IRL series adds race at new Kentucky Speedway

Wednesday, Sept. 22, 1999 | 10:09 a.m.

The Indy Racing League lost a proposed race in Cleveland and may not be back at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., next year. But the four-year-old series on Tuesday added a new superspeedway to its 2000 schedule.

Kentucky Speedway, which is under construction in Florence, will host the Belterra Resort Indy 300 next August 27 on its 1.5-mile tri-oval.

Kentucky Speedway, located 35 miles south of Cincinnati, is being built at a cost of $152 million and will open next year with grandstand seating for 65,000, 50 luxury suites and a glass-enclosed restaurant seating 210.

Paving of the track is under way and testing at the track is scheduled to begin in October.

Eddie Cheever, winner of the 1998 Indianapolis 500 and a staunch supporter of the IRL, said it is important for the series to expand into new markets.

"I think one of the most exciting things that we have done in the IRL is bring open-wheel racing to new markets," Cheever said. "Oval racing in the States has had an unbelievable boom that was driven by NASCAR.

"I think it's interesting that we're being invited to go to these new facilities and I think it plays a very important part not only in racing in America, but of open-wheel oval racing in America. It is very important for the Indy Racing League to go into these new areas and to start promoting our type of racing."

The Belterra Resort Indy 300 is the fourth date to be announced for 2000, joining the Indianapolis 500 and two events at Texas Motor Speedway. The balance of the schedule will be announced later this year, according to IRL officials.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway general manager Chris Powell said he is still negotiating with the IRL to bring the series back for a fifth time in 2000.

"We have not committed to the IRL for 2000, nor have they committed to us," Powell said. "We need to have events here and we're fully set to go forward with the IRL, but there is still some negotiating to do."

In addition to losing Cleveland and, possibly, Lowe's Motor Speedway, it is expected the IRL will run only one race at Pikes Peak International Raceway next season. This year, the Indy cars visited Pikes Peak twice.

* KARTING CHARITY: Fans will have the opportunity to interact with Indy Racing League drivers at the inaugural Sprint PCS Karting For Kids 500 Mini Indy Race Thursday at the Las Vegas Kart Club go-kart track at LVMS.

The two-hour endurance race, which will benefit Speedway Children's Charities, will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. and will be free to the public. More than a dozen IRL drivers, including Indianapolis 500 winners Arie Luyendyk and Eddie Cheever and local racers Sam Schmidt and Davey Hamilton, will be on hand to sign autographs.

* LOCAL SUPPORT: A number of local hotel-casinos are aligning with IRL and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams for this weekend's races at LVMS.

In the IRL, the Maxim hotel-casino will be an associate sponsor on Stephan Gregoire's No. 7 G-Force/Aurora; the Las Vegas Hilton will be an associate sponsor on Scott Harrington's No. 66 Dallara/Aurora; and Harrah's will continue its primary sponsorship of Billy Boat's No. 11 A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Aurora.

In the Truck Series, the Luxor will sponsor Auggie Vidovich Jr.'s No 5 Ford; the Lady Luck will sponsor Bobby Regestien's No. 36 Chevy; and Brendan Gaughan will continue to carry the Orleans Hotel and Casino's colors on his No. 20 Chevy.

Gaughan's NASCAR Winston West stock car also is sponsored by the Orleans, which is owned by his father, Michael.

* OPEN MEETING: Race fans attending the Orleans 250 at LVMS will be offered a rare, behind-the-scenes look into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

The drivers' meeting for the Orleans 250 will be open to the public and will be conducted directly behind the speedway's front-stretch grandstands at 3 p.m. Friday. Following the meeting, many of the top drivers from the truck series will be available for autographs.

Drivers' meetings are held prior to each race to explain the general and specific procedures that govern the race, but they normally are closed to the public. NASCAR officials conduct the 20-minute meeting, and all drivers and crew chiefs are required to attend.

LVMS, in conjunction with the Pep Boys Indy Racing League, also has scheduled an autograph session for each driver in the Vegas.com 500 on Saturday at 2 p.m. on the speedway's midway.