LVMS, IRL break off negotiations

Thursday, July 31, 2003 | 9:16 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand

Las Vegas Motor Speedway will not be the site of an Indy Racing League IndyCar Series race in 2004 because the two parties could not agree on a suitable date, LVMS general manager Chris Powell said Wednesday.

"We simply were unable to find a suitable arrangement for both us and the IRL," Powell said. "We were attempting to fit an event within the framework of our own schedule, the IRL's schedule and the proposed dates."

The Sun reported back in April that the IRL was interested in returning to Las Vegas next season and running a race before the Indianapolis 500 in May. Powell dismissed any spring date for an IRL race because of the track's NASCAR Winston Cup race in March and its NHRA date in April would leave little time to properly prepare for and publicize another race.

It is believed Powell was looking to hold a Saturday night race in September, but ABC and ESPN, which televise the series' races, have college football commitments on Saturday nights in September.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosted IRL races from 1996 to 2000. The inaugural race in 1996 -- the first event staged on the 1.5-mile superspeedway -- drew an estimated 65,000 fans but subsequent races failed to attract more than 30,000 spectators.

Powell said the speedway and the IRL would continue talking in an attempt to bring the open-wheel series back to Las Vegas in 2005.

"We agreed it would be best to look beyond 2004," Powell said. "(IRL President) Tony George has expressed his interest in returning to Las Vegas.

"The Indy Racing League is one of the most exciting forms of motor sports in the world ... and we're looking forward to continuing our dialogue with the IRL."