident the 1.5-mile superspeedway would continue to stage an open-wheel race if and when the two series consolidate.

"I don't want to speculate on decisions that will be made by other people, but I think we have positioned ourselves very well as a major motor sports venue," Powell said.

"Given that the IRL has obvious interest in Las Vegas in that it has been here since 1996 -- and I'm very well aware of (CART president) Andrew Craig's interest in Las Vegas -- I feel that we're very well-positioned to be a part of any merged group that comes about."

Powell and LVMS owner Bruton Smith have been holding talks with Craig about the possibility of bringing a CART race to Las Vegas.

Published reports have speculated that CART and the IRL could come together as early as the 2001 season and that all the existing IRL races would remain on the new schedule.

A consolidation of the two open-wheel series could prove to be the shot in the arm LVMS officials have been looking for to boost sagging attendance for IRL races at the Speedway.

After drawing more than 67,000 spectators to the inaugural Las Vegas 500K at LVMS in 1996, crowds the past two years have slipped to below 30,000. The CART season-ending race in Fontana, Calif., drew a crowd of 109,000 at California Speedway.

"First and foremost, it would be a tremendous shot in the arm for open-wheel racing," Powell said of the anticipated CART-IRL merger. "If we at Las Vegas Motor Speedway benefit from that shot in the arm, then so much the better."

If CART and the IRL do merge, the open-wheel series would have five drivers in its ranks who call Southern Nevada home. Sam Schmidt and Davey Hamilton drive in the IRL while Jimmy Vasser, Paul Tracy and Richie Hearn are regulars in the CART Fed Ex Championship Series.