Last Nashville race for IRL
Scott Dixon won the eighth IRL race at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday. There have been Internet reports that the race is not on the 2009 schedule, which hasn’t been released.
Terry Angstadt, president of the IRL’s commercial division, said the league would hold either 18 or 19 races next season. He said the league is attempting to have a 50-50 split between oval and street/road courses because of the merger this season with the Champ Car Series, which is known for road-course racing.
Nashville is one of 11 ovals on this year’s 18-race schedule.
“We have a lot of different options," Angstadt said. “We do think that road-course racing is exciting. We have lots of fans that support that and lots of fans that say we should be all ovals." The Tennessean
07/13/08 This Tennessean article makes a case for the IRL keeping Nashville on the schedule in 2009. We just cannot see it. Because of the bumpy concrete surface the racing is horrible and it only draws 25,000 spectators at best.
07/11/08 After rookie practice Thursday night the drivers underscored why Nashville is a horrible track for IndyCars. They have no business being there. "It's bumpy," Justin Wilson said. "It's really bumpy."
Added teammate Graham Rahal, "You can see the concrete slabs all through the circuit. It's difficult. The first couple of laps you make out there are tricky. "I was talking with (Penske Racing driver Dan) Wheldon and he said this is probably the most difficult oval that we go to as far the superspeedways. That definitely came true."
07/10/08 The AP story goes further into the possible loss of Nashville. Terry Angstadt, president of the Indy Racing League's commercial division, said Thursday that league officials hope to have the 2009 schedule completed by the end of July or soon after. Picking and choosing which tracks to keep from the IndyCar Series and which to add from the Champ Car World Series isn't easy for what likely will be an 18 or 19-race schedule.
"We're not going to please everyone, so at the end of the day we do have to make a decision we're charged with making, and that's balancing all considerations and making the best call for our business and total," Angstadt said. "It does kind of come down to that. We sure seek a lot of input."
Cliff Hawks, president of the superspeedway, has heard the talk that the 1.33-mile, D-shaped oval might slip off the IRL schedule. But he said he has not heard anything from Indy Racing League officials to indicate that Nashville won't host a ninth straight race in 2009 although they are expected to talk within the next few days.
"I certainly don't take the rumors lightly. … If it looks like there is some feeling on their part that they might move away from this marketplace, I'm going to do everything within my power within reason to keep the race here," Hawks said.
07/10/08 This Indy Star article also speculates that Nashville may be off the 2009 IRL schedule. Our opinion – IndyCars don't belong on the dangerous single groove concrete track.
07/10/08 A video report saying this could be the last race at Nashville for the IRL. Video from The Tennessean