IRL to announce two more ’07 race dates
The IRL's road course race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International will take Kansas' summer date, July 8, next year. That gives the IRL nine confirmed events so far.
A total of 17 races are possible, including new events at Iowa Speedway (June 24) and on the Belle Isle street course in Detroit (Sept. 2). IndyStar
For the last six years, the IRL and trucks events have been held on the Fourth of July weekend. On several of those weekends, temperatures soared over 100 degrees. Temperatures in the 90s were the norm.
Though speedway and IRL officials became increasingly fond of the equity that holding the event on the holiday weekend was building, they remained concerned about the heat. They say they were concerned about the comfort of the fans and they also fear the heat was hurting attendance.
The move to the April date will make the Kansas IRL event the race that immediately precedes the Indianapolis 500.
An ARCA series race also will be part of the Kansas IRL weekend. That race will run on Friday, April 27. The trucks will race on Saturday, April 28, and the IRL will run on Sunday, April 29.
09/18/06 Word is that the IndyCar Series will announce 2007 race dates at Kansas Speedway and Watkins Glen International Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m. (EDT).