IRP sells naming rights

UPDATE This rumor is upgraded to 'fact' today. O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, which was confirmed as the official name of the multipurpose facility at a news conference Wednesday, is one of five tracks owned by the Glendale, Calif.-based NHRA, whose management will determine how and where the money is spent.

"Some of it will (go elsewhere). It's all the NHRA's money," track general manager Ron Anderson said. "But they want this to be the showplace."

Neither Anderson nor O'Reilly vice president Ron Byerly would divulge details of the deal beyond it being "multiyear and multimillion." It likely is similar in duration to the five-year contract, which has since been extended, with Mac Tools in 2001 as title sponsor of the U.S. Nationals.

Anderson said the next major project in upgrading the 45-year-old facility, which began with repaving of the drag strip in 2001 and has continued with construction of suites above the drag strip grandstands, installation of SAFER barriers on the oval and several infrastructure improvements, is to refurbish the drag strip scoring tower. Indy Star

06/14/06 Indianapolis Raceway Park today is expected to announce that the facility’s naming rights have been purchased by O’Reilly Auto Parts. The facility, which hosts the NHRA and NASCAR Busch and Craftsman Truck series races, will be known as O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. Indy Star