Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: George adds race, discusses Triple Crown

Friday, Oct. 5, 2001 | 10:41 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand's motor sports notebook appears Friday. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089.

Indy Racing League founder Tony George made several interesting revelations Thursday -- and the series adding a race at California Speedway beginning next year was only one of them.

In announcing a March 24, 2002, IRL date at the two-mile track in Fontana, Calif., George also said that teams from the rival Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) series have expressed interest in jumping to the IRL and that the series is contemplating reviving the Triple Crown.

"There have been no recent discussion along the lines of reunification (with CART)," George said. "I think there is an interest from a number of CART teams in the Indy Racing League -- not just the Indy 500 but the whole schedule. We've been working very hard to build this series with 15 races, with ABC and ESPN and a good international (TV) package.

"With more growth and potential growth from the sponsors on the horizon, I think they're seriously looking at us as a viable option in the future and we have had a number of discussions with a number of teams."

When the IRL announced the addition of Michigan Speedway to the schedule this summer, there had been some talk about a Triple Crown series of races -- three 500-mile events, including the Indy 500, that would carry a separate trophy and prize fund -- if the IRL could put a race at California Speedway.

The races in Michigan and California are 400-mile events at this point, but George said he was not opposed to reinstating the Triple Crown.

"I think there is interest and energy for doing that," George said. "Whether it takes place in 2002 as some kind of formalized Triple Crown remains to be seen but we will have the three venues on the schedule for 2002 so now there is an opportunity, obviously, to pursue that."

The addition of a race at California Speedway strengthens the IRL's relationship with International Speedway Corporation; eight of next year's 15 races will be staged at tracks owned by ISC. It also will mark the first race in California for the 6-year-old series.

"This represents a very exciting time for us because it represents the continued growth of the Indy Racing League," George said. "We were at nine races in 2000 and this year we had 13 and with this announcement, we're looking forward to having 15 races in 2002.

"The Los Angeles market is very important to every series, especially the Indy Racing League, from a fan development standpoint and from a marketing standpoint. We have grown our schedule very aggressively the last couple of years, in large part due to this partnership (with ISC)."

CART's new engine formula would be identical to that used by the rival Indy Racing League, but CART chairman and CEO Joe Heitzler said in an interview that the move doesn't mean a unification with the IRL is imminent.

"That's not what I was employed to do," Heitzler told ESPN.

Heitzler told ESPN that he would be meeting with executives from Honda regarding the new engine formula. Honda and Ford also supply engines to CART.

It started with Jeremy Mayfield's immediate release from the No. 12 car on Wednesday; Mike Wallace will replace him for the remainder of the season. Kevin Lepage was released from the No. 4 car and will be replaced by Mike Skinner for the 2002 season. Bobby Hamilton Jr. will drive the car for the final eight races of this season and Wallace will take over in the No. 12 car for the rest of the year.

On Thursday, Jimmy Spencer announced that he was leaving the No. 26 car at the end of the season and Jason Leffler was told he would not be in the No. 01 car in 2002. It appears as if Spencer will be driving the Chip Ganassi-owned No. 01 Dodge in 2002.

The Skat-Trak Watercross World Championships will feature 34 competition classes and more than $120,000 in prizes and contingencies in the eight-day event, in which 15 world champions will be crowned in Pro and Expert divisions and 19 in Novice and Amateur divisions. ...

The Las Vegas-based team of Troy Herbst, Todd Gorsch, Tim Herbst and Ed Herbst finished first in Class 2 and third overall in last weekend's Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno off-road race. The team finished the 526-mile route in 10 hours, 23 minutes and 9 seconds. The Las Vegas-based Collins Motorsports team of Brian Collins and Larry Ragland finished second in Class 2 and sixth overall in 11:01.01. ...

SCORE will hold a drawing for official class starting positions for the 34th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 at 3 p.m. Saturday in Pomona, Calif. The Baja 1000, the final race of the five-round 2001 Duralast SCORE Desert Series, will be held Nov. 8-11 in Ensenada, Mexico. NASCAR Winston Cup driver Robby Gordon, a former desert-racing champion, was the first official entry in this year's race. ...

Modified Open Comp racing will return to The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday night after a one-year absence. In addition to the 50-lap main event, Legends Cars, ARCA Trucks and a demolition derby will be featured. Spectator gates open at 5 p.m. and racing begins at 7.