MIS expects to keep race date

Michigan International Speedway president Roger Curtis has advice for fans worried about the 2-mile superspeedway losing a NASCAR Sprint Cup date in 2011: Don't worry. Rumors have ramped up that MIS is among the International Speedway Corporation tracks in jeopardy of losing a race now that it appears likely Kansas Speedway will get a second date. Curtis answered questions during a web telecast with fans Wednesday night. "That is completely false," Curtis said of the rumors. "I have been reassured by senior management at International Speedway Corporation that MIS will not be losing a date. We do sign our sanctioning agreements with NASCAR on a year-by-year basis, but I have not heard anything from NASCAR that would indicate that we are close to losing a date by their criteria. We have invested $55 million over the last few years, and we are going to invest a lot more. We are going to invest a lot more over the next three years and we are going to continue to improve things for fans." Curtis also was asked if MIS is considering putting up lights so the track could host a night race. He said don't expect that to happen any time soon. He pointed out that it would cost about $17 million to light up the track, and there are other areas that need to be addressed first.(MIS)